The Wives of Henry Oades

by Johanna Moran

Book Overview

When Henry Oades accepts an accountancy post in New Zealand, his wife, Margaret, and their children follow him to exotic Wellington. But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034551095X
• ISBN13: 9780345510952
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

One Man, Two Wives

Johanna Moran's recently released debut historical novel, The Wives of Henry Oades is sure to shoot right to the top of the bestseller lists and most book club discussion groups. This breathtaking and riveting page turner is a story based on a true-to-life actual legal event that the author's father studied in law school and held Johanna Moran so captivated she had to write the tale. This is the incredible story of Henry Oades, an English man who attains a two year temporary job as an accountant on the coast of New Zealand. Moving his wife and four kids to a new country, they immediately settle in nicely creating a new life with a steady income for Henry. Soon after a local Maori tribe uprising brings tragedy and trauma to the Oades family as Henry's wife Margaret and all four children are kidnapped and their home torched while Henry is away. Arriving home, devastated, and at a loss as to what could have happened, the locals soon inform Henry that these kidnappings have happened before and are usually done out of revenge for an injustice done against the Maori. Rousing a posse and search team to help him find his family, Henry is again met with another crisis as he is hurt during the search, left in a coma and laid up for a month. The trail becomes cold and hope of finding his wife and children become slim but Henry pursues and spends the next year searching, never giving up hope. After three years pass, Henry decides to declare his loved ones dead, and sets sail for America to start a new life as a cattle rancher in California. Putting his painful past behind him, he soon inherits the ranch and takes a new bride, Nancy, the second Mrs. Oades. But Henry's new life is not to have a happy ending as in the story books, unforeseen events suddenly unfold in the shape of his first wife and children as they are released from their captivity and track Henry's trail right up to knock on his new front door. The shocking and interesting story of what Henry, his children, and the two Mrs. Oades will suffer through as they try to all live as one family, accepting their unfortunate fate as God's will, is astonishing, heartwarming and shows their ability to go beyond the conventions of the time and persevere. Neighbors, local socialites, and the county sheriff, all accuse Henry of Bigamy and polygamy. This family is now put through the horrors of being social outcasts, the trauma of imprisonment, and three exhausting court cases that will challenge one California lawyer as he scrabbles to win case after case to keep this family together. They are slandered as Mormons, their home vandalized, their dog killed, their cattle stolen. Issues of what is right and wrong due to no fault of either party involved will surely have all members of book club discussion groups debating the many philosophical issues this book offers up. The author's writing style is polished and well crafted, readers will not be able to put this down. Her talent for creating endearing

Great book!!!

Once I stated reading "The Wives of Henry Oades" by Johanna Moran, I could not put the book down. The author made me feel like I was in the moment with both the characters in the novel and the time (1800's) when the events took place. From the time Henry's family is kidnapped in New Zealand I was completely captivated! I felt especially for Mr. Oades and his first wife Margaret and the strenuous circumstances with which they became involved. Not wanting to give anything away, I have to say I wanted to literally jump into the book and strangle the self righteous "Daughters of Decency", not to mention the police that kept coming to Henry's farm and destroying perfectly good cattle under false pretenses. The court battle was emotionally gripping to say the least. The author does a great job is placing the reader in the times and making you feel like you are really with the characters in the novel. I would recommend this book to anyone and I can't wait for Ms. Moran's next book. Mike C., Sapphire, North Carolina

The Wives of Henry Oades

Starting in England, moving to New Zealand and then finally to California, this well written book takes us into the lives of Henry Oades and his wife and children when he decides to take a job as an accountant in New Zealand. His pregnant wife and two children board the ship with him and suffer through the many days at sea only to find New Zealand is not exactly the place they thought they were coming to. His wife Margaret starts counting off the days until they can return home and in the meantime delivers twin girls. One day as Henry is a work Maori warriors come and attack the family while a friend and her son are visiting. The friend is killed and Margaret and the children are taken hostage and sent on a long march away from their burned down home and the man they love. Although Henry does everything he can to find the children, thinking his wife is dead, he eventually gives up and comes to believe as the others do that they most certainly would be dead by now. Eventually he leaves New Zealand and its ghosts behind and eventually ends up in California working on a diary farm that he inherits years later. At one point he helps rescue a pregnant young woman as her house burns down with her husband in it. To help her out he marries her after her child is born and finally falls in love with her. Little does he know that his wife and his three remaining children had finally, after many years, escaped from the Maori tribe and had made their way back to civilization. Finding out that her husband had left for America Margaret, with financial help of the townspeople, leaves for America too. They arrive in California broke, tired, hungry and filthy and manage to find their way to Henry's door only to discover that another woman has taken her place in his life. Not knowing what else to do Margaret and the children are taken in and the home settles into a working rhythm until the townspeople bring suit against them as "Mormon' bigamists. Over the course of three trials it is proved that Henry is legally married to both women. This story is based loosely on a case history of this actually happening. The book is very well written and it will be good to see what else this new author comes up with. The only thing I found odd about this book was how although this woman he had dearly loved had come back into his life after many years, he clung to his new young wife that he had only been married to for a few short months as his `love' and his first wife was treated more as a dear friend. There didn't really seem to be any discussion of how this transpired or why this was the choice he made. At the very end it did mention how Margaret didn't feel that deep love for him any more although in many ways, it was her great love for him and their children that helped to keep her alive and functioning in captivity. I think this was the one true weakness in the story. Otherwise it was a fascinating tale as to what happens when vile circumstances separate a family and h

Outstanding Debut!

Henry Oades, his wife Margaret, and his children move to New Zealand temorarily after Henry obtains an esteemed accounting position there. It's the 19th century, so the sea-based journey there was long and arduous, but Henry assures Margaret that the stay will be temporary. Their stay near a close when Margaret and the children are abducted by natives and their family home is set aflame. After months and months of desperately searching for his family, Henry believes them to be dead. Unable to continue living in New Zealand, he packs up what is left of his life and moves to California. He soon meets Nancy, a young pregnant widow. They marry, and start a new life together on a dairy farm. Unbeknownst to Henry, his Margaret and his children are still alive. Six years after their presumed death, they make the long journey to America and arrive on his doorstep. Henry attempts to do the "right thing" and serves as husband to both women, and a father to his children. It doesn't take long for the local Daughters of Decency to catch wind of this living situation, and the entire Oades family must face the consequences. The Wives of Henry Oades is based on a true 19th century bigamy case. Moran does an outstanding job of describing the terror and emotion each of the characters went through at each stage of the novel. My heart broke when it was assumed the family was dead and then soared when I realized they were still alive. I couldn't help but feel for both wives. I can't imagine how it would feel to finally find the husband you've been separated from for several years, only to find that he had remarried. I was angered when Henry realized Margaret was still alive. In one sense, I felt he should have divorced Mary and reclaimed his original family. But then I began to feel for Nancy as well, a completely innocent victim. She's already lost one husband and now she risked losing another. Moran has built extremely well-developed and strong characters, my favorite being Margaret. She is completely selfless. She leaves her parents to journey to New Zealand to be with her husband. When she and the children are abducted she stops at nothing to insure their safety. And when she is reunited with her husband, and his new wife, her feelings are once again pushed to the side. Her mission is to provide a home, and a father, to her children and she will give up nearly everything to accomplish this. The Wives of Henry Oades is an outstanding piece of debut fiction and would make an excellent pick for a book group. So many themes are covered, including love, loss, & loyalty. I can't recommend this book enough; I enjoyed every aspect of it. It was definitely a page-turner, I couldn't bare to step away from it for any extended period of time. It's a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

An impressively written debut. Based on truth, but unique in skill.

Every so often an author's debut published work speaks volumes about their writing talent. The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran is one of these examples. Full of maturity, and literary talent, Moran's novel is full-blooded and bountiful, with a beautiful story and characters that are authentic and tangible. Maybe this is the result of Moran basing the book on a true story, but I tend to think it's because she's a talented writer. Set in the 1890s, The Wives of Henry Oades tells the story of the first bigamy case in the United States. Henry Oades, his wife Margaret, and their children move to New Zealand when Henry is offered a prestigious accounting job. One evening after work Henry returns to their rural home to find it nothing but smoldering ashes with the skeleton of a woman inside. Destitute and shattered, Henry searches for his family for years before leaving New Zealand under the belief that the body in his house was in wife, and that his children are dead, having been kidnapped by the native Maori. Six years later, Henry is living in Berkeley, California, a dairy farmer who has re-married a young pregnant widower, Nancy. When Nancy opens the door one day and finds Margaret and her children on the porch the lives of the Oades' wives and Henry are forever changed. Subject to persecution and abuse, Henry refuses to leave either wife or abandon any of his children. Heartbreaking at times, we travel with the Oades family when they embark for New Zealand in the hopes of prosperity. We suffer with Henry while he searches helplessly for his family, and we feel his heartbreak when he finally believes them slain. We weep for Margaret and her children, forced into slavery for the Maori tribe who kidnapped them. And we suffer pity for hapless Nancy, just the bystander in a horrible situation. Moran makes us think about relationships, love, and loyalty among family. She paints a remarkable, unimaginable situation that actually happened. And even though the book description tells you that Margaret lives, it's still a tortuous read to see how she and her family physically survive to land in California. I haven't read as strong a character as Margaret in quite some time. For that matter, all of Moran's characters are lifelike and concrete. They are based on a true story, but it takes more than a historical note to create the world of the Oades' family as they are in Moran's book. It takes skill, and a deep and lovely imagination.