Summary
In 1860s Utah, Mormon Erastus Hammer's household is a complex one. A horseman and renowned hunter, Erastus is a proud man who has four very different wives: his sanctimonious first wife, Ursula; the sweet silkworm and child breeder Ruth; the sensual ex-actress Thankful, and his child-bride Dorrie, whom Erastus married for her taxidermy skills.
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Critique
With several plotlines, this unusual and absorbing historical novel is ultimately the young Dorrie's story, whose hypnotic dreams hint at the book's surprising ending. An engrossing novel that reveals dark truths of Mormon history and plenty of details about the crafts of taxidermy and silkworm breeding. Short-listed for Canada's Giller Prize.
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