This was another book that did not live up to the premise of its (totally awesome) title. In fact, I found it so boring that I've apparently put off reviewing for two weeks.

What I expected was an exploration of polygamy, emotions, and the idea of being lonely when surrounded by people. Maybe also, being a Jewish woman from the eastern half of the country, and therefore having very little exposure to Mormons and known to FLDS, I have a bizarre fascination with them.

What I got was a quality author acting like he could get away with the most basic of midlife crisis plots by adding a couple extra wives. With four wives and a potential fifth, a mistress, a mob boss, an anarchist bomber and 20-somthing children, you'd think that at least some of the supporting characters would have something in the way of character development. Unfortunately, it was mostly a bumbling, completely unsympathetic putz of a main character and the son cast in his own image with no characterization of the remaining cast.

On the other hand, Udall's use of nuclear experimentation as a foil for interpersonal dynamics worked beautifully (if not a little on the wordplay side of things.) ( )

Loved this one! Very original and quite different from anything I've ever read. And I always admire an author whose not afraid to kill off his best characters. And while Golden is unarguably the main character, it's his son Rusty(the family terrorist) who steals the show for me. Golden spends most of his time whining about how hard it is to keep 4 wives and 29 kids happy. He's a man who spends to much time thinking about his problems and not enough time taking action to resolve them. Now Rusty on the other hand, just a boy of 11, tackles life's difficulties head on. Rusty Is Da Man ! Sadly, his actions cause his own death. But hey, at least he gave it his all ! ( )

Golden Richards has 4 wives and 28 children and a construction company that is currently building an addition to a brothel in Nevada. While there, he meets his boss's wife and falls for her in a different way, but the relationship is never physically consummated. He still lives with guilt about his job and the longing to know the other woman better. Different children play a role in the story also, especially Glory and Rusty. The book is both humorous and sad, even including some suspense. It is an interesting look into the world of multiple wives and what that really means. ( )

Overall, I did enjoy this book though I would not read it again. It is the story of a man with four wives and how, even with the wives and many kids, he is not happy. It focuses on him and one of the kids mostly but does also delve into the wives a bit. To me it shows how when you appear to have everything, you can still be very unhappy. When you are always searching for something better, you cannot enjoy or appreciate what you have. ( )

so far I love it.
OK, now I've finished it, 500 pages went by so fast. Loved the writing, beautiful descriptions of natural and unnatural events, funny and sad. ( )