First Wife

<p>Growing up as a Mormon pioneer in the Rocky Mountain West Nellie Hagen has complicated dreams for the future. She follows her religion but fears one of its most defining practices at the time: plural marriage (polygamy). Her best dreams seem to be coming true when she is courted by Ted Chandler a thoughtful young man who likewise detests the practice of plural marriage. Yet sacrifice is also a principle of their religion and Ted and Nellie quickly find themselves sacrificing their personal preferences in a complicated web of expectations.</p><p> </p><p><em>First Wife</em> follows Nellie Ted's first wife and her family as they work through hardship triumph and heartbreak. <strong>This book is a work of historical fiction based on real people and events witnessed firsthand by author Elsie Chamberlain Carroll (1882-1967) who was raised in a polygamous household. </strong>She explores the ideological struggles of characters trying to remain obedient to the law of plural marriage while dealing with personal misgivings about the lifestyle. The novel is a captivating firsthand depiction of the classic paradox between choice and obedience and it offers a unique authentic perspective of the psychological and religious conflicts that confronted families of early Mormon polygamy.</p><p> </p><p> This publication includes:</p><ul><li>The original novel <em>First Wife</em> by Elsie Chamberlain Carroll (1882-1967) plus selections of her poetry</li><li>Historical photographs from the author's life</li><li>Preface and Introduction that explain the history of this manuscript and its connections to real people in the author's life</li><li>Reader aids including a list of characters section overviews and a glossary</li></ul><p>Now 56 years after her death Elsie Chamberlain Carroll's novel is being published providing a new historical voice on a complex topic.</p>