The 19th Wife Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

1. The first part of the novel, Two Wives, contains prefaces to two very different books. What did you think when you started reading The 19th Wife? Which story interested you the most?
   


2. Ann Eliza Young says, Faith is a mystery. How does Ebershoff play with this metaphor? What are the mysteries in The 19th Wife? What does the novel say about faith?
   


3. What are your impressions of Ann Eliza Young, and how do those impressions change over the course of the novel? Do you trust her as a narrator?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Random House. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.