Review: One of the best books you'll read this year. Hands down.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2014
Wow, just wow! This book was more than I read to me, it was an experience.From the very beginning you can see that this author put her blood, sweat and tears into researching and writing this book. In my experience it was almost like we were sitting in my living room and Brinley was sharing her story with me.Brinley Cluff is married at 19 years old with polygamist Lehi Cluff. She's innocent and naive and tries to bend herself to the rules and regulations to the other wives as well as Lehi's, since she's the last one to come into the household. She is Wife Number Seven.She's never completely accepted by the wives, specially wife number one, Leandra, who makes her life difficult from the beginning.While in town one day running errands, her purse is stolen by a man she remembers from her childhood. Porter becomes a very important part of Brinley's life and a game changer, making her re-evalueate all that she's been taught until this point in her 22 years, and ultimately her faith and her life.I'm not giving away any of the plot because there are so many twists and turns that as a reader you need to get into this book and savor it. I'm not going to lie, there were times that I wanted to call it quits and move on to the next, not because the book was bad, but because it was affecting my spirit in a way I wasn't ready for. The intensity of the story and the richness and depth of the characters will have you devouring the book in no time.This is not a romance story, even though there is some of that in the book, this is a tale of a reality that is lived by many women and girls in the polygamist community. This is a book like no other. I was appalled by some of the things I read, but it was so interesting that I kept reading until I felt "free."Fantastic job Melissa, words can not express how much I loved this book. I hope people pick up a copy and experience this amazingly beautiful written story.