First Wife

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. First Wife follows Nellie, Ted's first wife, and her family as they work through hardship, triumph, and heartbreak. 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. 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. This publication includes:The original novel First Wife, by Elsie Chamberlain Carroll (1882-1967), plus selections of her poetryHistorical photographs from the author's lifePreface and Introduction that explain the history of this manuscript and its connections to real people in the author's lifeReader aids, including a list of characters, section overviews, and a glossaryNow, 56 years after her death, Elsie Chamberlain Carroll's novel is being published, providing a new historical voice on a complex topic.