First Wife: A Historical Novel

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 poetry
• Historical photographs from the author's life
• Preface and Introduction that explain the history of this manuscript and its connections to real people in the author's life
• Reader aids, including a list of characters, section overviews, and a glossary

Now, 56 years after her death, Elsie Chamberlain Carroll's novel is being published, providing a new historical voice on a complex topic.