The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran, Paperback. Editorial Reviews. From the Publisher. A stellar debut novel . A historical saga seen through the lens of two wives, one husband, and the disapproving, cantankerous rabble at the end of Victorian America.”—Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet“Equal parts love story and courtroom drama, Johanna Moran’s The Wives of Henry Oades is a compelling story of good people caught in impossible circumstances, and a community that rushes to judge rather than to understand.”—Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters “A beguiling, promising debut.”—Kirkus Reviews“Intriguing and evocative . She also has a well- tuned ear for the jargon of the period, colorful language that adds warmth, humor, and humanity to her story.”—Boston Globe “Moran focuses her satisfying, briskly paced novel on Henry’s two wives. Their experiences and attitudes are very different, yet their love for their children and their shared husband brings them to an unusual and courageous alliance.”—St. Well poor old Henry Oades; he gets himself in a fine pickle by accidentally becoming a polygamist! The story of how he does this involves three continents and many mishaps and misunderstandings. Henry sets off for New Zealand. The wives of Henry Oades. In 1899 Henry Oades discovers he has two wives - and many dilemmas. Related Subjects: (4) Historical fiction. Johanna Moran – The Wives of Henry Oades. Narrated primarily by the two wives, and based on a real-life legal case, The Wives of Henry Oades (Ballantine Books. This is an auction for THE WIVES OF HENRY OADES by Johanna Moran. The cost of shipping is $4.95. There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Palmerston North following the auction. Petersburg Times “Told mainly from the wives' perspectives, the story hinges on readers' empathy with their unusual predicament. She is firmly at home writing suspense- filled scenes, whether they take place among Maori captives or in a California courthouse. She also writes convincingly about the close friendships between women. The bond between women forms the core of this novel—a page- turner that readers will mourn finishing.”—Romantic Times, Top Pick! Publishers Weekly. An English accountant and his two wives are the subject of this intriguing and evocative debut novel based on a real- life 1. California bigamy case. There are currently 31 reader reviews for The Wives of Henry Oades.A loving husband and attentive father, Henry Oades assures his wife, Margaret, that his posting to New Zealand will be temporary and the family makes the difficult journey. But during a Maori uprising, Margaret and her four children are kidnapped and the Oades's house is torched. Convinced his family is dead, Henry relocates to California and marries Nancy, a sad 2. When Margaret and the children escape, eventually making their way to California and Henry's doorstep, he does the decent thing by being a husband to both wives and father to all their offspring, a situation deemed indecent by the Berkeley Daughters of Decency. Moran presents Henry's story as if making a case in court, facts methodically revealed with just enough detail for the reader to form an independent opinion. But it's Margaret surviving the wilderness, Nancy overcoming grief and the two women bonding that give the book its heart and should make this a book group winner. Content with life in London, Margaret reluctantly accompanies him with their children. When their isolated cottage is attacked by the Maori, Margaret and the children are abducted and presumed dead. Fleeing from his memories, Henry resettles in California, where he marries Nancy, a young widow with a baby. Six years later, Margaret and her children, having finally escaped captivity, arrive at Henry's Berkeley farm. Weathering threats, harassment, and lawsuits, Nancy and Margaret slowly develop a supportive relationship that enables their blended family to survive. VERDICT Told mainly from the wives' perspectives, the story hinges on readers' empathy with their unusual predicament. Other characters are somewhat flat. Even unflappable Henry remains a bit of an enigma. Still, Moran's debut, based on the true case of Henry Oades, acquitted of bigamy three times, will intrigue historical fiction fans and provide plenty of discussion points for book clubs.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato. Two women discover they're both rightfully married to the same man. The Wives Of Henry Oades Johanna Moran. 3 Review Answers, Homework Questions Section 4 Answers, History Tropical Africa Questions Answers, Historical Map 40 Answers, Head Custodian Interview Questions And. The Wives of Henry Oades is the riveting story of what. Serious, sometimes horrific developments are lightened by touches of understated, salty wit in Moran's fact- based historical, a fresh and unusual story that moves from New Zealand to California in the 1. British accountant Henry Oades, his wife Margaret and their two children leave England for a temporary posting in New Zealand, where Margaret gives birth to twins. Their domestic contentment is suddenly shattered when a band of Maori, in a revenge attack, burn down their home and abduct Margaret and the children. The distraught Henry plans pursuit but hurts himself badly in a fall. After a slow recovery he must accept the fact that his children cannot be traced and the bones found in the house's ashes were Margaret's (though readers already know they were not). Moving to America, he becomes a dairy farmer and six years after the catastrophe marries widowed Nancy Foreland. But Margaret has survived, as have all but one of the children. Freed from years of slavery, they make their way home and then to California, where they reunite with the surprised Henry and Nancy. Two wives and one husband living under the same roof attract the wrath of the Daughters of Decency; harassment follows, then a series of trials, but the curious family emerges even stronger. A beguiling, promising debut, combining clipped narration and capable technique with tender appreciation for the female characters in particular. The children had gone up hours ago. John, nearly eight now- her big boy, her pride- had been wheedling without letup for weeks. She took down two goblets, hoping the dog was an old one and not some frisky crocus lover. I'm to complete his stint. We're due as soon as possible. You'll want to prepare. It's a grand opportunity, a flying leap forward. I could hardly say no thanks. Nothing perhaps, stunned as she'd been. Already the narrow boat was moving, spewing gray smoke. Margaret waved to her parents on the quay below, flapping her hankie, straining to pick them out through tears and drizzle. She'd not told them she was expecting again, thinking it too soon. She regretted now not making an exception, cutting the sadness with a bit of happy news. Henry wrapped an arm about her, kissing her brow, his beard grazing her cheek. He'd been made a ship's constable, issued a red- lettered guernsey too small for him. The bulky knit pulled across his broad shoulders and chest. Pale knobby wrists jutted between glove and cuff. He was to be paid seven pounds for patrolling the single- women's section, which appealed to the latent cop in him. He'd had other aspirations before settling upon an accountant's stool. There was a time when he thought himself bound for the opera stage, but that was years ago, before he knew what it took. Earlier, Margaret and her father had been standing on the wharf, monitoring the loading of their trunks. The cheeky woman sashayed up like a long- lost relation, saying, . Martha Randolph, Constable. Who might the wee lady and gentleman be? Margaret turned back to the watery haze that was her parents, spreading her feet for balance, her pretty going- away shoes pinching. She'd been told the river was calm. Meaning, presumably, Your wife is utterly lacking. The woman sauntered off not holding the rail, flaunting her superior sea legs, a cockiness won by being on one's own, no doubt. Margaret had visited once before. It's good to get to know other things and places, Henry had said on the train. She'd agreed aloud, but not in her heart. At thirty- two she was a contented homebody, John and Josephine's mum, Henry's wife. It was enough, more than enough. She knew all she needed to know about other things and places. A row of small cottages went by, lighted from within, the mothers in them tucked away, minding their worlds, starting their suppers. He hoisted John and put a fist, a make- believe telescope, to John's eye. She'll come into view any moment now. Henry and the children fell in, joining the stream. Margaret stood rigid, the blood quickening in her veins. The Lady Ophelia was enormous, majestic. She came with sails as well as steam. Four towering masts swayed against a pewter sky, as if unstable. She scanned the throng, spotting them ahead, larky children shrieking, Henry waving her forward. She gripped the burnished rail and began to inch her way toward them, the deck seesawing beneath her feet, her insides turning. A uniformed officer was on him immediately, setting him to. The deck was positively littered with ropes, with winches and chains, drums and casks, all manner of object designed to draw a curious boy close to the rail. She'd need to watch the children every second of the day. They were led down a narrow corridor and shown the maple- paneled library, and then a card room, and yet another social room with a piano, an Oriental rug, and plush velvet drapery. It helped to be inside, away from the rail. By the time they reached the hectic dining hall she was feeling rather human again. The roast lamb smelled delicious. How novel to sit down to a meal she hadn't so much as pared a potato for. Pritchard escorted them to their cabin afterward, passing the animal pen along the way, where chickens mingled with pigs, and sheep stood with sad- looking dewlappy cows. You're to say swiney instead. She would have to study the latching apparatus and teach herself how to unlock and release a boat. God help them should they need to rely on tots. Male passengers, the doctor said, were strictly forbidden here. Margaret looked for Henry, but saw only women coming and going, old and young and in between, all laden with sacks and baskets. Off to the side, four women stood in a close huddle, Mrs. Randolph obviously presiding, one hand holding her fancy cape closed, the other gesturing wildly. They'd both imagined a fairly spacious cabin, anticipated a small sitting area at least. In fact, the room offered only three places to sit: upon one of the two lower berths or upon the stool beneath the writing shelf. Lamps and washstand were bolted to the wall, virtually promising heavy seas. A shout came from outside, along with a grating rattle of chain. The ship shuddered and began to move. John begged to go to the bow, but Margaret said no, Father wouldn't find them in the crowd. They waited for Henry inside, the dim little cabin rocking like an elephant's cradle. The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran . But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home is rougher and more rustic than they expected. Grief- stricken, he books passage to California. There he marries Nancy Foreland, a young widow with a new baby, and it seems they. Exploring the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family, the changing world of the late 1. Johanna Moran turns this unusual family.
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