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Hidden Wives: A Novel
Fifteen-year-old Sara and her beautiful sister, Rachel, are too young to legally drive a car—but are approaching spinsterhood in Utah's secret polygamist Blood of the Lamb community. Having long since reached the "age of preparedness," they will soon be married off to much older men chosen by the hidden sect's revered Prophet. As Sara, chosen to become her uncle's fifth wife, grows more distraught over her impending incestuous marriage, she begins to scrutinize the faith she has followed blindly her entire life. But for Rachel, who will be married to one of the many powerful community leaders vying for her hand, disobeying the Prophet means eternal damnation. Her friendship with the newest member of the community, the young and handsome Luke, starts as an attempt to save his agnostic soul, but ends with the pair falling helplessly in love. When Rachel is forbidden to see him, her absolute faith in the Prophet is severely tested. When Rachel's future husband is finally announced, violence erupts, and the girls must find the strength to escape the only life they have ever know…before it's too late. Claire Avery has woven a stunning tale that could be ripped from today's headlines. Shocking and empowering, Hidden Wives is a page-turning debut that will stay with the reader.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2010
36 people are currently reading
7887 people want to read
About the author
Claire Avery
3 books64 followersClaire Avery is a pseudonym for Mari Hilburn, an attorney. Mari coauthored her first contemporary fiction novel, HIDDEN WIVES,with her sister, Michelle Hilburn. Mari has written a sequel to HIDDEN WIVES,which will be published in 2013. She is currently working on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
November 22, 2010
Edit: After some thought, I'm lowering my rating on this book. Although I enjoyed reading it, the good and bad of the characters are too extreme and there isn't the depth or complexity I was expecting. Still, it is a very readable novel.
Rachel and Sara are sisters, well, actually half-sisters, living with their mothers, father, siblings, and half-siblings in a secluded polygamist Utah community (sound familiar?). Except for a short stint in a public school, they know nothing of life outside their community. They believe that it is God's will when the Prophet tells 13-year-old girls that God has chosen them to be the wives of old men, possibly close relatives, and usually not even as a first wife. And the sisters are past due for their own aranged marriages. The girls think that the abuse they suffer is normal. That is, until it all becomes too much, until they see glimmerings of love, of real friendship, of hypocrisy. One of the sisters begins to question all she has been taught. And the consequences are...life-threatening.
The only quibble that I have with the book is that the characters, for my tastes, are too black or white. This is not a favorable look at polygamy, nor did I expect it to be, but the bad guys (and gals) are too evil, the good ones too good. Still, this story is touching, interesting, emotionally charged, and entertaining.
Rachel and Sara are sisters, well, actually half-sisters, living with their mothers, father, siblings, and half-siblings in a secluded polygamist Utah community (sound familiar?). Except for a short stint in a public school, they know nothing of life outside their community. They believe that it is God's will when the Prophet tells 13-year-old girls that God has chosen them to be the wives of old men, possibly close relatives, and usually not even as a first wife. And the sisters are past due for their own aranged marriages. The girls think that the abuse they suffer is normal. That is, until it all becomes too much, until they see glimmerings of love, of real friendship, of hypocrisy. One of the sisters begins to question all she has been taught. And the consequences are...life-threatening.
The only quibble that I have with the book is that the characters, for my tastes, are too black or white. This is not a favorable look at polygamy, nor did I expect it to be, but the bad guys (and gals) are too evil, the good ones too good. Still, this story is touching, interesting, emotionally charged, and entertaining.
December 12, 2012
How the HELL is this book rated so high on goodreads? What started off as a story about Mormon fundamentalists in Utah quickly turned into a trashy novel full of every Mormon stereotype ever created. Incest, rape, children being married off to old men, prominent racism, the removal of young boys from the community, sister wives...these are all real parts of the famed LDS community of fundamental Mormonism, and set the tone for a lot of the horror stories that we recognize from news media and other reports of the religious sect. There are certainly ways to introduce these concepts into a novel, and make the novel interesting. EASY ways. This book failed. The clichés fall flat, the characters even flatter, and every "twist" has some kind of ridiculous development that does not flow into any semblance of reason. Sarah has a black friend. The prophet wants to marry Rachel because shes beautiful, not because of divine purpose. Rachel's dad suddenly, for the first time in her 16 years of life, wants to rape her, only because the author clearly doesn't feel she's made him evil enough. Seriously?
I hate everything about this book. I hate the clichés, I hate the prejudices, I hate the characters, I hate the author. I've read wonderful books discussing the history and the controversy surrounding fundamental Mormonism, and this is certainly the first one that has ever made me yearn for a lobotomy. There are already so many interesting things about fundamental Mormonism, why would an author choose to ruin what could be a brilliant novel with so much stupidity? I hate her. Hate, hate, hate. I can only surmise that this book came from her own divine prophecy of sticking one's head into a hat to decipher runes, similar to Joseph Smith. There's no other reason such an ill-conceived travesty of literature could be created...unless one wrote words, quite literally, with their face shoved into a hat.
I hate everything about this book. I hate the clichés, I hate the prejudices, I hate the characters, I hate the author. I've read wonderful books discussing the history and the controversy surrounding fundamental Mormonism, and this is certainly the first one that has ever made me yearn for a lobotomy. There are already so many interesting things about fundamental Mormonism, why would an author choose to ruin what could be a brilliant novel with so much stupidity? I hate her. Hate, hate, hate. I can only surmise that this book came from her own divine prophecy of sticking one's head into a hat to decipher runes, similar to Joseph Smith. There's no other reason such an ill-conceived travesty of literature could be created...unless one wrote words, quite literally, with their face shoved into a hat.
December 1, 2011
Some authors have a story to tell but lack the ability to tell it. Some authors are prolific writers but have no story to tell so they blather for pages about nothing. Then there are those books that capture you completely with not only a compelling story but a voice that holds the reader's attention for hours on end.
This is one of those books.
Sara and Rachel are best friends and sisters. When I say sisters, I really mean that they share a father but not a mother. They live in a fundamentalist society in Southern Utah. Both girls are 15, although Rachel is a few years older than Sara. Their father is not a rich nor powerful man. Essentially, he has had very little to offer to the community hence has had very little opportunity for advancement in the church. Celestial Marriage is a requirement to enter the kingdom of God. Three wives is the minimum to enter into God's presence. How is marriage arranged, you may ask. A man gets a "testimony" of marriage for a particular girl in the community, takes it to the prophet who prays about it and grants or denies the request.
Rachel happens to be the oldest daughter of Abraham Shaw, a particularly self-centered and cruel man in the community. He loves to slap his children around with open and closed fists and possesses, on his property, a whipping shed. Imagine his dismay when the prophet requests his attendance to a meeting regarding his very beautiful daughter, Rachel. She's had 16 men in the community request her hand in marriage. They have all had testimonies revealed to them. Why would this happen? Clearly, Rachel is a seductress and a whore and requires the devil to be beat out of her. Of course, she complies because she is submissive to the priesthood in her home.
Then there's Sara, tall, angular, and starting to doubt a few doctrines of the church. First, it is her nature (wicked child). Second, a new family has joined the cult fold. The father is a man of means. He has money to offer along with a construction company to build a new meeting house for the saints. He also has a very handsome and headstrong son, Luke, who fills Sara and Rachel with all kinds of wicked talk. He doesn't believe the prophet is called of God. He is shocked that 13 year old girls are being married off so easily and told to multiply and replenish the earth. He is also world wise and knows why so many babies tend to have birth defects (shallow gene pool). Third, Sara has a literal and metaphorical experience that opens her eyes to the frantic nature of their situation.
Luke wants to run away. This won't be difficult since he's quickly assessed that boys his age are few and far between. Where have they gone, he wonders. Rachel patiently pats his arm and explains they have gone for further training and will return to build the kingdom. When? he asks. Uh, says Rachel. They just don't come back. But Rachel's testimony is unwavering and absolute. She believes the prophet is nothing but part God.
Sara, on the other hand, witnesses a bartering deal between the "prophet" and another man and then witnesses a woman's death which barely stirred the air. She correctly concludes that every woman in the community is expendable.
Little do they know, the worst is still to come.
My take
I kept forgetting that I was reading a book since it played in my head like a movie. Scenes morphed beautifully and included such extensive research on the FLDS culture and church (which simply can't be separated).
I enjoyed having two protagonists with different personalities. All of the characters remained true to their personality to the very end. I particularly enjoyed the way Rachel did not just bounce back when her two worlds collided, causing a psychotic episode which is very believable.
Irvin was an interesting twist. His mouth echoed what he heard but his writing had different ideas. As did Sara's journal, I suspect. The moment he found his voice being the moment that Rachel discovered the ironies of her life and Sara found freedom - brilliant.
And more...
Mari and Michelle, a.k.a., Claire Avery are sisters. They happen to have a unique childhood. They grew up in a Catholic fundamental family. Extreme Mormons apparently no longer hold the corner on the market. Don't let their pretty faces fool you. Behind those gorgeous masks lurk brilliant minds.
I am not a polygamy expert. I have, however, read a number of books on the topic. Many of them have a story to tell but don't tell it well. I have, however, read one memoir that I would recommend by Dorothy Solomon, daughter of Rulan Allred, who gave a balanced voice to polygamy.
Balanced in the way she presented her information. She never told the reader how to feel or think. She simply presented her experiences that included both happy times and frightening times. She also included stories that would send a little bit of bile into your throat. Dorothy Solomon is also now an active member of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her story is written with an understanding of early church history regarding polygamy and the LDS perspective (we ignore it like the creepy uncle in the attic).
I have found that a number of authors who have attempted to write a novel about a polygamist group sprouting from the mainstream Mormon church slaughter the Mormon church in the process. Mari and Michelle accurately portrays the obstacles the FLDS woman faces. It is brutal.
Highly recommend.
My rare five stars.
This is one of those books.
Sara and Rachel are best friends and sisters. When I say sisters, I really mean that they share a father but not a mother. They live in a fundamentalist society in Southern Utah. Both girls are 15, although Rachel is a few years older than Sara. Their father is not a rich nor powerful man. Essentially, he has had very little to offer to the community hence has had very little opportunity for advancement in the church. Celestial Marriage is a requirement to enter the kingdom of God. Three wives is the minimum to enter into God's presence. How is marriage arranged, you may ask. A man gets a "testimony" of marriage for a particular girl in the community, takes it to the prophet who prays about it and grants or denies the request.
Rachel happens to be the oldest daughter of Abraham Shaw, a particularly self-centered and cruel man in the community. He loves to slap his children around with open and closed fists and possesses, on his property, a whipping shed. Imagine his dismay when the prophet requests his attendance to a meeting regarding his very beautiful daughter, Rachel. She's had 16 men in the community request her hand in marriage. They have all had testimonies revealed to them. Why would this happen? Clearly, Rachel is a seductress and a whore and requires the devil to be beat out of her. Of course, she complies because she is submissive to the priesthood in her home.
Then there's Sara, tall, angular, and starting to doubt a few doctrines of the church. First, it is her nature (wicked child). Second, a new family has joined the cult fold. The father is a man of means. He has money to offer along with a construction company to build a new meeting house for the saints. He also has a very handsome and headstrong son, Luke, who fills Sara and Rachel with all kinds of wicked talk. He doesn't believe the prophet is called of God. He is shocked that 13 year old girls are being married off so easily and told to multiply and replenish the earth. He is also world wise and knows why so many babies tend to have birth defects (shallow gene pool). Third, Sara has a literal and metaphorical experience that opens her eyes to the frantic nature of their situation.
Luke wants to run away. This won't be difficult since he's quickly assessed that boys his age are few and far between. Where have they gone, he wonders. Rachel patiently pats his arm and explains they have gone for further training and will return to build the kingdom. When? he asks. Uh, says Rachel. They just don't come back. But Rachel's testimony is unwavering and absolute. She believes the prophet is nothing but part God.
Sara, on the other hand, witnesses a bartering deal between the "prophet" and another man and then witnesses a woman's death which barely stirred the air. She correctly concludes that every woman in the community is expendable.
Little do they know, the worst is still to come.
My take
I kept forgetting that I was reading a book since it played in my head like a movie. Scenes morphed beautifully and included such extensive research on the FLDS culture and church (which simply can't be separated).
I enjoyed having two protagonists with different personalities. All of the characters remained true to their personality to the very end. I particularly enjoyed the way Rachel did not just bounce back when her two worlds collided, causing a psychotic episode which is very believable.
Irvin was an interesting twist. His mouth echoed what he heard but his writing had different ideas. As did Sara's journal, I suspect. The moment he found his voice being the moment that Rachel discovered the ironies of her life and Sara found freedom - brilliant.
And more...
Mari and Michelle, a.k.a., Claire Avery are sisters. They happen to have a unique childhood. They grew up in a Catholic fundamental family. Extreme Mormons apparently no longer hold the corner on the market. Don't let their pretty faces fool you. Behind those gorgeous masks lurk brilliant minds.
I am not a polygamy expert. I have, however, read a number of books on the topic. Many of them have a story to tell but don't tell it well. I have, however, read one memoir that I would recommend by Dorothy Solomon, daughter of Rulan Allred, who gave a balanced voice to polygamy.
Balanced in the way she presented her information. She never told the reader how to feel or think. She simply presented her experiences that included both happy times and frightening times. She also included stories that would send a little bit of bile into your throat. Dorothy Solomon is also now an active member of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her story is written with an understanding of early church history regarding polygamy and the LDS perspective (we ignore it like the creepy uncle in the attic).
I have found that a number of authors who have attempted to write a novel about a polygamist group sprouting from the mainstream Mormon church slaughter the Mormon church in the process. Mari and Michelle accurately portrays the obstacles the FLDS woman faces. It is brutal.
Highly recommend.
My rare five stars.
June 14, 2010
Approximately a mile and a half from a town in Utah called Centennial, lies a commuity called Blood of the Lamb in which men are the gods of their households and women are disposable. The "prophet" of this community claims he receives instructions directly from his god and therefore his words are infallible. He has 50 wives. His "apostles" are the richest in the community and they also have many young wives. The more common men in the community have about three or four wives a piece.
Sara and Rachel come from such a household. They have four mothers and one very abusive father. But he is "god" of his house and his word is law.. At 16 years of age, Sara and Rachel are waiting their betrothals. Sara is dismayed to discover she must marry her own uncle. Rachel is beautiful and of course, seventeen different men receive "testments from god" that they are designated to be her husband. Thus, her fate remains in the balance. May the richest "man of god" win.
Sara find herself "buried in truth" (I'm not going to explain that terminology cause it would ruin the story) and begins to think for herself. Does she want to marry her uncle and have deformed babies? No. She wants an education. She wants to read books. She is a headstrong girl and finds herself meeting a young boy from outside the community, a black boy. Here's the deal: Blood of the Lamb community claims that black people are animals.. they are spawn of Satan. (Have you ever heard a more smelly pile of bull crap?) Irvin is his name and he begins to open Sara's eyes even more. There may be a future outside Blood of the Lamb community for her .. Will it involve Irvin?
Rachel is not quite as strong as Sara and she is completely brainwashed by this cult. She will do anything she is told despite her strong her love for a new young man, Luke. With seventeen men claiming "god" wants her to be their wife and 4 of them high ranking apostles, Luke doesn't stand a chance. When Luke speaks his mind and attempts to fight for Rachel, things go sour. Will Rachel ever see the light or is she destined to become wife number 51 to some dirty old brainwashed man?
Sara won't leave without Rachel and women are disposable. Could they even get away if they tried.. without losing their lives? The ending is surprising. Let's just say the you-know-what hits the fan!
I picked this book up to just read a chapter or two as I was currently reading something else.. A chapter or two turned into 155 pages as I read for three hours straight. An amazing, thought evoking novel. It shocked me to the core. I couldn't decide whether to laugh, cry, scream or gasp half the time. It is well written and really makes one ponder religion and how much people will exploit it. Def one the best reads of 2010.
Sara and Rachel come from such a household. They have four mothers and one very abusive father. But he is "god" of his house and his word is law.. At 16 years of age, Sara and Rachel are waiting their betrothals. Sara is dismayed to discover she must marry her own uncle. Rachel is beautiful and of course, seventeen different men receive "testments from god" that they are designated to be her husband. Thus, her fate remains in the balance. May the richest "man of god" win.
Sara find herself "buried in truth" (I'm not going to explain that terminology cause it would ruin the story) and begins to think for herself. Does she want to marry her uncle and have deformed babies? No. She wants an education. She wants to read books. She is a headstrong girl and finds herself meeting a young boy from outside the community, a black boy. Here's the deal: Blood of the Lamb community claims that black people are animals.. they are spawn of Satan. (Have you ever heard a more smelly pile of bull crap?) Irvin is his name and he begins to open Sara's eyes even more. There may be a future outside Blood of the Lamb community for her .. Will it involve Irvin?
Rachel is not quite as strong as Sara and she is completely brainwashed by this cult. She will do anything she is told despite her strong her love for a new young man, Luke. With seventeen men claiming "god" wants her to be their wife and 4 of them high ranking apostles, Luke doesn't stand a chance. When Luke speaks his mind and attempts to fight for Rachel, things go sour. Will Rachel ever see the light or is she destined to become wife number 51 to some dirty old brainwashed man?
Sara won't leave without Rachel and women are disposable. Could they even get away if they tried.. without losing their lives? The ending is surprising. Let's just say the you-know-what hits the fan!
I picked this book up to just read a chapter or two as I was currently reading something else.. A chapter or two turned into 155 pages as I read for three hours straight. An amazing, thought evoking novel. It shocked me to the core. I couldn't decide whether to laugh, cry, scream or gasp half the time. It is well written and really makes one ponder religion and how much people will exploit it. Def one the best reads of 2010.
February 9, 2013
This book succeeds with overkill in painting an ugly picture of polygagamy- child abuse, spouse abuse, rape, incest, suicide, PTSD, racism... and wraps it up too neatly for me to really give this book high marks. What the heck is the bit about the speech impediment too- that is miraculously healed. This novel tried to squeeze too much in for me to really enjoy.
June 23, 2010
“Hush, Hush, Sweet Sister-Wives”
Unspoken scandals run beneath this secret polygamist community in Utah like coal and iron run through Pennsylvania.
Hidden Wives tells the riveting story of Rachel and Sara, two 15-year old sisters, empowered by their will to live, love…and survive.
I received this book from Claire Avery, the pseudonym of a sister author tag team. I spent a lot of time holding my breath while reading this over the past week!
However, I do give advance warning of some graphic passages.
Unspoken scandals run beneath this secret polygamist community in Utah like coal and iron run through Pennsylvania.
Hidden Wives tells the riveting story of Rachel and Sara, two 15-year old sisters, empowered by their will to live, love…and survive.
I received this book from Claire Avery, the pseudonym of a sister author tag team. I spent a lot of time holding my breath while reading this over the past week!
However, I do give advance warning of some graphic passages.
March 21, 2025
Ugh this book had me in my feelings!!! I was piiiiisssed how Rachel & Sara were treated. Rachel & Sara half-sisters who share the same father and of the same age
They live with their father, mothers, and siblings in a secret community in Utah, hidden from society.
The obstacles that the women have to endure with this way of living, their beliefs, and commitment to the way of the Blood of the Lamb. In this community the age of preparedness at just 13 is when a girl can be married. They then go through a ceremony of marriage “celestial marriage” after a suitable man chosen by the prophet (after receiving a “divine revelation “) has been selected. They were brainwashed. Forced to marry their own uncles, grandfathers or any older man who received a “testimony in marriage from god” that she was to be one of their wives. It was a cult.
The story needed to be written the way it did. We had to see what the girls endured while living in the community, what was expected of them. Why they desperately needed to leave. The story picked up about half way when the fog started to lift and they were able to see how their “faith” and what they grew to believe was not doing right by them. They knew they had to get away or they would succumb to being killed by their own father.
An abrupt ending but the story was long enough. So good!
They live with their father, mothers, and siblings in a secret community in Utah, hidden from society.
The obstacles that the women have to endure with this way of living, their beliefs, and commitment to the way of the Blood of the Lamb. In this community the age of preparedness at just 13 is when a girl can be married. They then go through a ceremony of marriage “celestial marriage” after a suitable man chosen by the prophet (after receiving a “divine revelation “) has been selected. They were brainwashed. Forced to marry their own uncles, grandfathers or any older man who received a “testimony in marriage from god” that she was to be one of their wives. It was a cult.
The story needed to be written the way it did. We had to see what the girls endured while living in the community, what was expected of them. Why they desperately needed to leave. The story picked up about half way when the fog started to lift and they were able to see how their “faith” and what they grew to believe was not doing right by them. They knew they had to get away or they would succumb to being killed by their own father.
An abrupt ending but the story was long enough. So good!
January 28, 2016
Oh my word, where to even begin...
The main characters? Sure. So here we are, following the lives of Sara (teenage, bookish, and therefore smarter than any other two characters put together, and therefore able to rise above the influence of her cult, as though the only reason people follow a belief system is that they're dimwits and/or evil?) and Rachel, who is INTOLERABLY naive, weak, victimized, and clueless. Poor Rachel is characterized such that it's a miracle the girl knows how to tie her own shoes. The number of times that the plot hinges on Rachel being so dimwittedly helpless is outnumbered only by how many times the plot hinges on Rachel being pretty.
Then there's Luke. Remember how the plot hinges on Rachel being pretty? Well, Luke decides at seventeen that he's going to profess his undying and eternal love for this girl because she's pretty and arguably for no other cited reason. Which is why everyone else wants to marry her too, but remember they're EVIL. Like her other dozen-plus prospective husbands, Luke wants to control Rachel's life and make spiritual choices for her, but because he's a nice character and not all cult-ified, this is viewed as romantic instead of a benign version of EXACTLY WHAT ALL THE OTHER MEN WANT. Rachel's consent also matters, of course, but let's look at the text here, folks--Rachel doesn't want to go until the eleventh hour. Luke and Sara are the ones who decide they're going to disabuse her of what she believes.
As for our cast of supporting characters, they're mostly a stunning mix of cookie-cutter eeeeeeeeevil types--conniving, raping, violent, abusive, screaming, cruel. If you're looking for shades of grey, look elsewhere. Black and white doesn't even BEGIN to cover it.
And to match the unabashedly evil characters, how about some to-the-max eeeeeeevil plotting? All stops pulled out, every conceivable horror included--physical, verbal, emotional abuse, incest, babies having babies (with birth defects), children locked in closets, beaten in sheds, raped in hotel rooms, IMPREGNATED BY THEIR FATHERS for heaven's sake!!!! Plus a disastrous end to a long-awaited pregnancy coupled with dashed hopes of any future pregnancies, which is tops in the feminine-literary-tragedy hit parade. Suicide, second attempted suicide, psychotic break. It's all here, and it's all manhandled with seriously hard-hitting dramatic tone and really irksome writing.
Seriously. "Squatwalked" as a verb? "[he was in] Satan's extended family"?? She "squirted fear into her underpants"???!??!!!? "His eyes were as wide as banjos"? Got a lot of banjos hanging around your incestuous cult, eh? Earrings like petrified worms. Plus an editing whoops that led a character to clean poopy underpants with the "garden house [sic]". Descriptions were genuinely bizarre (sometimes good writing trumps 'original phrases', Miss Banjos) and the writing was simple in a childish way, such that my book-club partner and I wondered if it was meant to have a YA bent to it. Not that there's any place in YA for that much "every adult you ever know except one in a crucifix is definitely out to abuse you in any possible way".
Despite nobody in BotL having anything above a middle school education (Sara INCLUDED, people!), I'm just not buying the whole "she's just too smart to fall for the cult stuff" plot point. Never does Sara come across as a character who would merit perfect SAT scores. So she reads. And OOOOOOOH, she reads Robert Jordan (see my reviews for just how many Wheel of Time books I've two-starred) so she must be very smart indeed.
And for all that disaster to get tied up with that many shiny pretty bows is both predictable and deeply disappointing in its own way.
I'm not enormously well-read of competitors in the "teenage and trapped in polygamist cult" novel category, but this was laughably bad (literally laugh out loud bad) and cringe-worthily unrelenting in its cruelty. Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time. Run, don't walk, away from this book.
The main characters? Sure. So here we are, following the lives of Sara (teenage, bookish, and therefore smarter than any other two characters put together, and therefore able to rise above the influence of her cult, as though the only reason people follow a belief system is that they're dimwits and/or evil?) and Rachel, who is INTOLERABLY naive, weak, victimized, and clueless. Poor Rachel is characterized such that it's a miracle the girl knows how to tie her own shoes. The number of times that the plot hinges on Rachel being so dimwittedly helpless is outnumbered only by how many times the plot hinges on Rachel being pretty.
Then there's Luke. Remember how the plot hinges on Rachel being pretty? Well, Luke decides at seventeen that he's going to profess his undying and eternal love for this girl because she's pretty and arguably for no other cited reason. Which is why everyone else wants to marry her too, but remember they're EVIL. Like her other dozen-plus prospective husbands, Luke wants to control Rachel's life and make spiritual choices for her, but because he's a nice character and not all cult-ified, this is viewed as romantic instead of a benign version of EXACTLY WHAT ALL THE OTHER MEN WANT. Rachel's consent also matters, of course, but let's look at the text here, folks--Rachel doesn't want to go until the eleventh hour. Luke and Sara are the ones who decide they're going to disabuse her of what she believes.
As for our cast of supporting characters, they're mostly a stunning mix of cookie-cutter eeeeeeeeevil types--conniving, raping, violent, abusive, screaming, cruel. If you're looking for shades of grey, look elsewhere. Black and white doesn't even BEGIN to cover it.
And to match the unabashedly evil characters, how about some to-the-max eeeeeeevil plotting? All stops pulled out, every conceivable horror included--physical, verbal, emotional abuse, incest, babies having babies (with birth defects), children locked in closets, beaten in sheds, raped in hotel rooms, IMPREGNATED BY THEIR FATHERS for heaven's sake!!!! Plus a disastrous end to a long-awaited pregnancy coupled with dashed hopes of any future pregnancies, which is tops in the feminine-literary-tragedy hit parade. Suicide, second attempted suicide, psychotic break. It's all here, and it's all manhandled with seriously hard-hitting dramatic tone and really irksome writing.
Seriously. "Squatwalked" as a verb? "[he was in] Satan's extended family"?? She "squirted fear into her underpants"???!??!!!? "His eyes were as wide as banjos"? Got a lot of banjos hanging around your incestuous cult, eh? Earrings like petrified worms. Plus an editing whoops that led a character to clean poopy underpants with the "garden house [sic]". Descriptions were genuinely bizarre (sometimes good writing trumps 'original phrases', Miss Banjos) and the writing was simple in a childish way, such that my book-club partner and I wondered if it was meant to have a YA bent to it. Not that there's any place in YA for that much "every adult you ever know except one in a crucifix is definitely out to abuse you in any possible way".
Despite nobody in BotL having anything above a middle school education (Sara INCLUDED, people!), I'm just not buying the whole "she's just too smart to fall for the cult stuff" plot point. Never does Sara come across as a character who would merit perfect SAT scores. So she reads. And OOOOOOOH, she reads Robert Jordan (see my reviews for just how many Wheel of Time books I've two-starred) so she must be very smart indeed.
And for all that disaster to get tied up with that many shiny pretty bows is both predictable and deeply disappointing in its own way.
I'm not enormously well-read of competitors in the "teenage and trapped in polygamist cult" novel category, but this was laughably bad (literally laugh out loud bad) and cringe-worthily unrelenting in its cruelty. Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time. Run, don't walk, away from this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2010
From My Blog...[return][return]Having eclectic reading tastes has many advantages, one of them being that I come across a variety of books I can, without a doubt, categorize as one of the best I have read in whatever the genre may be. Hidden Wives by Claire Avery is just such a book. A riveting and emotional story, Avery takes the reader deep inside The Blood of the Lamb community, a polygamist sect in Utah, telling the story through two sisters, recently turned 15-year-old Sara and her almost 16-year-old sister Rachel, who share a father but not mothers. The Prophet Silver has decided that Sara shall become her uncle Walter Merrick’s 5th wife as soon as her older sister’s wedding occurs. Rachel, being a modest, shy beauty has heard many claim God has said she is to be the one. Avery describes in extensive detail the daily lives of the Blood of the Lamb community, especially what it is like for the women. Sara has her doubts and the reader is able to view the changes in her, whereas Rachel’s faith in the Prophet Silver is unwavering, even when she is confronted with views that conflict with the teachings she has grown up with. When Luke’s family joins the sect, he does not even pretend to believe and his friendship with Sara and Rachel expands their views. Hidden Wives is an emotional and suspenseful story of life in a fundamentalist sect, the isolation, the despair, zealotry, and loss of identity that come along with belonging. Hidden Wives compels the reader’s attention through vivid imagery, details, and unforgettable characters delivering a powerful and enlightening read. This book is definitely one of the top books I have read in this genre this year. I would recommend Hidden Wives to everyone.
August 23, 2012
Sara is a fifteen year old girl,who is set to be her Uncle's Walter's fifth wife, is lonely and desperate to escape her fate. In a celestial marriage, you do the unthinkable in taking in unity your blood relatives when you are at the age od prepardness- a term used to mean age to get married. While she is thankful for her faith, she questions whether it is authentic or just a way to ensure her into doing incesteous things to the people she love. Rachel her beautiful sister fears for her life, when the Prophet tells her that he has a man for her to marry, but is waiting on a sign from God to confirm his thoughts. Failure to oblige in a marriage, your soul is destined for hell and both sisters will do whatever it takes to not share the same judgement.
Meanwhile, Rachel meets a handsome boy by the name Luke who she is deeply attracted too and although she tries to fight her attraction to him, because of how deadly it can turn out for her, she soon gives into his charm. However she disapproves the way he questions her faith and the way he tramples her prejudice and bias opinion. Luke is unlike any boy she has ever known and she grows strangely in love with him day by day. After a painful night from the hands of her erratic Father, Sara and Rachel escape with their Father's car,along with a black boy who Sara has grown to like. To Rachel, this 'Negro' does not have any redeeming qualities and she warns her sister of her fate but her sister has made a decision to not let hr faith govern her anymore.
Trapped in a world of guilt, sorrow and courage, Sara and Rachel both question if all what they have believed has been a lie and if so, how will the truth be revealed, when their lives are in grave danger.
This is an exceptional novel on faith, bravery and the power to trust others even when your conscience fails you and all what you have been taught has been untrue. Very well developed characters,consistency and great ending!
Meanwhile, Rachel meets a handsome boy by the name Luke who she is deeply attracted too and although she tries to fight her attraction to him, because of how deadly it can turn out for her, she soon gives into his charm. However she disapproves the way he questions her faith and the way he tramples her prejudice and bias opinion. Luke is unlike any boy she has ever known and she grows strangely in love with him day by day. After a painful night from the hands of her erratic Father, Sara and Rachel escape with their Father's car,along with a black boy who Sara has grown to like. To Rachel, this 'Negro' does not have any redeeming qualities and she warns her sister of her fate but her sister has made a decision to not let hr faith govern her anymore.
Trapped in a world of guilt, sorrow and courage, Sara and Rachel both question if all what they have believed has been a lie and if so, how will the truth be revealed, when their lives are in grave danger.
This is an exceptional novel on faith, bravery and the power to trust others even when your conscience fails you and all what you have been taught has been untrue. Very well developed characters,consistency and great ending!
December 27, 2012
I felt like there was a lot of sensationalism in the plot. Like it wasn't just that there was a baby with a birth defect because there's a lot of close relatives having children, it had to be a baby whose insides were coming out, and the father walks into the birthing room with a shovel and a garbage bag. And it wasn't just that marriages were political exchanges, but the girl has a huge panic attack when she overhears two men basically trading daughters.
The characters thought processes, especially the description of the process of deconversion, weren't logical. Their recognition and distinction of what was religious and what was general human knowledge doesn't make sense for teenagers who grew up in an insular community. It made it hard to relate to them when they seemed to have knowledge they couldn't have or all-too-convenient epiphanies.
As a method of bringing light to the issue of polygamy as practiced by religious fundamentalists in the American west, I think it did a decent job of hitting all the "main points" of how the practice leads to illness, abuse, and poverty. However, the poor characterization and repeated use of stereotypes and tropes makes it hard to sympathize with the protagonists. I thought the emphasis on the love story between Luke and Rachel cheapened the weight of the girls' other struggles.
The characters thought processes, especially the description of the process of deconversion, weren't logical. Their recognition and distinction of what was religious and what was general human knowledge doesn't make sense for teenagers who grew up in an insular community. It made it hard to relate to them when they seemed to have knowledge they couldn't have or all-too-convenient epiphanies.
As a method of bringing light to the issue of polygamy as practiced by religious fundamentalists in the American west, I think it did a decent job of hitting all the "main points" of how the practice leads to illness, abuse, and poverty. However, the poor characterization and repeated use of stereotypes and tropes makes it hard to sympathize with the protagonists. I thought the emphasis on the love story between Luke and Rachel cheapened the weight of the girls' other struggles.
March 22, 2010
I received an advance review copy of "Hidden Wives." I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting, something I haven't done in about ten years. There was so much tension in every chapter, and the characters were so compelling and richly drawn that I found myself worrying about these two teenaged girls growing up in this bizarre and predatory polygamist cult. This story stays with you long after you finish the last page. I highly recommend it.
April 30, 2022
This was too young adult for me, and too long. I really enjoy books about polygamy, but the book Keep Sweet did it much better.
September 26, 2024
this turned so bad so fast
June 8, 2010
Rachel and Sara are fifteen, an age by when they should be married. In Utah's secret Blood of the Lamb community, that is. When the book begins, their father is taking them to see the prophet to decide who they should marry. Sara is to be wedded to her uncle, while Rachel has received sixteen "testimonies". (For a marriage to be fixed, a male should receive a testimony or a message from God to marry someone.) Rachel's sixteen testimonies send the same message to both her father, who believes Rachel is a slut, and to the prophet, who driven by lust, takes more time to decide Rachel's case.
Now that was a powerful start!
Their community practices polygamy. Their father has four wives, and many children. In order to remember which child belonged to which wife, he devised a naming system that each wife name her children using the same starting character. Each night, the wives take turns in bed with their husband.
Hidden Wives was a very engaging read filled with some strong characters. Sara is outraged at her match. She is not as pretty as her sister, and occasionally feels sad about that. Rachel is a devout. She considers any departure from her faith as blasphemous, and while Sara becomes increasingly distant from her beliefs, Rachel prays even more than usual. When Luke comes to their town because his father wants to convert to the Blood of the Lamb faith, Rachel finds herself falling for him. His hostility towards their religion blanches both Rachel and Sara, but soon Rachel makes it her mission to convert him.
I liked Rachel least of all. It could be because I have a low tolerance for people who are so blinded by their faith that they do not see reason. (Now, before you throw tomatoes at me, let me assure you that there are a number of very devout people among those I love dearly.) Rachel was sometimes... impossible. I felt very exasperated when I found her attributing everything to God, be it good or bad, so when things do go wrong for her, I could hardly feel sympathetic. When Sara was destined to be the fifth wife of her uncle, all Rachel can wish is that she herself becomes the first wife of someone. Sara, on the other hand, was mature. She was quick to reject what goes against her convictions and is more in control of her observance and instinctual skills. When her father beats her, she spends a whole night cursing him. But Rachel only sits back with acceptance.
Hidden Wives was a riveting read. I found myself coming back to it every time I took a break. Still, I had some really minor issues. At times, I found the writing jerky and almost discontinuous, but without taking away my enjoyment of the book. There is one other character who gets suddenly introduced in the latter half of the book. I didn't quite see the point of that because it seemed a little too convenient and unbelievable for me. I also felt that the beginning of the second half was shaky, compared to the rest of the book. Sara and Rachel do things I wouldn't expect of any fifteen-year old who hasn't stepped outside their own community.
Hidden Wives shows humanity at its worst and its best. When one of the wives of a man dies, the remaining wives are serving the men eggs and biscuits, over which they discuss what to do with the body. Everything they do has to be kept from the authorities, so lies are rampant. In addition, the believers pull out their children from their regular school and instead assign them to a single large class that teaches them the tenets of their faith.
The authors have touched upon a lot of themes without overwhelming the reader. At the core is the idea of how much faith one should have in a religion. Along with that, the reader gets a taste of mother-daughter and father-daughter relations at its worst. Man and woman as husband and wife and in a polygamous relation. Rape and lust. Role of women in society. I definitely recommend this read. There is a lot I learned, but mostly I understood how certain customs persist over generations, and how polygamy is still practiced in Utah and neighboring states.
Now that was a powerful start!
Their community practices polygamy. Their father has four wives, and many children. In order to remember which child belonged to which wife, he devised a naming system that each wife name her children using the same starting character. Each night, the wives take turns in bed with their husband.
A woman's purpose or calling is to be a fertile ground for her husband's seed, creating a multitude of saints on earth.
Now that made me sick!
Hidden Wives was a very engaging read filled with some strong characters. Sara is outraged at her match. She is not as pretty as her sister, and occasionally feels sad about that. Rachel is a devout. She considers any departure from her faith as blasphemous, and while Sara becomes increasingly distant from her beliefs, Rachel prays even more than usual. When Luke comes to their town because his father wants to convert to the Blood of the Lamb faith, Rachel finds herself falling for him. His hostility towards their religion blanches both Rachel and Sara, but soon Rachel makes it her mission to convert him.
I liked Rachel least of all. It could be because I have a low tolerance for people who are so blinded by their faith that they do not see reason. (Now, before you throw tomatoes at me, let me assure you that there are a number of very devout people among those I love dearly.) Rachel was sometimes... impossible. I felt very exasperated when I found her attributing everything to God, be it good or bad, so when things do go wrong for her, I could hardly feel sympathetic. When Sara was destined to be the fifth wife of her uncle, all Rachel can wish is that she herself becomes the first wife of someone. Sara, on the other hand, was mature. She was quick to reject what goes against her convictions and is more in control of her observance and instinctual skills. When her father beats her, she spends a whole night cursing him. But Rachel only sits back with acceptance.
Hidden Wives was a riveting read. I found myself coming back to it every time I took a break. Still, I had some really minor issues. At times, I found the writing jerky and almost discontinuous, but without taking away my enjoyment of the book. There is one other character who gets suddenly introduced in the latter half of the book. I didn't quite see the point of that because it seemed a little too convenient and unbelievable for me. I also felt that the beginning of the second half was shaky, compared to the rest of the book. Sara and Rachel do things I wouldn't expect of any fifteen-year old who hasn't stepped outside their own community.
Hidden Wives shows humanity at its worst and its best. When one of the wives of a man dies, the remaining wives are serving the men eggs and biscuits, over which they discuss what to do with the body. Everything they do has to be kept from the authorities, so lies are rampant. In addition, the believers pull out their children from their regular school and instead assign them to a single large class that teaches them the tenets of their faith.
The authors have touched upon a lot of themes without overwhelming the reader. At the core is the idea of how much faith one should have in a religion. Along with that, the reader gets a taste of mother-daughter and father-daughter relations at its worst. Man and woman as husband and wife and in a polygamous relation. Rape and lust. Role of women in society. I definitely recommend this read. There is a lot I learned, but mostly I understood how certain customs persist over generations, and how polygamy is still practiced in Utah and neighboring states.
July 28, 2010
This book is utterly stunning in its execution. The prose is fluid and engaging. The characters are fleshed out so well and with such precision that I felt myself completely immersed in their world, actually feeling like I was there, living their lives. The plot flowed seamlessly from one scene to the next, carrying the reader page by page into Sara and Rachel's world, showing us their young innocence and blind faith in the only life and religion they have ever known.
I admit to not knowing very much about the faith surrounding polygamy. I have seen the tv specials with the young girls who got out. I watched America's Most Wanted when Warren Jeffs was captured and charged. These things seem so far removed from my own life that it is hard for me to fully understand what young girls have to live through in this type of environment. It truly breaks my heart. I felt so much sympathy for the characters of Sara and Rachel and what they had to go through in their young lives. But, they didn't know any better. They didn't know that this wasn't "normal" life. I really feel like I received an education on polygamy from reading this book. The author seems very knowledgeable about the subject and presented it in a way that was interesting and added, instead of detracted, from the overall story. I think these descriptions of the history behind polygamy added to my understanding of the cult-like mentality that the Blood of the Lamb community seems to have. It also helped me see how these young girls are brainwashed into blindly believing their faith and they are not allowed to question or say a negative thing about it. These girls have no freedom. They are trapped.
When a new family joins the Blood of the Lamb community (read: cult), Sara and Rachel immediately befriend young Luke who is around their same age. Luke is baffled by his father's insistence that their family join the Blood of the Lamb community and he just wants to get out and rejoin "normal" life. Through conversations with Luke, the "celestial testimony" that 15 year old Sara is to marry her 50+ year old uncle, and the 17 "celestial testimonies" for 16 year old Rachel's hand in marriage (yes, 17 men had testimony from God that he is to marry Rachel), the girls eventually come to see their faith in a new light. When Rachel's husband is announced, an event so tragic and violent changes Sara and Rachel's lives forever and will have them questioning everything they know.
This is a superbly written novel that I was mesmerized by. I could not put the book down. Page after page, I was entranced by the author's writing style, needing to know what happened next, how Sara and Rachel's lives ended up. Loved the book and would definitely recommend to others. It is definitely Crazy Amazing!!
Jennifer
http://www.crazy-for-books.com
I admit to not knowing very much about the faith surrounding polygamy. I have seen the tv specials with the young girls who got out. I watched America's Most Wanted when Warren Jeffs was captured and charged. These things seem so far removed from my own life that it is hard for me to fully understand what young girls have to live through in this type of environment. It truly breaks my heart. I felt so much sympathy for the characters of Sara and Rachel and what they had to go through in their young lives. But, they didn't know any better. They didn't know that this wasn't "normal" life. I really feel like I received an education on polygamy from reading this book. The author seems very knowledgeable about the subject and presented it in a way that was interesting and added, instead of detracted, from the overall story. I think these descriptions of the history behind polygamy added to my understanding of the cult-like mentality that the Blood of the Lamb community seems to have. It also helped me see how these young girls are brainwashed into blindly believing their faith and they are not allowed to question or say a negative thing about it. These girls have no freedom. They are trapped.
When a new family joins the Blood of the Lamb community (read: cult), Sara and Rachel immediately befriend young Luke who is around their same age. Luke is baffled by his father's insistence that their family join the Blood of the Lamb community and he just wants to get out and rejoin "normal" life. Through conversations with Luke, the "celestial testimony" that 15 year old Sara is to marry her 50+ year old uncle, and the 17 "celestial testimonies" for 16 year old Rachel's hand in marriage (yes, 17 men had testimony from God that he is to marry Rachel), the girls eventually come to see their faith in a new light. When Rachel's husband is announced, an event so tragic and violent changes Sara and Rachel's lives forever and will have them questioning everything they know.
This is a superbly written novel that I was mesmerized by. I could not put the book down. Page after page, I was entranced by the author's writing style, needing to know what happened next, how Sara and Rachel's lives ended up. Loved the book and would definitely recommend to others. It is definitely Crazy Amazing!!
Jennifer
http://www.crazy-for-books.com
July 21, 2010
My Thoughts:
I'm going to review this one a bit differently today. I'm would like to share my immediate thoughts and impressions as I was reading this thought-provoking book.
* action begins immediately as the reader is thrust into the heart-pounding lives of Sara and Rachel.
* wonder how the men would like it if the women had all the rights, choices, and power. Polygamy would die out...that's what would happen!
* Law of Chastity: forbade sexual acts while the woman is expecting. What a FARCE! This law is so hypocritical, made me want to laugh and slap the men who created it.
* By Chapter 3, I found myself to be filled with tension and feeling extreme revulsion at the god-complex of Prophet Silver.
* p. 60 paragraph 4....pissed me off. This is where the men send the women into town to get their food stamps!! Why should WE, the taxpayer finance their way of life???
* each girl is isolated from the outside world, which makes it so much easier for indoctrination and brainwashing.
* the abuse these women, young girls, and children suffer at the hands of the men is making me physically ill.
* Negroes aren't considered human. They are viewed as Children of Satan.....really nice there Blood of the Lamb crazies!
* sickening how all of the men blame Rachel for their lust. It's her fault...she's a witch, a temptress. The men are twisted and perverted.
* Must wear sacred undergarments which are to protect them from the outside world. A lot of good these undergarments do when they don't protect the young girls in their own home and from the evil in their community.
* Hope- the central theme throughout the book. In the end this is what we must all hang on to for comfort.
This book touched me on so many levels as you can see from my notes above. I am always struck by how easy it seems for people to get sucked into cults, because this is what I view communities that advocate this way of life. I have tried really hard not to judge others, but when it comes to captivity, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children, I have to draw the line. If an adult chooses to live a polygamist life, whom am I to judge them? But when it infringes on the safety and well-being of innocent children.....well, they must be made to answer for their crimes. The authors did a wonderful job of setting the story and giving us two extremely well-written characters to relate to...Rachel and Sara. I felt like I was propelled into their lives from the very first page. I cried with them, felt scared with them, and in the end rejoiced with them. This would make an excellent choice for a book club pick.
Rating: 4.5/5
Highly Recommended!
I'm going to review this one a bit differently today. I'm would like to share my immediate thoughts and impressions as I was reading this thought-provoking book.
* action begins immediately as the reader is thrust into the heart-pounding lives of Sara and Rachel.
* wonder how the men would like it if the women had all the rights, choices, and power. Polygamy would die out...that's what would happen!
* Law of Chastity: forbade sexual acts while the woman is expecting. What a FARCE! This law is so hypocritical, made me want to laugh and slap the men who created it.
* By Chapter 3, I found myself to be filled with tension and feeling extreme revulsion at the god-complex of Prophet Silver.
* p. 60 paragraph 4....pissed me off. This is where the men send the women into town to get their food stamps!! Why should WE, the taxpayer finance their way of life???
* each girl is isolated from the outside world, which makes it so much easier for indoctrination and brainwashing.
* the abuse these women, young girls, and children suffer at the hands of the men is making me physically ill.
* Negroes aren't considered human. They are viewed as Children of Satan.....really nice there Blood of the Lamb crazies!
* sickening how all of the men blame Rachel for their lust. It's her fault...she's a witch, a temptress. The men are twisted and perverted.
* Must wear sacred undergarments which are to protect them from the outside world. A lot of good these undergarments do when they don't protect the young girls in their own home and from the evil in their community.
* Hope- the central theme throughout the book. In the end this is what we must all hang on to for comfort.
This book touched me on so many levels as you can see from my notes above. I am always struck by how easy it seems for people to get sucked into cults, because this is what I view communities that advocate this way of life. I have tried really hard not to judge others, but when it comes to captivity, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children, I have to draw the line. If an adult chooses to live a polygamist life, whom am I to judge them? But when it infringes on the safety and well-being of innocent children.....well, they must be made to answer for their crimes. The authors did a wonderful job of setting the story and giving us two extremely well-written characters to relate to...Rachel and Sara. I felt like I was propelled into their lives from the very first page. I cried with them, felt scared with them, and in the end rejoiced with them. This would make an excellent choice for a book club pick.
Rating: 4.5/5
Highly Recommended!
May 25, 2011
Hello! I have made an easy-to-use guide to choosing your Polygamist YA Lit. As you can see, all of the books on the list are ALMOST exactly the same! And none of them are very good. They are mostly "Just O.K." Please be happy that I have wasted my time, so that you don't have to waste yours.
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As you can tell by the chart, Claire Avery (who is not a person, but two sisters pretending to be a person) pulled out ALL the stops for her novel about polygamy. I had high hopes for this work in particular, because it is aimed at older readers, even though the two main protagonists (in alternating points of view) are young sisters. And the authors were supposedly in some cult when they were younger, so they HATE religious cults - and so do I!
But, this was probably the WORST of the polygamy fiction that I read. Sigh. There is some brutal stuff in here, including a horrifying scene of abuse, and a yucky-yuck-icky incest rape. Beware!
I can deal with brutal. But, not brutal for brutal's sake. Now, in all honesty - the atrocities of polygamist cult's like Warren Jeffs are fairly well documented these days. There are all kinds of abuse and terrible things that CAN go on in these cults... But, did you have to include all of them, Claire Avery?
Every single one of the characters lacked depth. The novel begins with the protagonist informing us that she oftens dreams about and imagines all the ways that she could die... And then for the entire length of the novel, we never experience her thinking about/fantasizing about or dreaming about dying. That whole concept, introduced as the first sentence, was just a ploy to lure you in and make you think that maybe THIS TIME, the polygamist protagonist will somehow define herself in a different way than the others - and she never does.
These teenage characters that are being imagined for this type of fiction are simply empty girl-vessels for a writer to exploit at her whim, with no care to the methods of characterization that would flesh her out and make her whole. Poorly done. Poorly done.
As the book went on, the pace became slower, the logic of the structure became fragmented. It began to drag. I was pulled out of the story numerous times on account of the bad writing and a general sense of disconnection.
Also, the black kid with echolalia that Rachel and/or Sara meets at the library - GET OUTTA HERE. Just go to bed. You're tired, Claire Avery - you've been up too late imagining terrible things happening to teenage girls. And for no reason at all you have included a random character that serves no purpose whatsoever. Take a nap.
End rant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2021
Claire Avery's Hidden Wives presents a piercingly emotional landscape through Sara and Rachel, two sisters coming-of-age in The Blood of the Lamb community - a fundamental polygamist sect in Utah. At 15 and 16-years-of-age, Sara and Rachel are bordering on spinsterhood. Most "girls" receive their marriage confirmations as early as 13-years-of-age through the "law of placing." The more wives a man has, the more likely he will attain the status of a god in the afterlife. It does not take long for the reader to realize the caustic effect of this practice: bride shortages. With the shortage of brides comes the unspeakable acts of child marriages, incest, rape, and violence. One of the most difficult parts of the book to read was the birth of a child as a result of an incestuous relationship - absolutely heartbreaking. Yet it is in these most mordant moments that we also see unmitigated acts of kindness, forgiveness, love, and authenticity. The most liberating and pivotal moments in the novel for me, are when Sara decides to take books from the local supermarket and return them after she has read them. I envisioned Sara reading Jackie Collins, Candace Bushnell, and Jennifer Weiner. It is through this small act of defiance that Sara sets herself apart from the rest of her community. She begins to question status quo and realizes that there is an entirely different world that exists outside the Blood of the Lamb Community. While this act of defiance almost costs Sara her life, it also leads her to meet a young black man who suffers from echolalia. I had not realized what this was prior to reading this book and think the writers are brilliant in their creation of this character. When I first began reading the dialogue between the characters...I thought the repetition of last parts of sentences would be quite distracting...it was actually some of the most beautiful writing I have ever read. By the time I made it three-fourths of the way through the novel, I was tense, grinding my teeth, holding my breath....I think the readers needed the "bat" scene. I am even appalled at my own reaction to the scene in the book...I literally said out loud, "one more time for the cheap seats in the back!" I am mortified to even admit I said this, but there you have it...a genuine emotional response that shocked even me! I am so thankful to have come across this book and have been able to think of little else since completing it this morning at 4 AM. I recommend this book to EVERYONE; it truly is one of those books that will stay with you long after you have read the last word. Life-changing, gut-wrenching writing!
January 24, 2017
This book was not at all what I expected it to be...I thought it was going to be a psychological thriller about how two sisters were trying to escape from their polygamous community and the obstacles they faced. Instead, it was basically a teen love story. Getting out of Dodge was as simple as getting supermodel Rachel to stop bitching for five seconds about leaving Luke (they are both high school age but are so in lurvvve that Luke gives Rachel a ring), a bash to daddy-o's arm with a baseball bat, and stealing his truck, which they manage to drive all the way to LA despite the fact that they've never driven before. And what was up with the cop following them across the whole state? I guess it was added for suspense, but I found it completely pointless. Then, the books turns even more into a young adult double love story. Irvin's condition is miraculously healed and he gets to go to art school (I'm still trying to figure out why Irvin even ditched his mom and life in the first place...oh wait I remember - because he's so in lurvvvve with Sara)...oh and lo and behold, Sara turns out to be a legit genius...advanced placement classes and perfect SAT score! Rachel continues to pine over Luke till she finds him waiting outside for her after daddy-o's trial (where he was found guilty of everything, naturally - and the jury only deliberated an hour)...awwww how sweet. This book was ridiculously simplistic and the characters were one dimensional - the mothers and the father were all just pure evil with no other emotions/motivations whatsoever. Also, I may not know much about the polygamous lifestyle, but I've read enough to think that a lot of the events and dialogue are completely unrealistic (ex. Prophet Silver saying Farley has been "kicked out" of Blood of the Lamb). Utterly ridiculous. Also, I know the author was trying to portray the father as a racist, but I feel that she went too far with throwing the N word out there so much - she could have gotten her point across in other ways. End rant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2010
I'll admit that I have an unhealthy fascination with polygamy and culture. I thoroughly enjoy Big Love and Sister Wives, so when I saw this book, I just had to grab it. It was a very decent book, quick read that really did dive into the culture from the perspective of two teenage girls in the community. If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would, but it didn't quite make 4 stars to me. I would also have liked to have had book club questions and additional details from the authors about their own lives in a secluded community.
The story is told from half-sisters, Rachel and Sara. They live the life of the principle - which means early celestial marriage in a polygamist household. Their father, Abraham is one of the ugliest most horrible parents I've ever read in fiction, and their mothers are not far behind.
I found it interesting reading from both Sara and Rachel's perspective - Rachel being extremely devote, naive, and attempting to be the perfect person before God. Sara, however, still tried to be good, but had questions and began to see some things that lead her to believe that the world was not as pure as they were told it was.
Definitely recommend it for anyone who has interest in polygamist sects.
The story is told from half-sisters, Rachel and Sara. They live the life of the principle - which means early celestial marriage in a polygamist household. Their father, Abraham is one of the ugliest most horrible parents I've ever read in fiction, and their mothers are not far behind.
I found it interesting reading from both Sara and Rachel's perspective - Rachel being extremely devote, naive, and attempting to be the perfect person before God. Sara, however, still tried to be good, but had questions and began to see some things that lead her to believe that the world was not as pure as they were told it was.
Definitely recommend it for anyone who has interest in polygamist sects.
August 4, 2010
I find it very difficult to believe that Claire Avery did not have first-hand knowledge into the goings on of these multi-wife communities. Her descriptions are so clear that I can see the places her characters go. I feel what they feel and see what they see. Her characters are also believable, scary, and loveable. On the other hand, however, knowing that this is not a first-hand account, I wonder how much of this book is based on prejudices, and how much is based on actual, documented events. It is easy to imagine, if one so chose, a life in this type of community, and to quickly put into place all of the jealousy, anger, and mind-control that could easily be possible. Could it even be possible to write this story, not having gone through something like this, and not let prejudice cloud your writing?
There really is no element of surprise in this novel. The ending is much what you would expect of a happy ending. Would I read this again? No. Would I recommend it to a friend? Sure. Having borrowed it from a library, I will return it and that will be that. Time wasted? Not at all. If nothing else, it has definitely given me something to think about.
There really is no element of surprise in this novel. The ending is much what you would expect of a happy ending. Would I read this again? No. Would I recommend it to a friend? Sure. Having borrowed it from a library, I will return it and that will be that. Time wasted? Not at all. If nothing else, it has definitely given me something to think about.
July 13, 2010
I really didn't want to like this book. I wanted an objective view of a real polygamous family, and what I got was the inner workings of a fundamentalist polygamous cult. I wanted to hate this book for all of the stereotyping of polygamy. But that didn't happen.
Instead, I loved this book. It took me inside this cult, gave me some real information as to the "rules and teachings", and a look into the thoughts and emotions of some of its members. It took me on a journey into the hell and back out again. It showed me the inner struggles of the believers. It reminded me of the strength of the bond between two people who desperately care about each other, whether they be sisters, lovers or friends. And it reminded me of the hate that results from the need for power.
I want more!! Thank you so much, Goodreads, for allowing me to read this book through the giveaway program.
Instead, I loved this book. It took me inside this cult, gave me some real information as to the "rules and teachings", and a look into the thoughts and emotions of some of its members. It took me on a journey into the hell and back out again. It showed me the inner struggles of the believers. It reminded me of the strength of the bond between two people who desperately care about each other, whether they be sisters, lovers or friends. And it reminded me of the hate that results from the need for power.
I want more!! Thank you so much, Goodreads, for allowing me to read this book through the giveaway program.
May 15, 2010
What a powerful book! I've heard of Polygamist communities and seen the footage on TV of them being exposed. I really didn't think much of it except that it was a lifestyle that was so very different from what I believe in. After reading this book I have a very different view on these communities and a profound sadness and disbelief that this type of living can actually occur. Although this book is a work of fiction I feel that the authors did a lot of research and portrayed as much of the truth as they could. This book could spark a lot of controversy and many debates.
July 4, 2016
These kind of stories both disgust me and fascinate me! Interesting modern story of polygamy!
April 18, 2018
I was at Half-Price Books and I bought this spontaneously because I started reading it while waiting for my brother. The romance plots were unrealistic, even more so than the cult plot. However, if you want a quick, easy read about Mormon Fundamentalist cults, this one’s pretty decent.
June 6, 2010
Nothing I can write here will do this book justice. I wish I was as talented with my words as the authors because maybe then there would be a chance for me to get my opinion through to the people who will see this.
I can't gush about Hidden Wives enough. I knew, before reading this, that I would love it. I had that feeling (hopefully you've had it also for a book and know what I mean!) after only seeing the cover and knowing the title. That's a great, great, super great feeling. Even though I knew I'd love Hidden Wives I was still shocked when I opened to the first page. I hadn't though about how much I'd love it - the very first sentence and I fell in love deeper.
I'm sure there will be people who don't like this book - there always are and not every book is for everyone - but I think those people will be few and far betwee. I'm not only amazed that this is the first novel from Claire Avery but also at the talent that poured out.
It's a rare, rare book that evokes such emotion. I've read much more non-fiction in my life than fiction and most of the non hasn't forced such feeling out of me.
There was a constant fight going on in my head because a part of me kept my eyes skipping ahead - I just had to know. Another part was making myself move as slow as possible so I could savor every sentence. One could say that I read this twice already because I reread every paragraph - and only because they were all so beautiful.
I have no doubt that I'll reread this many times over the years. I haven't reread a book, even from an all-time favorite author, in...... well, almost forever.
Even if the subject of polygamy doesn't interest you I would recommend not passing by this easily. Whether you're into non-fiction, fiction, whatever, this will probably touch you like you never imagined.
I felt such fear so many times and such joy so many others. I wanted to reach in the book and help Sara and Rachel and Irvin.
Irvin brings me to another subject. Race is a very sensitive subject with me. I don't like all the stereotypes and distinctions found everywhere. I don't like anything like that - in my eyes we're all the same and everyone should be treated and viewed the same. Most books have a hard time accomplishing this. A very hard time. Taking into account that Sara and Rachel grew up in a polygamist family and the problems with race they had to face, that part of the book could have easily went downhill. It was the opposite. I don't think I could name one other book I have ever, in my entire life, read that handles the subject so beautifully. There was nothing I would have wished differently and being that I'm so conscious of the subject that really says a lot.
I could go on forever about Hidden Wives. I had a ton of books piled up waiting for me and I bypassed them all because of the feeling I had about this book and I didn't let myself down. Or, I should say, Claire Avery didn't let me down.
I can only hope and pray that another book is in the works right now - I'll be in line to buy it the exact day it's released.
Please, do not pass this book up because you think it's only for a certain type of reader - exactly the opposite is true. This book is for so many people. You'll be missing out tremendously.
Please also take this review and times it by 1,000 because like I said above, my words cannot do justice to my feelings.
I can't gush about Hidden Wives enough. I knew, before reading this, that I would love it. I had that feeling (hopefully you've had it also for a book and know what I mean!) after only seeing the cover and knowing the title. That's a great, great, super great feeling. Even though I knew I'd love Hidden Wives I was still shocked when I opened to the first page. I hadn't though about how much I'd love it - the very first sentence and I fell in love deeper.
I'm sure there will be people who don't like this book - there always are and not every book is for everyone - but I think those people will be few and far betwee. I'm not only amazed that this is the first novel from Claire Avery but also at the talent that poured out.
It's a rare, rare book that evokes such emotion. I've read much more non-fiction in my life than fiction and most of the non hasn't forced such feeling out of me.
There was a constant fight going on in my head because a part of me kept my eyes skipping ahead - I just had to know. Another part was making myself move as slow as possible so I could savor every sentence. One could say that I read this twice already because I reread every paragraph - and only because they were all so beautiful.
I have no doubt that I'll reread this many times over the years. I haven't reread a book, even from an all-time favorite author, in...... well, almost forever.
Even if the subject of polygamy doesn't interest you I would recommend not passing by this easily. Whether you're into non-fiction, fiction, whatever, this will probably touch you like you never imagined.
I felt such fear so many times and such joy so many others. I wanted to reach in the book and help Sara and Rachel and Irvin.
Irvin brings me to another subject. Race is a very sensitive subject with me. I don't like all the stereotypes and distinctions found everywhere. I don't like anything like that - in my eyes we're all the same and everyone should be treated and viewed the same. Most books have a hard time accomplishing this. A very hard time. Taking into account that Sara and Rachel grew up in a polygamist family and the problems with race they had to face, that part of the book could have easily went downhill. It was the opposite. I don't think I could name one other book I have ever, in my entire life, read that handles the subject so beautifully. There was nothing I would have wished differently and being that I'm so conscious of the subject that really says a lot.
I could go on forever about Hidden Wives. I had a ton of books piled up waiting for me and I bypassed them all because of the feeling I had about this book and I didn't let myself down. Or, I should say, Claire Avery didn't let me down.
I can only hope and pray that another book is in the works right now - I'll be in line to buy it the exact day it's released.
Please, do not pass this book up because you think it's only for a certain type of reader - exactly the opposite is true. This book is for so many people. You'll be missing out tremendously.
Please also take this review and times it by 1,000 because like I said above, my words cannot do justice to my feelings.
July 26, 2010
This book was absolutely amazing. I have never read a book before and went through so many emotions all in 300 pages.
The book is about two sisters, Sara and Rachel. Sara is the plain one, the one that finds out that at just the age of fifteen she is going to be married off to her Uncle. Rachel is the beautiful one, that has numerous men wanting to marry her.
Sara and Rachel live in a Polygamist cult. Sara is unhappy all the time, she knows deep down that something is wrong with the way they are living and she wants to do something about it. But Rachel tries to see things in the way of the leaders, she wants to do anything to make sure that she does not sin. Until the falls in love with Luke. A new boy who moves into the Polygamist community with his mother and father.
The beginning of the book starts off heart wrenching. Rachel learns that God has spoken and there are sixteen men that are in line, one to be chosen to be her husband. When Rachel's father finds this out he calls her a whore and takes her to the whipping shed when they get home from church.
These girls are so closed off from the outside world, everything is plain. They have to marry at a young age and do as their father or husband says for them to do.
This book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and leaves you guessing until the very end. I had no clue the ending would be like it was.
I am a bit disappointed about Rachel and Luke's relationship. That was left hanging. Not sure if there is going to be a book two and Luke is going to come back or what. But I feel the book should not have been left the way it was.
**Edit:::
I would like to change the ending to my review and since it has already been posted for a few hours and people have read the review I have up, I am just going to put an edit in here.
I was contacted by the authors of Hidden Wives and they made a very excellent point. They said to go back and reread the last page of the book, that sometimes when you love a book so much you want to know the ending and you skip. I am guessing that is what I did because I have a totally new outlook on the ending after rereading it. I love the ending, I am glad and very happy with Rachel and Luke's relationship. I read this book over a month ago so i'm not sure if i was thinking that it was someone other than Luke, like maybe one of the men from the Polygamist cult coming back to get them. Not sure what was going through my head but after going back and rereading it I do love the ending of the book and am very happy with it. So if you read this book make sure you read the end very slowly.. =)
The book is about two sisters, Sara and Rachel. Sara is the plain one, the one that finds out that at just the age of fifteen she is going to be married off to her Uncle. Rachel is the beautiful one, that has numerous men wanting to marry her.
Sara and Rachel live in a Polygamist cult. Sara is unhappy all the time, she knows deep down that something is wrong with the way they are living and she wants to do something about it. But Rachel tries to see things in the way of the leaders, she wants to do anything to make sure that she does not sin. Until the falls in love with Luke. A new boy who moves into the Polygamist community with his mother and father.
The beginning of the book starts off heart wrenching. Rachel learns that God has spoken and there are sixteen men that are in line, one to be chosen to be her husband. When Rachel's father finds this out he calls her a whore and takes her to the whipping shed when they get home from church.
These girls are so closed off from the outside world, everything is plain. They have to marry at a young age and do as their father or husband says for them to do.
This book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and leaves you guessing until the very end. I had no clue the ending would be like it was.
I am a bit disappointed about Rachel and Luke's relationship. That was left hanging. Not sure if there is going to be a book two and Luke is going to come back or what. But I feel the book should not have been left the way it was.
**Edit:::
I would like to change the ending to my review and since it has already been posted for a few hours and people have read the review I have up, I am just going to put an edit in here.
I was contacted by the authors of Hidden Wives and they made a very excellent point. They said to go back and reread the last page of the book, that sometimes when you love a book so much you want to know the ending and you skip. I am guessing that is what I did because I have a totally new outlook on the ending after rereading it. I love the ending, I am glad and very happy with Rachel and Luke's relationship. I read this book over a month ago so i'm not sure if i was thinking that it was someone other than Luke, like maybe one of the men from the Polygamist cult coming back to get them. Not sure what was going through my head but after going back and rereading it I do love the ending of the book and am very happy with it. So if you read this book make sure you read the end very slowly.. =)
July 28, 2010
I find myself able to relate to these characters on more than one level. For example, the love of books that Sara has :-) and there seems to be subtle humor in Hidden Wives that is enjoyable while taking on such a serious issue. There are a couple of disturbing episodes in this book and I feel overall the author(s) handled things very well.
Quotes that stood out...
Chapter One:
"Walter Merrick has received testimony for her hand. I prayed about it and God ordained that Sara will belong to Brother Walter."
"She would become a mother to her cousins and a wife to her uncle."
Chapter Two:
"Wives, imagine your body as an acre for a man to sow his seed. Your duty is to bear the fruit of your husband's seed."
Chapter Three:
"My dad bought a trailer. Beulah will live there while they start construction on a set of four duplexes. I guess he's planning for the future expansion on his wife collection."
Chapter Five:
"We're not a cult. We're a big family."
"A big family that has sex with one another."
Chapter Six:
"So, if I have this uncontrollable urge to blurt out the temple secrets, does it mean somebody will kill me or would I have to do all this to myself?"
"No, someone will do it for you."
Chapter Seven:
"I would never share my wife with another man, so what right would I have to expect her to share me with other women?"
Chapter Eight:
"She heard Ruth's screams as she rounded the corner of the Hogan's driveway. She had never been present at the birth of a baby before. They tended to keep the unmarried girls away from those events. Hearing Ruth's anguished cries, she now knew why."
Chapter Nine:
"I can call the police or your parents. Which do you prefer?"
Sara cleared her throat and croaked, "The police."
Chapter Fourteen:
"Passing the gift shop, Sara stared at the brilliant assortment of balloons trumpeting GET WELL, and IT'S A BOY. She wondered if they had one that said, HELP!"
Chapter Sixteen:
"They're going to figure out what to do with Mother Esther's body over eggs and biscuits?"
Rachel and Sara looked at each other. "What's happening to us?"
Rachel's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Same thing that's always been happening, only now people are dying."
Chapter Twenty:
"Her hands shook as she removed the sacred undergarments. Without them she was not protected from the evils of the outside world, but in reality, they hadn't protected her from the evils within."
note: The author sent me a free copy of this book. Thank you Claire Avery!
Quotes that stood out...
Chapter One:
"Walter Merrick has received testimony for her hand. I prayed about it and God ordained that Sara will belong to Brother Walter."
"She would become a mother to her cousins and a wife to her uncle."
Chapter Two:
"Wives, imagine your body as an acre for a man to sow his seed. Your duty is to bear the fruit of your husband's seed."
Chapter Three:
"My dad bought a trailer. Beulah will live there while they start construction on a set of four duplexes. I guess he's planning for the future expansion on his wife collection."
Chapter Five:
"We're not a cult. We're a big family."
"A big family that has sex with one another."
Chapter Six:
"So, if I have this uncontrollable urge to blurt out the temple secrets, does it mean somebody will kill me or would I have to do all this to myself?"
"No, someone will do it for you."
Chapter Seven:
"I would never share my wife with another man, so what right would I have to expect her to share me with other women?"
Chapter Eight:
"She heard Ruth's screams as she rounded the corner of the Hogan's driveway. She had never been present at the birth of a baby before. They tended to keep the unmarried girls away from those events. Hearing Ruth's anguished cries, she now knew why."
Chapter Nine:
"I can call the police or your parents. Which do you prefer?"
Sara cleared her throat and croaked, "The police."
Chapter Fourteen:
"Passing the gift shop, Sara stared at the brilliant assortment of balloons trumpeting GET WELL, and IT'S A BOY. She wondered if they had one that said, HELP!"
Chapter Sixteen:
"They're going to figure out what to do with Mother Esther's body over eggs and biscuits?"
Rachel and Sara looked at each other. "What's happening to us?"
Rachel's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Same thing that's always been happening, only now people are dying."
Chapter Twenty:
"Her hands shook as she removed the sacred undergarments. Without them she was not protected from the evils of the outside world, but in reality, they hadn't protected her from the evils within."
note: The author sent me a free copy of this book. Thank you Claire Avery!
June 20, 2010
Amazing, amazing novel -- so many thoughts running together. Will have to dry the tears before I write this review.
Okay, I have had time to write the review now. You can also find the review posted at The Daily Dose: http://dailydose-fantasyromance.blogs....
I picked up this book because I found the authors fascinating and after reading the blurb on the back of the book at the tea, I was definitely curious. We're all aware of extreme religious sects and we see the stories in the news. We're always genuinely horrified when we learn just how bad things were for the women and children in the sect or cult, so don't be surprised by just how horrible life seems to be for Rachel and Sara. It is so far beyond my own personal experience that I was clenching my fists at times and wishing I could tear into the pages to help them.
This book is not for the faint of heart. The violence can be insidious and intense, although scenes of utter brutality are in direct opposition to wild moments of compassion, concern and caring. We spent a lot of time in the heads of both Sara and Rachel. We see this world through their eyes. We share their pain as they fight against the conditioning and teachings they've had drummed into them their whole lives.
While I wish to give nothing away, there are two moments, so spectacularly emotional, that I was driven to tears. I wanted to stand up and shout, "Swing it again" at times and I wanted to just pull them close and give them a hug. When I was done with this book, I was torn between laughter and tears; tears for all the pain and laughter for the triumph.
When I was done, I went into the next room and gave my daughter the fiercest hug, so grateful for so many things. I honestly do not think I would have picked up this book if I hadn't met these lovely authors, which would have been a true tragedy.
Over the last few days, I've had time to absorb the story and share my feelings about reading it with a few friends. Recovered from the emotional journey, I am tremendously glad I read it.
I would recommend this book with only the warning that it will get brutal, it will get hard and you will feel your insides curdle, but hang in there – because you will also experience gratitude, genuine relief and fierce pride in these wonderful sisters.
Okay, I have had time to write the review now. You can also find the review posted at The Daily Dose: http://dailydose-fantasyromance.blogs....
I picked up this book because I found the authors fascinating and after reading the blurb on the back of the book at the tea, I was definitely curious. We're all aware of extreme religious sects and we see the stories in the news. We're always genuinely horrified when we learn just how bad things were for the women and children in the sect or cult, so don't be surprised by just how horrible life seems to be for Rachel and Sara. It is so far beyond my own personal experience that I was clenching my fists at times and wishing I could tear into the pages to help them.
This book is not for the faint of heart. The violence can be insidious and intense, although scenes of utter brutality are in direct opposition to wild moments of compassion, concern and caring. We spent a lot of time in the heads of both Sara and Rachel. We see this world through their eyes. We share their pain as they fight against the conditioning and teachings they've had drummed into them their whole lives.
While I wish to give nothing away, there are two moments, so spectacularly emotional, that I was driven to tears. I wanted to stand up and shout, "Swing it again" at times and I wanted to just pull them close and give them a hug. When I was done with this book, I was torn between laughter and tears; tears for all the pain and laughter for the triumph.
When I was done, I went into the next room and gave my daughter the fiercest hug, so grateful for so many things. I honestly do not think I would have picked up this book if I hadn't met these lovely authors, which would have been a true tragedy.
Over the last few days, I've had time to absorb the story and share my feelings about reading it with a few friends. Recovered from the emotional journey, I am tremendously glad I read it.
I would recommend this book with only the warning that it will get brutal, it will get hard and you will feel your insides curdle, but hang in there – because you will also experience gratitude, genuine relief and fierce pride in these wonderful sisters.
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