In Brigham’s Brides by D. W. Plato, the author takes us into the time and events of the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We meet two women, Louisa, who falls for Prophet Joseph Smith, the founder of the golden tablets, when she is only a child, even though he is married. The other is Mary Ann, the wife of Prophet Brigham Young. Two very different women are caught up in the mid-19th century as they head west to find a place to settle far from persecution. When the church leaders introduce polygamy as part of celestial salvation, there are tensions, and the author highlights the reasons and reactions in clever and subtle ways. While the community battles with banks refusing loans, not allowing them to buy land, or start businesses, they are hunted down. The story of these two heroic and stoic women sheds light on a faith that demands total obedience.

What the women suffered is almost beyond comprehension. I could only gasp as I read how Mary Ann Angell Young was left to fend for herself with six young children while her husband was overseas spreading the word of the new religion. The descriptions of everyday life as families battled to evade the authorities are vivid. The author brings to life the characters of the two women and the hardships, including the number of children, many of whom died young. The battle they had with their faith and the hostility from other communities were so intense and beautifully described. The story moves swiftly, and Louisa’s life, especially, is quite heartbreaking. The author draws the parallels with Western modern life and the closed sect in the 19th century, when women were regarded as chattels, especially when polygamy was introduced. The author cleverly uses words to suggest reasons for this. There are exciting passages, such as the river crossing and the attack on Carthage jail, that end all hopes for Louisa, and we feel deeply for her loss. Brigham’s Brides by D. W. Plato makes you both angry and euphoric with its emotional telling of the early days of a new religion. I spent many hours researching more. It will heighten your senses and make you think. It’s not a book that can be ignored. It is an amazing read.

Brigham’s Brides by DW Plato is a fascinating look into the formation and development of the early Mormon Church (Church of Latter Day Saints) in America. Faced with anger, religious intolerance, and charges of blasphemy, the early Mormons found themselves caught up in a battle for survival. Locating themselves early on in the town of Nauvoo, Illinois, the early Saints set about creating their perfect community of Saints, with a militia to protect themselves from the anti-Mormon sentiment that followed them wherever they went. No edict more antagonized both the faithful and the outsiders than the acceptance and encouragement of polygamy among the faithful. This story is viewed through the eyes of two young women: Louisa, who believes she is destined to marry the Prophet Joseph Smith, and Mary Ann, Brigham Young’s wife, who sees plural marriage as a beneficial arrangement, one that will help her manage her ever-increasing household. 

Brigham’s Brides is more than a recounting of the early days of the Mormon Church in the U.S.; it is the story of a fiercely patriarchal society where men are obeyed without question, and to doubt the words of the Prophet is perhaps the greatest sin of all. Author DW Plato’s description of the relationship between Louisa and Mary Ann is the keynote to this narrative. Here we have two different women trying to navigate a society that was developed by men for men and where obedience, especially by women, is not only required, it is demanded. I particularly enjoyed Mary Ann’s reaction to Zina’s marriage when she confronted Brigham and told him that his daughters were not livestock to be bought and sold. Brigham’s response to Mary Ann’s righteous anger was simply, “know your place.” To me, this summed up the delicate line women in this early Mormon society were required to walk, if they wanted to survive. There is little doubt that this acceptance of polygamy did more to alienate the faith from general society and force their subsequent introversion and separation. I learned much about the early days of this religion, and that, for me, is what marks it as educational historical fiction. I enjoyed this read and highly recommend it.