The Wives of Henry OadesThe Wives of Henry Oades
a Novel
Title rated 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 19 ratings(19 ratings)
Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, , All copies in use.Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, , All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formatsA family epic based on a true story follows the experiences of Henry Oades, who in the late 19th century loses his family to Maori kidnappers and remarries in California only to learn of his original family's escape, a situation that compels him to live in bigamy. A first novel. Original.
A family epic based on a true story follows the experiences of Henry Oades, who in the late 19th century loses his family to Maori kidnappers and remarries in California only to learn of his original family's escape, a situation that compels him to live in bigamy.
When Henry Oades accepts an accountancy post in New Zealand, his wife, Margaret, and their children follow him to exotic Wellington. But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home is rougher and more rustic than they expected—and a single night of tragedy shatters the family when the native Maori stage an uprising, kidnapping Margaret and her children.
For months, Henry scours the surrounding wilderness, until all hope is lost and his wife and children are presumed dead. Grief-stricken, he books passage to California. There he marries Nancy Foreland, a young widow with a new baby, and it seems they’ve both found happiness in the midst of their mourning—until Henry’s first wife and children show up, alive and having finally escaped captivity.
Narrated primarily by the two wives, and based on a real-life legal case, The Wives of Henry Oades is the riveting story of what happens when Henry, Margaret, and Nancy face persecution for bigamy. Exploring the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family, the changing world of the late 1800s, and the strength of two remarkable women, Johanna Moran turns this unusual family’s story into an unforgettable page-turning drama.
A family epic based on a true story follows the experiences of Henry Oades, who in the late 19th century loses his family to Maori kidnappers and remarries in California only to learn of his original family's escape, a situation that compels him to live in bigamy.
When Henry Oades accepts an accountancy post in New Zealand, his wife, Margaret, and their children follow him to exotic Wellington. But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home is rougher and more rustic than they expected—and a single night of tragedy shatters the family when the native Maori stage an uprising, kidnapping Margaret and her children.
For months, Henry scours the surrounding wilderness, until all hope is lost and his wife and children are presumed dead. Grief-stricken, he books passage to California. There he marries Nancy Foreland, a young widow with a new baby, and it seems they’ve both found happiness in the midst of their mourning—until Henry’s first wife and children show up, alive and having finally escaped captivity.
Narrated primarily by the two wives, and based on a real-life legal case, The Wives of Henry Oades is the riveting story of what happens when Henry, Margaret, and Nancy face persecution for bigamy. Exploring the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family, the changing world of the late 1800s, and the strength of two remarkable women, Johanna Moran turns this unusual family’s story into an unforgettable page-turning drama.
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- New York : Ballantine Books Trade Paperbacks, 2010.
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