on March 28, 2013
Pages: 284
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)
Note: I borrowed Amity & Sorrow from Leah at Books Speak Volumes.
A few months ago, Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley made the book blogger rounds and it was a big hit. I tried to snag a copy of it on NetGalley but missed the deadline and was lucky enough to have Leah in my life, who sent me her paperback copy. Now that I’ve read it, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.
The book is good and, to be sure, I didn’t dislike it. I finished it within 36 hours so it is obviously a page-turner. For one, the story is interesting (a mother and her two daughters fleeing a polygamist compound is automatically intriguing). Two, the ending was unexpected. Unfortunately, I was unable to fully connect with the characters.
Part of the problem, for me, was that I went into the book thinking it was more about the polygamist culture than it was. Because the book starts off when the women flee the compound, I should have known that their lifestyle was hindsight and not the main focus. But based on other reviews that I had read, I thought that it was going to be more non-fiction’ish.
Despite my inability to connect, this book has great value and is very popular. I have no doubt I’ll read another by Riley. Plus, I am looking forward to reading some non-fiction books written by wives that have left their polygamist cultures. Maybe that is what I was looking for without fully realizing it until the end of Amity & Sorrow, which is why I wasn’t able to connect and yet still recommend the book.