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Papa Married a Mormon
Book by Fitzgerald, John D.
298 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
12 people are currently reading
1022 people want to read
About the author
John D. Fitzgerald
41 books161 followersOFFICIAL WEBSITE REFERENCED REPORTS:
John Dennis Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, on February 3, 1906, to Thomas and Minnie Melsen Fitzgerald. His father had a pharmacy degree but engaged in a number of business ventures and served on the Price Town Council for four years. John graduated from Carbon High School and at the age of eighteen and left Utah to pursue a career as a jazz drummer. He worked in a variety of occupations during his life, including newspaper reporter for the World-Tribune in New York City, foreign correspondent for United Press, advertising and purchasing agent, and bank auditor. He also served on Wendell Willkie's staff when Willkie was running for president.
At the time his first book, Papa Married a Mormon (1955), was published, he was living in Los Angeles and working as a steel buyer. Fitzgerald had collaborated with his sister, Belle Fitzgerald Empey, to write this book. Her name was not included as coauthor of the book because it was written in the first person. Papa Married a Mormon was very popular and was reprinted in several foreign-language editions, including Chinese. Twice chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, it was also serialized in McCall's Magazine. A sequel, Mamma's Boarding House, appeared in 1958.
Fitzgerald moved to Denver in 1960 where he tried for a short time to make his living as a full-time writer. He later reported that "I quit my job and went to a mountain cabin to make my living writing. I had to sell my jack and a tire to get back to Denver. When I got there I sold my typewriter and swore I would never write again." His wife later bought him another typewriter and he eventually resumed writing.
He had a very successful writing career, publishing more than 500 magazine articles, as well as poetry and songs and two books on writing, The Professional Story Writer and His Art (1963) and Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript (1972).
His most successful and widely read novels are the juvenile books in the Great Brain Series. They were loosely based on the adventures of his brother Thomas N. Fitzgerald. Books in this series include: The Great Brain (1967), More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969), Me and My Little Brain (1971), The Great Brain at the Academy (1972), The Great Brain Reforms (1973), The Return of the Great Brain (1974), and The Great Brain Does It Again (1976).
The Great Brain Series has led to one of the most asked questions in Utah literature: "Where is Adenville, Utah?" Adenville is a fictional town created by Fitzgerald, but most readers believe that the geographical setting loosely fits that of a small town in southern Utah.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Joan, moved to Titusville, Florida, in about 1972 where he continued his writing career. He died there May 20, 1988, at the age of 82.
John Dennis Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, on February 3, 1906, to Thomas and Minnie Melsen Fitzgerald. His father had a pharmacy degree but engaged in a number of business ventures and served on the Price Town Council for four years. John graduated from Carbon High School and at the age of eighteen and left Utah to pursue a career as a jazz drummer. He worked in a variety of occupations during his life, including newspaper reporter for the World-Tribune in New York City, foreign correspondent for United Press, advertising and purchasing agent, and bank auditor. He also served on Wendell Willkie's staff when Willkie was running for president.
At the time his first book, Papa Married a Mormon (1955), was published, he was living in Los Angeles and working as a steel buyer. Fitzgerald had collaborated with his sister, Belle Fitzgerald Empey, to write this book. Her name was not included as coauthor of the book because it was written in the first person. Papa Married a Mormon was very popular and was reprinted in several foreign-language editions, including Chinese. Twice chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, it was also serialized in McCall's Magazine. A sequel, Mamma's Boarding House, appeared in 1958.
Fitzgerald moved to Denver in 1960 where he tried for a short time to make his living as a full-time writer. He later reported that "I quit my job and went to a mountain cabin to make my living writing. I had to sell my jack and a tire to get back to Denver. When I got there I sold my typewriter and swore I would never write again." His wife later bought him another typewriter and he eventually resumed writing.
He had a very successful writing career, publishing more than 500 magazine articles, as well as poetry and songs and two books on writing, The Professional Story Writer and His Art (1963) and Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript (1972).
His most successful and widely read novels are the juvenile books in the Great Brain Series. They were loosely based on the adventures of his brother Thomas N. Fitzgerald. Books in this series include: The Great Brain (1967), More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969), Me and My Little Brain (1971), The Great Brain at the Academy (1972), The Great Brain Reforms (1973), The Return of the Great Brain (1974), and The Great Brain Does It Again (1976).
The Great Brain Series has led to one of the most asked questions in Utah literature: "Where is Adenville, Utah?" Adenville is a fictional town created by Fitzgerald, but most readers believe that the geographical setting loosely fits that of a small town in southern Utah.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Joan, moved to Titusville, Florida, in about 1972 where he continued his writing career. He died there May 20, 1988, at the age of 82.
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February 19, 2008
This book is John D. Fitzgerald's first and is semiautobiographical. "Papa Married a Mormon" is the first book in a trilogy also including "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse" and "Mamma's Boarding House." All three are great books. I loved -- loved! -- the ending of "Mamma's Boarding House" and cried and cried.
The thing to remember is that this is a fictionalized account of Fitzgerald's life and family and that he sets the story ten to fifteen years before his parents actually got married, he and his siblings were actually born, and so on. The books themselves are clearly nostalgic for "the good old days" -- perhaps when he wrote this book in the early 1950s, Fitzgerald felt alarmed by the breakneck social change and the two World Wars that had occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. He wasn't the only one longing to go back to a supposedly simpler time. All of his books have been very popular, even though many of them are now out of print.
Here are some examples of Fitzgerald's fictionalization in action: Katie, Fitzgerald's sister, appears in this trilogy (there is even a photo of her) but not in his later "Great Brain" books. In both this trilogy and the "Great Brain" books, the Fitzgerald family adopts a son, but in this trilogy he is called Ernie and is adopted after being abandoned by his abusive, alcoholic father. In "Me and My Little Brain," Frankie is adopted after his entire family dies in a terrible accident. While in the "Great Brain" books, the entire Fitzgerald family is Catholic, in this trilogy, the dad is Catholic, the Mom is LDS, and most of the kids are Catholic, but one is LDS (read the book to find out who!).
I have seen a Web site where some parents tried to take their kids on a trip to Adenville and ended up fictionalizing Adenville even more than Fitzgerald did(http://www.learningfamily.net/reiser/...), ending up in a ghost town called Adamsville. They fooled only themselves. Adenville is fictional and was probably based on the real city of Price, Utah. So, while his books are somewhat autobiographical, they are also fictionalized. Take them with a grain of salt.
Here is an interesting question to ask yourself before you read: What religion does Tom (the Great Brain) choose and why? It's answered in the first book. Also, how is it that Papa is Catholic, but his sister Aunt Cathy and her husband Uncle Mark are Mormon? (Did that never confuse you in the "Great Brain" books?) Finally, although Uncle Will owns a bar and brothel, he finances the LDS mission to Japan for one of the Fitzgerald boys. The boundaries between religions are very fluid here, and you will find that no religion is particularly favored over another, and that people who are ostensibly scoundrels can save the town from a dangerous flood with their good heart and heroic deeds. These books do not deal in absolutes. If you are looking for a feel-good Mormon story where everyone converts to the LDS Church and lives happily ever after, this is the wrong trilogy for you.
This trilogy is not part of the "Great Brain" series (though many of the characters are the same) and is not suitable for children. "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse" in particular has some iffy sexual material -- because Uncle Will is the black sheep of the Fitzgerald family. On the other hand, these books are a monument to tolerance and kindness.
"Papa Married a Mormon," "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse," and "Mamma's Boarding House" are out of print and therefore hard to find, but worth the effort.
I would give "Papa Married a Mormon" and "Mamma's Boarding House" PG ratings and "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse" a PG-13 rating.
The thing to remember is that this is a fictionalized account of Fitzgerald's life and family and that he sets the story ten to fifteen years before his parents actually got married, he and his siblings were actually born, and so on. The books themselves are clearly nostalgic for "the good old days" -- perhaps when he wrote this book in the early 1950s, Fitzgerald felt alarmed by the breakneck social change and the two World Wars that had occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. He wasn't the only one longing to go back to a supposedly simpler time. All of his books have been very popular, even though many of them are now out of print.
Here are some examples of Fitzgerald's fictionalization in action: Katie, Fitzgerald's sister, appears in this trilogy (there is even a photo of her) but not in his later "Great Brain" books. In both this trilogy and the "Great Brain" books, the Fitzgerald family adopts a son, but in this trilogy he is called Ernie and is adopted after being abandoned by his abusive, alcoholic father. In "Me and My Little Brain," Frankie is adopted after his entire family dies in a terrible accident. While in the "Great Brain" books, the entire Fitzgerald family is Catholic, in this trilogy, the dad is Catholic, the Mom is LDS, and most of the kids are Catholic, but one is LDS (read the book to find out who!).
I have seen a Web site where some parents tried to take their kids on a trip to Adenville and ended up fictionalizing Adenville even more than Fitzgerald did(http://www.learningfamily.net/reiser/...), ending up in a ghost town called Adamsville. They fooled only themselves. Adenville is fictional and was probably based on the real city of Price, Utah. So, while his books are somewhat autobiographical, they are also fictionalized. Take them with a grain of salt.
Here is an interesting question to ask yourself before you read: What religion does Tom (the Great Brain) choose and why? It's answered in the first book. Also, how is it that Papa is Catholic, but his sister Aunt Cathy and her husband Uncle Mark are Mormon? (Did that never confuse you in the "Great Brain" books?) Finally, although Uncle Will owns a bar and brothel, he finances the LDS mission to Japan for one of the Fitzgerald boys. The boundaries between religions are very fluid here, and you will find that no religion is particularly favored over another, and that people who are ostensibly scoundrels can save the town from a dangerous flood with their good heart and heroic deeds. These books do not deal in absolutes. If you are looking for a feel-good Mormon story where everyone converts to the LDS Church and lives happily ever after, this is the wrong trilogy for you.
This trilogy is not part of the "Great Brain" series (though many of the characters are the same) and is not suitable for children. "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse" in particular has some iffy sexual material -- because Uncle Will is the black sheep of the Fitzgerald family. On the other hand, these books are a monument to tolerance and kindness.
"Papa Married a Mormon," "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse," and "Mamma's Boarding House" are out of print and therefore hard to find, but worth the effort.
I would give "Papa Married a Mormon" and "Mamma's Boarding House" PG ratings and "Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse" a PG-13 rating.
October 2, 2007
I absolutely LOVED this book. I don't know if I am bias because I am a Mormon, but I think anyone would enjoy this amazing story of an amazing family (written by a family member). This book was well written and so so so interesting. I loved the stories, they made me laugh and cry. I loved the themes of the book: religious tolerance, humanity, love, God is love, family is love, loyalty...so many that were so good! Loved it..wish there was a sequel, but it wouldn't be the same without Tom and Tena. What a way to start out my year in books.
September 15, 2010
Not one I would have picked up on my own, but definitely entertaining. And I love the message of Christlike tolerance and love. Tena is by far the most christlike character I've read in a long time and she inspired me. So much so that I would have given it 5 stars except that I have to disagree slightly with the overall message. I felt that the overall message of the book was that it doesn't matter what religion you are, if you are a good person, you're fine. It made me feel like I was on my mission again where I heard a thousand times that it doesn't matter what church you go to as long as you go to church. I know that we need the saving ordinances of the Gospel only to be found in this church. So by the end of this book I was left with a dull ache for those amazingly good people who are so close and yet still far.
A dilemma the book raised in my was the question of whether you can be an ardent, zealous member of a religion and still be tolerant and accepting of others. The most cruel and intolerant people in the book were the most religious, while those who were not practicing members of their religions were the most christlike. Perhaps it is just this authors depiction, but it feels true sometimes. Why do we find it so hard to hate the sin and love the sinner?
A dilemma the book raised in my was the question of whether you can be an ardent, zealous member of a religion and still be tolerant and accepting of others. The most cruel and intolerant people in the book were the most religious, while those who were not practicing members of their religions were the most christlike. Perhaps it is just this authors depiction, but it feels true sometimes. Why do we find it so hard to hate the sin and love the sinner?
May 16, 2011
Oh, nostalgia. I forgot how great of a storyteller this author is. He transports you right back to the "Wild West" and it was such a delight to read. I also loved the way the story was written, about religion and how everyone can be a good Christian, regardless of what religion they belong to. He wrote a very unbiased story about the Mormons in this part of Utah and what they worked for and represented. It was a great story of tolerance and forgiveness. Plus, it was just plain fun. And now, I will delve into the stack of "The Great Brain" books that was also loaned to me. Yippee!
May 25, 2014
I loved this book! I read all of "The Great Brain" books by the same author when I was a kid, but this book was more autobiographical and was written for adults. The basic message is one of love and understanding. It was well written, humorous, and touching.
September 19, 2016
I liked this story because what could have ended up being a story of brokenness and bigotry, was instead a story of love overcoming.
May 16, 2012
I liked this quite a lot. As many reviewers have noted, this book and its two partners-in-trilogy are out of print and as such, hard to get a hold of but worth the effort. If you read and loved the "Great Brain" books as a kid I think this is a must for you as an adult. (Same author) If you like stories of the early frontier and the characters who inhabited and settled it, (like "These is My Words"); If you like stories where the good guys do bad things sometimes and the bad guys often pull through to save the day; If you like stories of humble, hard-working people who live by the morals of love, tolerance and forgiveness, this is for you. Those are the reasons I liked it.
January 6, 2014
Finally! A good book after so much mediocrity! I wasn't sure what to expect with this book after picking up what has to be the first edition (1955) from my local library. I was pleasantly surprised by how captivating the story, setting, and characters were. Definitely a worthwhile and accurate glimpse into life in central Utah during the early days of settlement. I appreciated that Fitzgerald did not dodge religious issues or paint the Mormons as always tolerant-- they were persecutors too. If Fitzgerald truly did base his fictional parents on his real ones they were people ahead of their time in terms of acceptance and treatment of those with differences…
June 6, 2014
This is our 1st ever family Classic. I have never read a story that addresses christian religions in such a great way. We relate to this story in our family. The discussions we had about this family and their experiences have lead us to plan to read it again as a family. Each night we read this out loud as a group we were sad when we had to stop. So many great nuggets of goodness amid difficult situations. Families are complicated. Communities are diverse. I can only hope that my son will be able to write or maybe just remember so many childhood highlights about his papa that married a mormon someday.
October 29, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. The Fitzgerald family stories made me laugh.
May 13, 2010
I'm not sure whether to call this a memoir or a family history or what. I found this biographical book by the author of a series of some of my favorite books in childhood, The Great Brain series, to be delightful. Many of the characters we met in the kids books are here again in real life, plus a few others we haven't learned about before.
I loved the story of JD's uncle Will, his father's brother, who was a gunslinger and had made his fortune owning the best saloon in Silverlode. There were many colorful stories about him and his exploits.
I really adored the character of Mama, whose courage and convictions, and just her basic goodness are an inspiration to me. She was one of those believers who understood and lived the real gospel, the part about loving others even if they're different from us, and doing what's right even when it will get you shunned or gossiped about in the neighborhood. I just love Mama. Kids and dogs and people everywhere she went loved her, and so do I.
The exploits of TD and his great brain were briefly touched on. What is perhaps the true inspiration for the fictional story of Tom figuring out how to run Mr. Standish the mean schoolteacher out of town, Tom's brilliant plot to rid them of their Aunt Cathy (Papa's overly strict and overly literal Catholic sister who came out west to save them from their heathenism), was both funny and touching.
Overall, the book was like The Great Brain books, but just with some reality and adult complexity thrown in. There are lots of colorful characters which remind me of Faulkner characters, so real and so outlandish at the same time. They were sad and also funny: the doctor who was seriously determined to drink himself to death, who if you caught him first thing in the morning was a great doctor, but after his first few drinks would ignore any amount of mortal suffering to continue his quest.
The adopted brother, not a younger brother for JD whose parents died in a landslide, but rather a brother TD's age, a Huck Finn type whose father was an abusive and neglectful alcoholic who died young, was no less wonderful, and Mama's generosity and loving heart no less impressive than their fictional analogs.
All in all, I recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who loved The Great Brain books as kids. It's funny and sad, sweet and true and good.
I loved the story of JD's uncle Will, his father's brother, who was a gunslinger and had made his fortune owning the best saloon in Silverlode. There were many colorful stories about him and his exploits.
I really adored the character of Mama, whose courage and convictions, and just her basic goodness are an inspiration to me. She was one of those believers who understood and lived the real gospel, the part about loving others even if they're different from us, and doing what's right even when it will get you shunned or gossiped about in the neighborhood. I just love Mama. Kids and dogs and people everywhere she went loved her, and so do I.
The exploits of TD and his great brain were briefly touched on. What is perhaps the true inspiration for the fictional story of Tom figuring out how to run Mr. Standish the mean schoolteacher out of town, Tom's brilliant plot to rid them of their Aunt Cathy (Papa's overly strict and overly literal Catholic sister who came out west to save them from their heathenism), was both funny and touching.
Overall, the book was like The Great Brain books, but just with some reality and adult complexity thrown in. There are lots of colorful characters which remind me of Faulkner characters, so real and so outlandish at the same time. They were sad and also funny: the doctor who was seriously determined to drink himself to death, who if you caught him first thing in the morning was a great doctor, but after his first few drinks would ignore any amount of mortal suffering to continue his quest.
The adopted brother, not a younger brother for JD whose parents died in a landslide, but rather a brother TD's age, a Huck Finn type whose father was an abusive and neglectful alcoholic who died young, was no less wonderful, and Mama's generosity and loving heart no less impressive than their fictional analogs.
All in all, I recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who loved The Great Brain books as kids. It's funny and sad, sweet and true and good.
September 15, 2013
Mamma Fitzgerald is being added to my list of literary momma's who I count as mentors; and so she is joining the ranks of such 'women as Marmee or Mrs. March, Laddie's mother and, Mother Carey. What an inspiring woman -and she is indeed a real woman - the author's mother...
As a child, I ADORED Fitzgerald's Great Brain books. I had a teacher who ADORED them and read them aloud to us with just the perfect inflection in her voice (thank you Mrs. D!!) ...we were CAPTIVATED... I read them over and over in subsequent years... and as an adult I'd completely forgotten how beloved they were to me. Its been a few decades since my last read - but The Great Brain made it onto my 2013 booklist because I know that I want to share it with my son...
Anyways, this book explains some of the background for the Great Brain...which in itself is worth the read.... but its so much more... it contains a wonderful history of the west, a beautifully written love story, and of course some Great Brain stories that will make you chuckle! The author has a real down-home, folksy way of telling a story that draws you into his world and leaves you with a cozy,warm feeling but you will also learn a lot and laugh a lot....
Their Sunday night ritual sounds like such a heartwarming tradition... if I was a neighbor in that town, I know that I'd be doing whatever I could to get an invitation to their Sunday evening dinner table! It was a beautiful way to bring the different faiths together.. It makes me want to recreate a similar tradition in my own family...
Just a really wonderful read... now to track down a copy of the sequel (Mamma's Boarding House) without paying $246 for a used copy (according to Amazon)...
As a child, I ADORED Fitzgerald's Great Brain books. I had a teacher who ADORED them and read them aloud to us with just the perfect inflection in her voice (thank you Mrs. D!!) ...we were CAPTIVATED... I read them over and over in subsequent years... and as an adult I'd completely forgotten how beloved they were to me. Its been a few decades since my last read - but The Great Brain made it onto my 2013 booklist because I know that I want to share it with my son...
Anyways, this book explains some of the background for the Great Brain...which in itself is worth the read.... but its so much more... it contains a wonderful history of the west, a beautifully written love story, and of course some Great Brain stories that will make you chuckle! The author has a real down-home, folksy way of telling a story that draws you into his world and leaves you with a cozy,warm feeling but you will also learn a lot and laugh a lot....
Their Sunday night ritual sounds like such a heartwarming tradition... if I was a neighbor in that town, I know that I'd be doing whatever I could to get an invitation to their Sunday evening dinner table! It was a beautiful way to bring the different faiths together.. It makes me want to recreate a similar tradition in my own family...
Just a really wonderful read... now to track down a copy of the sequel (Mamma's Boarding House) without paying $246 for a used copy (according to Amazon)...
January 11, 2018
I didn't know what to expect from this one, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I was pleased to discover that it was essentially a memoir recounting the author's family history and some elements of Utah State history in general. I like the book's approach to religion and admired the portrayal of the author's parents and the way they worked to build bridges between religious communities. the author was raised in a household with a Catholic dad and a Mormon mom along with Methodist influences, but I thought he treated all religious communities fairly by just depicting the individuals belonging to each, including the agnostic or irreligious members of the "bad part of town".
I felt the story was strongest up to the point when his parents were married. It felt like it started to wander quite a bit when he started telling various anecdotes he remembered from childhood, and the writing felt a bit patchy here and there, so that section was a little harder to get through, but it picked up again in the last few chapters, so much so that I stayed up a little past bedtime just to finish it. I'm glad I read it, and I think it would be a good read for all Utahns, all Mormons, and everyone who knows a Mormon.
I felt the story was strongest up to the point when his parents were married. It felt like it started to wander quite a bit when he started telling various anecdotes he remembered from childhood, and the writing felt a bit patchy here and there, so that section was a little harder to get through, but it picked up again in the last few chapters, so much so that I stayed up a little past bedtime just to finish it. I'm glad I read it, and I think it would be a good read for all Utahns, all Mormons, and everyone who knows a Mormon.
October 26, 2009
I never would have read this book had Bridget not recommended it. (I don't particularly enjoy pioneer type books). This is a funny and interesting perspective of living in and around Mormons in the early days of Utah. I love, love, love that this is non-fiction! That Uncle will won a saloon in a game of cards, shacks up with a dance hall girl and is still considered part of the family, well, that's a side of the early days of Utah I haven't heard much about.
There are some people in these stories who have amazingly good characters--and others who had not so good characters, but make some mighty changes in their lives. I love how down to earth and non-preachy the style is. It was inspiring to see how other people dealt with issues of tolerance in a typically intolerant society. I hope I would have done as they did.
Plus, there are some laugh out loud stories in there too. Thanks Bridget for another spot on recommendation.
There are some people in these stories who have amazingly good characters--and others who had not so good characters, but make some mighty changes in their lives. I love how down to earth and non-preachy the style is. It was inspiring to see how other people dealt with issues of tolerance in a typically intolerant society. I hope I would have done as they did.
Plus, there are some laugh out loud stories in there too. Thanks Bridget for another spot on recommendation.
December 19, 2012
A fun read. I love the Great Brain series, but this book, written for adults, was much better. Especially because The Great Brain is fiction, based on actual events in the author's life, while this was (I believe) meant to be non-fiction. He does qualify that slightly in the introduction, but on the whole, I believe it's accurate.
Anyway, it's fascinating to read about turn-of-the-century Utah, and especially about the divergent religions and backgrounds of the main characters in a small Mormon town. It was a very tidy lesson in the dangers of bigotry and the author makes the point over and over that religions matter less than character.
If I ever write the memoirs of my childhood, copying this book's format would be a good way to do it.
Anyway, it's fascinating to read about turn-of-the-century Utah, and especially about the divergent religions and backgrounds of the main characters in a small Mormon town. It was a very tidy lesson in the dangers of bigotry and the author makes the point over and over that religions matter less than character.
If I ever write the memoirs of my childhood, copying this book's format would be a good way to do it.
March 28, 2008
My grandmother had this book on her bookshelf and I found it as a teenager. I loved it. It immediately became on of my favorite books, ever, and I was thrilled when she gave it to me. Written by John D. Fitzgerald (of Great Brain fame), it's a somewhat fictionalized family history of his family life growing up in rural Utah.
His mother was Mormon and his father Catholic. Neither one ever converted to the others' faith. He tells the story of their courtship and how he and his siblings were raised. The book is full of humorous tales of childhood adventure, tumultous relationships and love and forgiveness. There are stories of conflicts between the Mormons and others, but there is also an underlying thread of how to resolve differences and get along.
A terrific read.
His mother was Mormon and his father Catholic. Neither one ever converted to the others' faith. He tells the story of their courtship and how he and his siblings were raised. The book is full of humorous tales of childhood adventure, tumultous relationships and love and forgiveness. There are stories of conflicts between the Mormons and others, but there is also an underlying thread of how to resolve differences and get along.
A terrific read.
July 10, 2009
I was surprised at how much I Loved this book!!! Written from a non-mormon perspective, it was hilarious, historical, adventurous, romantic, insightful, and just so fun!--all the better since it was a true story--quite a classic, and well-written. I always like an honest and fair look at mormonism, which is REALLY hard to find, either one way or the other, and this is choice.
March 7, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, an autobiographical account of the author's parents. John D. Fitzgerald is the author of "The Great Brain" series, which I enjoyed as a youth. I found this book to be entertaining, informative, faith-promoting, and couldn't stop thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading. My husband and daughters all enjoyed some of the parts I shared with them.
February 4, 2015
A fascinating depiction of life in Utah before statehood. Many of the individuals that shaped characters within The Great Brain books appear, but they are so differently depicted here (and the delicate political problems faced by both Gentiles and Mormons in this time before statehood is captured so wonderfully).
March 24, 2017
While not a religious book per se, this book was a wonderfully enjoyable view into the lives of those people who settled the Price area of Southern Utah (often a real look into the wild West!), including fun and touching stories and examples of what it truly means to live as a Christian. I laughed and cried and recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the late 1800's.
May 29, 2008
My favorite thing about this book is that it was true. It made it more interesting to think that all these experiences happened to real people back in the "wild west" The very early days of the church. I did love the main character but she almost seems to good to be true? A fun read.
July 29, 2011
Excellent, excellent, excellent. Mr. Fitzgerald gives us a glimpse of the settling of Utah. He recounts the story of his father and mother and brings the wild west to life. It has all the elements of a great story; gunfights, love, and the great brain.
January 6, 2018
I read this years ago, and had forgotten it until I ordered a couple of Fitzgerald's Great Brain books recently. It is based on Fitzgerald's life with some fiction thrown in I believe, and I remember being very entertained by it. All my friends should read it!
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May 29, 2009 I have been obsessed with John D. Fitzgerald lately, but I think I may have found some closure after reading Papa Married a Mormon, his book about life in the Utah territories before and after statehood. It’s both the adult version and an antidote to the Great Brain books.
Fitzgerald was, of course, the author of several Great Brain books for children and the eponymous narrator of the books, J.D. Papa Married a Mormon is presented as fiction, but based on life. The Foreward describes the author’s promise to his mother that he will write the true story of the west, through tales of his family. There are even photographs of the family in the book.
A book like this published today could be a post-modern pastiche, like Kinky Friedman’s detective novels or J.G. Ballard’s Crash, both of which use the author’s name for the protagonist. This would be pretty unlikely in 1955 when the book was published, however. The novel is romantic and sentimental, seeing the goodness is nearly every character, but it is never boring. It also serves as the template for the Great Brain books that would come a decade later.
The same characters are there. Mama and Papa, of course, and older brothers Sweyn and Tom. Aunt Bertha, who wasn’t really their aunt, and Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathie also figure prominently. Even J.D.’s dog Brownie has a chapter devoted to him, although in this book he’s involved in a vicious dogfight. Older sister Katie is never mentioned in the Great Brain books, however.
Also missing in the Great Brain books is the looming presence of Will D. Fitzgerald. It’s clear why he isn’t in a children’s book. He’s Al Swearengen as embodied by Ian McShane on Deadwood – a nasty man who wins a saloon on a poker hand well aware that to make the deal conclusive, he’ll have to kill the previous owner. He takes a dancing girl named Queenie for a mistress and his personality has such gravity that the mining town of Silverlode seems to revolve around his Whitehorse Saloon.
Will also happens to be the explanation to a question I’ve had with every Great Brain book? Why did Tom Fitzgerald, patriarch of the family, come west? According to Papa, he came to fulfill a deathbed promise to his mother to watch over Will, the black sheep of the family.
The Great Brain books always include a paragraph within the first chapter that breaks down the religious demographics of the town of Adenville. Papa goes further and describes all the conflicts and intolerance that goes with religion, although, true to form, everyone learns that God is love and why would He be opposed to interfaith marriage or learning from one another?
Another question I have about the Great Brain is, who is Mark Trainor? J.D. calls him Uncle, but how were they related? In Papa, Trainor is the son of a Mormon bishop who loves his childhood friend, Tena Neilsen. When he realizes that she loves a Catholic, Tom Fitzgerald, Trainor is honorable enough to help them elope. His only admonition to Fitzgerald: “I’ll kill you if you ever hurt Tena or bring her any unhappiness.” The response: “I’d want it that way, Mark.” Later in the book, Mark marries Tom’s sister Cathie, another interfaith marriage.
The kids don’t really come into the story until more than half way, but then we find characters like “Dirty” Dawson. He seems to be the basis for “Britches” Dottie, the girl the Great Brain encourages to go to school, as well as Frankie Pennyworth, the orphaned boy the Fitzgeralds take in. In Papa, Dawson is being raised by his father, who drinks himself to death to forget the death of his wife.
And of course, there’s Tom. Even in this first novel, he refers to his Great Brain, although the schemes described tend to end with Tom’s punishment (although his father, Uncle Will and Mark often get a good laugh out of the mischief). I was surprised that Tom decides to reject Catholicism and become a Mormon. He goes on a mission to China and eventually marries Bishop Aden’s daughter. Not the ending I had imagined for the Great Brain!
Papa Married a Mormon is not a novel of ideas, but it is an entertaining yarn. And as an adjunct to the Great Brain books, it serves to fill out a picture of life in the old West.
Fitzgerald was, of course, the author of several Great Brain books for children and the eponymous narrator of the books, J.D. Papa Married a Mormon is presented as fiction, but based on life. The Foreward describes the author’s promise to his mother that he will write the true story of the west, through tales of his family. There are even photographs of the family in the book.
A book like this published today could be a post-modern pastiche, like Kinky Friedman’s detective novels or J.G. Ballard’s Crash, both of which use the author’s name for the protagonist. This would be pretty unlikely in 1955 when the book was published, however. The novel is romantic and sentimental, seeing the goodness is nearly every character, but it is never boring. It also serves as the template for the Great Brain books that would come a decade later.
The same characters are there. Mama and Papa, of course, and older brothers Sweyn and Tom. Aunt Bertha, who wasn’t really their aunt, and Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathie also figure prominently. Even J.D.’s dog Brownie has a chapter devoted to him, although in this book he’s involved in a vicious dogfight. Older sister Katie is never mentioned in the Great Brain books, however.
Also missing in the Great Brain books is the looming presence of Will D. Fitzgerald. It’s clear why he isn’t in a children’s book. He’s Al Swearengen as embodied by Ian McShane on Deadwood – a nasty man who wins a saloon on a poker hand well aware that to make the deal conclusive, he’ll have to kill the previous owner. He takes a dancing girl named Queenie for a mistress and his personality has such gravity that the mining town of Silverlode seems to revolve around his Whitehorse Saloon.
Will also happens to be the explanation to a question I’ve had with every Great Brain book? Why did Tom Fitzgerald, patriarch of the family, come west? According to Papa, he came to fulfill a deathbed promise to his mother to watch over Will, the black sheep of the family.
The Great Brain books always include a paragraph within the first chapter that breaks down the religious demographics of the town of Adenville. Papa goes further and describes all the conflicts and intolerance that goes with religion, although, true to form, everyone learns that God is love and why would He be opposed to interfaith marriage or learning from one another?
Another question I have about the Great Brain is, who is Mark Trainor? J.D. calls him Uncle, but how were they related? In Papa, Trainor is the son of a Mormon bishop who loves his childhood friend, Tena Neilsen. When he realizes that she loves a Catholic, Tom Fitzgerald, Trainor is honorable enough to help them elope. His only admonition to Fitzgerald: “I’ll kill you if you ever hurt Tena or bring her any unhappiness.” The response: “I’d want it that way, Mark.” Later in the book, Mark marries Tom’s sister Cathie, another interfaith marriage.
The kids don’t really come into the story until more than half way, but then we find characters like “Dirty” Dawson. He seems to be the basis for “Britches” Dottie, the girl the Great Brain encourages to go to school, as well as Frankie Pennyworth, the orphaned boy the Fitzgeralds take in. In Papa, Dawson is being raised by his father, who drinks himself to death to forget the death of his wife.
And of course, there’s Tom. Even in this first novel, he refers to his Great Brain, although the schemes described tend to end with Tom’s punishment (although his father, Uncle Will and Mark often get a good laugh out of the mischief). I was surprised that Tom decides to reject Catholicism and become a Mormon. He goes on a mission to China and eventually marries Bishop Aden’s daughter. Not the ending I had imagined for the Great Brain!
Papa Married a Mormon is not a novel of ideas, but it is an entertaining yarn. And as an adjunct to the Great Brain books, it serves to fill out a picture of life in the old West.
March 13, 2017
A delightful read. I laughed and was entertained from beginning to end.
March 24, 2014
Just finished re-reading this, and can I say how much I love this book? I love all the wild west stories and reading them for the 4th (or 5th?) time was an absolute pleasure.
A few things struck me a bit differently now, reading as a grown up with a family of her own-- as much as Mamma is clearly beloved by everyone, and a wonderful example of a good Christian woman, I did sort of wonder how she let everyone just wind up Catholic. I wish she would have fought harder to teach her children her beliefs. (SPOILER: This especially bugs me since Aunt Cathie ended up becoming Mormon!!!! Why didn't everyone just follow her example?!?!?)
The dialogue feels a bit wooden at times, and I can't decide if that's just because people used to speak so much more eloquently or if Fitzgerald is just a romantic, but it didn't really bother me. I just worried it might bother other people.
But wow, I love this book.
A few things struck me a bit differently now, reading as a grown up with a family of her own-- as much as Mamma is clearly beloved by everyone, and a wonderful example of a good Christian woman, I did sort of wonder how she let everyone just wind up Catholic. I wish she would have fought harder to teach her children her beliefs. (SPOILER: This especially bugs me since Aunt Cathie ended up becoming Mormon!!!! Why didn't everyone just follow her example?!?!?)
The dialogue feels a bit wooden at times, and I can't decide if that's just because people used to speak so much more eloquently or if Fitzgerald is just a romantic, but it didn't really bother me. I just worried it might bother other people.
But wow, I love this book.
June 7, 2016
This was a great book! I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because it was a little hard for me to get into in the beginning. I was a little lost in all the back ground history, but as the story unfolded I really enjoyed the funny and almost unbelievable stories. And I thought the ending was really sweet.
I was a little leery of reading this book when my mom gave it to me, thinking it was just about Mormon history. But I was pleasantly surprised how the author viewed different religions and the individual people within those religions.
The only thing that really bothered me was how the dad always said 'girl' after his wife's name ("Come here, Tena girl"). I know it was meant as a term of endearment, but it seemed a little creepy when this grown man was calling his 17 year old new bride 'girl' all the time. ;/
I was a little leery of reading this book when my mom gave it to me, thinking it was just about Mormon history. But I was pleasantly surprised how the author viewed different religions and the individual people within those religions.
The only thing that really bothered me was how the dad always said 'girl' after his wife's name ("Come here, Tena girl"). I know it was meant as a term of endearment, but it seemed a little creepy when this grown man was calling his 17 year old new bride 'girl' all the time. ;/
May 31, 2017
This book although a novel was loosely based on the author's family and I am sure many of the incidents really happened. As in many cases, those who have been persecuted, when they move and establish themselves in an area where they are the vast majority, in this case the Mormon's, they themselves persecute those who are not of their faith, ethnicity, nationality. In this case it was just shunning and having nothing to do with them, but the book really brings out how we should show tolerance and love for everyone. My favorite character is Tom, the author's big brother, who later became the inspiration for the author's Great Brain series. The characters are all believable and there are three great love stories with happy endings. This is a good read if you want a good laugh or two and also a good cry now and then.
January 29, 2012
I have heard about this book all of my life, but I had never read it. I found it at the library the other day so I got it. It is the story of a devoted Catholic man who comes to the Utah territory and finds love at first sight with a Mormon girl. There are many obstacles put in his way to marry the object of his desires. He finds a true friend in an unlikely person and then the story unfolds. The story is set in Southern Utah, which is my home so it is extra exciting to read of the different locations and events that happened. I've never heard of many of the places so I'm wondering how much of the book is fiction and how much is truth. I found the heroine of the story a little bit of a weak character, but it was definitely a good read.
July 30, 2012
This is the novel for adults that created the world of "The Great Brain." In this novel the author describes how his parents came to Utah and met. It gives a lot of back story that readers of the Great Brain books would love.
I read the book with the expectation that it was a memoir (the library had it in the Biography section), but it is clearly a novel. I look forward to the two sequels, if I can find them. If anybody else is as obsessed with these novels as I am I found a website where someone spent some time trying to research the facts behind the family and the stories.
http://www.findingfitzgerald.com
Recommended for kids and adults.
I read the book with the expectation that it was a memoir (the library had it in the Biography section), but it is clearly a novel. I look forward to the two sequels, if I can find them. If anybody else is as obsessed with these novels as I am I found a website where someone spent some time trying to research the facts behind the family and the stories.
http://www.findingfitzgerald.com
Recommended for kids and adults.
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