| | |  | Automotive | Home » » » » The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel | | | | | | | Description: | | Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to twenty-eight children, is having the mother of all midlife crises. His construction business is failing, his family has grown into an overpopulated mini-dukedom beset with insurrection and rivalry, and he is done in with grief: due to the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son, he has come to doubt the capacity of his own heart. Brady Udall, one of our finest American fiction writers, tells a tragicomic story of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family-s future. Like John Irving and Richard Yates, Udall creates characters that engage us to the fullest as they grapple with the nature of need, love, and belonging.Beautifully written, keenly observed, and ultimately redemptive, The Lonely Polygamist is an unforgettable story of an American family-with its inevitable dysfunctionality, heartbreak, and comedy-pushed to its outer limits. | | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
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 Too longSep 05, 2010
I was initially intrigued with this book for the first 50 or so pages, but it bogged down quickly. The book would have been much more enjoyable if it had been pared to 300 pages as many of the scenes added little to the plot and should have been eliminated. I ended up skimming from page 250 on since the long drawn out scenes became tedious. Suffice it to say the plot lurched forward slowly.
 It's just OKSep 04, 2010
I couldn't tell you how long it took for me to read this book, but it took a long time. I enjoyed learning more about the Richards clan, but I don't think I need over 600 pages to learn about them. Once you finally get to the climax of the novel, you've almost finished the book.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Happy and unhappy families in the land of plygsAug 28, 2010
I thought the writer's first novel "Edgar Mint" published in 2001 was one of the greatest works of fiction I had read in years and nine years later we now have his second lengthy novel. I am pleased to report the wait was worth it and Brady has excelled when judged against his prior effort.
The novel setting remains the new West of Utah and Nevada but instead of a whole novel seen through one child's eyes, this book follows a polygamous family of many characters. The opening page of the novel even has a family tree like an old Russian novel so you can keep track of all the family members! While it focusses mainly on the views of the father Golden Richards, the four wives and certain of the children, notably Rusty ("the family terrorist") also feature. The kaleidoscope effect story resulting is what makes it all so enjoyable.
The main theme established on the first page of a plural father (Golden) who has an affair is ultimately just one of many story strands as the different characters perspectives on life are revealed across the 600 pages of this novel. Add to this a cartwheeling story of the domestic politics and pressures that develop in a polygamous family and with the Mormon elders, especially one that has suffered the early loss of various children; the challenges of practicising and keeping the Mormon faith when the father is in charge of building a brothel which he is trying to keep a secret but falls for the wife of the brothel owner who follows him home; and, proximity to the side effects on the local populace and environment of nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert in the 1950s and the overall effect as you read the novel is mesmerising.
That Udall keeps all these elements moving along so skillfully and in a very humorous style make this an enjoyable read, with certain sections being re-read simply to enjoy the writing and the many great twists in the story. Ultimately this means that the length of the book given it is such a pleasure to read, was never an issue.
QuirkyAug 26, 2010
I am a fan of the tv series 'Big Love' and while waiting for the last season of shows to come out on Netflix, I discovered this book. It filled a void and I found it amusing. The last 100 pages were a little dragged-out. That is the only reason for 4 (and not 5) stars in my book (pun intended).
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
MIXED FEELINGSAug 25, 2010
I thought I would really like this book since I love HBO's Big Love. While I didn't hate it I was very disappointed with the main character,Golden Richards. It's well written with the setting of the book in Nevada. Golden is a somewhat devotee of the Mormon religion exemplifying his "devotion" to the principle by having four disgruntled wives and 28 children who absolutely don't get along with each other. Golden also made a commitment to his wives, who had his children to be a good provider, however he is not and when the going gets rough he deals with the problem by ignoring the wives and kids and hiding out at his construction job where he takes up a "romance" with his hot-headed boss' Mexican wife. OK, here is my problem with Golden. The author would have you think that he is a comical bumbling fool. Brady Udall, in my opinion, goes much too far with Golden's stupidity, leaving me with the impression that he has no visible endearing qualities. He also is a very poor provider for his "families", leaving them to live in squaller with not enough beds and no proper clothing for the kids.
Now on to the good part. One of his son's by his third wife is a chubby little redhead who is picked on by his brothers and sisters . The child is precocious, constantly in trouble with everyone, but he is a funny and lovable kid. His only pleasures in life are the odd things he steals and attention from Trish, the fourth wife, who adores him and takes him under her "wing" giving him the attention Rusty needs to survive. They form a bond that cannot be broken.
I read Udall's first book, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint and it is one of my favorites. I think the author's real talent lies in writing books about unusual children. I'm really disappointed that I didn't like this book more than I did. I had such high hopes for it.
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