The Lonely Polygamist

By: Brady Udall

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Brady Udall is the acclaimed author of the internationally best-selling The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint. In The Lonely Polygamist, Udall pens a tragicomic tale starring Golden Richards - who, despite having four wives and 28 children, hasn’t quite found fulfillment in life.

Like other men in the midst of a mid-life crisis, Golden feels as though he’s drowning. His wives squabble amongst themselves, and he hardly has time for all his children - least of all the 11-year-old who’s taken a keen interest in explosives. And now his construction business is struggling. Yet even after Golden falls in love again and takes a mistress to alleviate his pain, life continues to fall short of expectations.

Udall’s skillfully observed tale is “as comic as it is sublimely catastrophic.” (Publishers Weekly).

©2010 Brady Udall (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“One of the best novels I’ve read in a while . . . Golden Richards, middle-aged, 6-foot-6 polygamist with an overbite, is one of the most appealing, original, and brilliantly tragicomic protagonists to appear in American fiction in some time.” ( Newsday)

“A wry, sympathetic portrait of a spectacularly dysfunctional family.” ( The New Yorker)

“A thick, transporting, critically hailed novel from which you emerge, blinking but sated, into the real world.” ( Miami Herald)

Compelling and entertaining

The main character lives in a polygamist community and has four wives and many children. As the story unfolds you learn about his personal history and how he ended up there, as well as the pressures he is under supporting such a large family. The characters are sympathetically portrayed, and you really come to care about them. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, due to the strange situations that unfold. The story is not predictable or trite. I definitely recommend this novel.

Couldn't Finish

This book couldn't hold my attention. The book is well written, the story just wasn't for me. I got to some of the way through part 3 of the audio before throwing in the towel.

And it's very sad.

Good book, but no Edgar Mint

This was an enjoyable read. Also, you will gain some insight into life in a plural family.

However, if you've not yet listened to Brady Udall's other book, "The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint", do that one first.

The Lonely Polygamist

This is a very funny, heartbreaking novel. I thought the character development of the protagonist was good and the narrator fabulous. It's a great listen and found myself laughing out loud at some of the situations that come about having 4 wives and 29 children.

Interesting family drama

I thought this was well written and well read. It wasn't as I expected at all. It was odd to feel such sympathy for a man who practices polygamy which I think goes to show how well written it was. I loved how the story from told by different characters. There were some interesting twists and turns. It is a great book, a terrific summer holiday read.

Great Listen!

Any additional comments?

Loved this book. At stop lights I know people were looking at me strangely when I would burst out laughing. David Aaron Baker did a phenomenal job with all the character voices. The few sad and dark parts balanced out the rest of the story and somehow everything turns out all right.

One husband, 4 wives, 28 kids ...

I laughed and cried and came to understand a little more of the day to day realities of a polygamist household. The author's simple (but well-crafted) sentences made this a good listen.

Excellent

What did you love best about The Lonely Polygamist?

Compelling and believable. A glimpse inside another world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lonely Polygamist?

Fireworks. Sad, tragic and beatuiful all at the same time.

Have you listened to any of David Aaron Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. This narrator is great. Will not hesitate to listen to him again.

Any additional comments?

Great book. Just use the credit and listen. The time flies by.

Entertaining and literary--an American classic

This is a beautifully written book with dynamic, deeply human characters; although you might expect the story to focus on the protagonist, Golden, Udall invites us to understand them all (even the monogamists) as "the lonely polygamist." We end up empathizing with even the most seemingly unsympathetic characters, and Udall's portrayal of the world from eleven-year old Rusty's point of view is more powerful than any child-narration I can remember reading. The narration is excellent. Baker gives each character a lovely nuanced depth that supplements the writing and allows you to hear it as I imagine the author would want it to be heard.

I am struck by this book's sensitive and touching portrayal of a taboo and largely villanized lifestyle, without romanticizing or apologizing for it. I do not condone polygamy, but Udall's story has opened my eyes to the particular struggles of polygamists, humanizing them in ways I did not know possible. What is the purpose of literature if it is not to invite us to see each other anew? In this book we have a bit of Nabokov, to be sure.

The Lonely Polygamist is as entertaining as it is literary. If it has not already joined the annals of contemporary American classics, it should.

A Great Listen

I read a great review of the book when it came out and couldn't wait for the Audio version. I was
not disappointed. This is an in-depth character study of the main character and his wives. It
takes its time telling the story, but I couldn't put it down. I loved the narration and am looking
forward to listening to other books by David Baker. Women may like this book better than
men.