No, this isn't a companion to The Lonely Polygamist. Instead the protagonist, Bess Gray, finds herself involved with Rory, who has been married eight times over the last several decades. Why would any woman sign on to be Wife #9? Well, it doesn't hurt that he's Irish, a musician, and pretty hot in the sack. (There are some racy scenes, but nothing too explicit.)
In the meantime, Bess (an orphaned only child of an only child) is also dealing with her grandparents, a bickering Jewish couple married for 65 years, now preparing to move from their home in D.C. area to a retirement community in Arizona. These two situations combine into a road trip to relocate her grandparents and seek out as many of the ex-wives as possible.
I found both Bess and Rory (and most of the rest of the characters) to be likeable, sympathetic characters. The themes of love, family, and truth were explored in an interesting and realistic manner (except for a few overly convenient connections which aren't too unbelievable).
In the meantime, Bess (an orphaned only child of an only child) is also dealing with her grandparents, a bickering Jewish couple married for 65 years, now preparing to move from their home in D.C. area to a retirement community in Arizona. These two situations combine into a road trip to relocate her grandparents and seek out as many of the ex-wives as possible.
I found both Bess and Rory (and most of the rest of the characters) to be likeable, sympathetic characters. The themes of love, family, and truth were explored in an interesting and realistic manner (except for a few overly convenient connections which aren't too unbelievable).
This book is so much more than its intriguing (and unsettling) premise. Would anyone want to marry a man who had previously been married 8 times? By the end of this lengthy novel, I was deeply immersed in the lives of Bess and Rory, and the merging of the past with the present. Amy Stollls writes very well, and manages to imbue her very likeable characters with understandable emotions. There is a surprising poignancy and depth to this novel that develops as the plot unfolds. I will definitely read future novels by this gifted writer.
Interesting idea-would you marry a man who had been married 8 times ???? Would you marry a man who had been married even 2 times?? Would you want to be married 8 times?? I liked the way the story was told from two different points of view-and being from the Washington area made it even more 'relatable' .
