The Sister Wife: Brides of Gabriel Book One

by Diane Noble

Book Overview

The Sister Wife is the first book in a new Brides of Gabriel historical series set during the formation of the Mormon edict of polygamy. Award-winning author Diane Noble explores the inner conflicts,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061962228
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Avon Inspire
• Length: 343 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The Sister Wife

While Ms. Noble is a gifted storyteller and a sensitive observer of personal interactions, the most impressive aspects of her latest novel are its historical accuracy and most of all its even handedness. She demonstrated her lack of bias in her earlier treatment of Mormon history in"The Veil" and is true to form here again. If you want a compelling, compassionate, non-judgmental look at the emotional responses to religious unrest in 19th century America and enjoy historical fiction, here's an excellent read.

strong relationship historical drama

In 1841 recently converted to Mormonism, Lady Mary Rose Ashley travels by ship from Liverpool, England to America. On board the Sea Hawk, she meets ship builder Gabriel MacKay. They are attracted to one another; she introduces him to her new religious beliefs; and they marry. The newlyweds settle in Nauvoo, where Mormon prophet Joseph Smith preaches his revelations from God. Joseph's latest proclamation is that polygamy is acceptable and encouraged. He directs Gabriel to wed Mary Rose's best friend, the widow Bronwyn so she can be taken care of. Gabriel and Bronwyn agree to marry, but she insists on a nonphysical arrangement; however Mary Rose believes that though she is his first wife she might be losing her husband to his second wife. Then there is Enid who plans to become Gabriel's first wife regardless of prior spouses. The first Brides of Gabriel tale is a strong relationship historical drama that takes a deep look at Mormon polygamy without preaching pro or con. Instead the cast makes the tale powerful as engrossed readers reflect on their belief system that encourages under certain proscribed circumstances multiple marriages in order to economically support several households that insures the caring of widows and orphans. Americana readers and those interested in alternate societal systems will relish the well written The Sister Wife. Harriet Klausner

The Sister Wife is a Winner!

Diane Noble's latest book, The Sister Wife, is her best book yet. It is Book One of a trilogy with characters Mary Rose Ashley, a young aristocrat, and Gabriel MacKay, a shipbuilder who meet and fall in love on board a ship he has built. While sailing from Liverpool to Boston we are introduced to Mary Rose's grandfather who, she discovers, has signed his property over to Joseph Smith so the two of them, plus three other children, can sail to America and join Smith's group in the start of their new, young Mormon community. The way Ms. Noble is able to weave historical facts with her imagination is amazing. Having read all of her previous books, I know her characters will come to discover their paths to Grace. She is able to write in a way that engages all who read her books, no matter what their background, to not want to put the books down. I hope she is able to publish books 2 and 3 of this trilogy quickly because I, for one, don't want to wait long for the ending!

A Nineteenth-century story of romance and conflicts

The Sister Wife is one of those books that draws you right into the beginning of the nineteenth-century. Each character is described in such a way that they become so very real; from young Coal, the adventurous and somewhat impish brother to adorable twin sisters to Hosea, the sea Captain who is lost in a terrible storm. The writer draws you into the lifestyle of these first Mormon settlers. Lady Mary Rose Ashley lived quite happily with her grandfather in a stately manor house with servants and manicured gardens in England. However, her grandfather meets young missionary by the name of Brigham Young who changes their lives forever. Lady Mary Rose is sadly caught in a web of religious "do's and don'ts". She finds herself torn with thoughts of the God her young mother taught her about to the "god" who is asking her to share her young husband with another woman. I LOVED this book and highly recommend it to everyone who likes to settle into a good story with characters who live on in your heart. I can't wait for book two in the series!

Very touching story

This is a very touching story of a young lady, Mary Rose Ashley, who is travelling by ship from Liverpool to America and in her journey she meets ship builder Gabriel MacKay. They fall in love and get married while still in the ship. When reaching America, they headed to Nauvoo, where Mormon prophet Joseph Smith preaches revelations he received directly from God. Among those revelations, the prophet says that polygamy not only is acceptable but also is encouraged. He orders Gabriel to marry Mary Rose's best friend, Browyn and that sets a spiritual conflict on Mary when facing this very difficult and unusual situation, that would shake her life and faith. Then there is Enid, who plans to become Gabriel's first wife regardless prior spouses... The author was very successful and she had the sensibility to describe all the deep emotions of the characters involved in the story in a richness manner. We suffer with them, we joy with them, we learn with them. The historical aspect of this book shows a lot of research by the author on the early years of the Mormon church and how and why the concept of polygamy was introduced in the Mormonism. Without taking sides on what is right or wrong, Diane lets the reader thinks and reaches his/her own conclusions. It is truly a magnificent romance and it deserves to be in the permanent library of any serious reader. And I am eager to read how this story will develop through the series "Brides of Gabriel". This book was written by Diane Noble and was published by Harper Collins that were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing.