Stolen Innocence

ELUSIVE SANITY

the golden apple devoured has seeds

Stolen Innocence

8th-Oct-2011 05:29 pm

I generally don't do book reviews because I hate knocking someone else's book. Yeah, I know. Luckily most books I read are pretty good. STOLEN INNOCENCE looked interesting, and it was one of the first ones I downloaded on my Nook.

"This is the shocking, timely, and inspirational memoir of Elissa Wall, the former member of the FLDS polygamist sect whose powerful courtroom testimony helped convict controversial sect leader Warren Jeffs in September 2007. Detailing how Jeffs forced her into an unwanted marriage at age 14, Elissa speaks candidly about the horrifying reality she faced as a young teenager in a devastating marriage to a man five years her senior. But what began as tragic tale of forced marriage quickly descended into madness, as Elissa's troubled relationship spiraled out of control before her vows were even spoken.The end result of the union was a nightmare of rape and abuse that Elissa suffered at the hands of her Church-appointed husband and in the name of God. Offering an unfettered glimpse into the world of the FLDS she explains how the confines of her dangerous marriage and surroundings left her with few options. Pushed out of her home by abuse, she began living in her car to avoid the crushing realities of her situation. And yet somehow, in face of this bleak reality, she never gave up on the hope that she would some day find a way out. But though Elissa won her freedom from the FLDS, she had yet to earn her victory, and here she illustrates how she used her newfound freedom to put Warren Jeffs behind bars."

However, it took me ages to get through it. And, to me, it's a pretty good example of how not to write a memoir.

Boring. Boring.

Did I mention...boring?

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Comments

9th-Oct-2011 03:04 pm (UTC)

newport2newport

Thanks so much for being honest.

The premise sounds great--a first-hand account of something many of us are curious about. What, in your opinion, went wrong with this book? I certainly want to be mindful as I write my own memoir. We learn from each other's accomplishments and/or mistakes....

9th-Oct-2011 04:21 pm (UTC)

onegrapeshy

Tedious. Repetitive. Minimal dialogue. I realize people can't remember conversations verbatim, but at least use a little imagination. Similar scenes played over and over. Pages and pages about how she felt so trapped (yeah, we got it the first 100 times). The story could have been told in half its length. Numerous family members I could NOT keep track of because none of them had their own personalities. 95% telling rather than showing. These are just a few things off the top of my head.

10th-Oct-2011 02:14 pm (UTC)

ophelialaughs

What kind of Nook did you get, and what's your opinion of it? I ask because I'm considering acquiring one.

10th-Oct-2011 03:17 pm (UTC)

onegrapeshy

It's a Nook Color, I like it. The formatting is a bit off at times and it has its quirks (like, not being able to SHARE certain books? WTF is with that? And I downloaded a free book and that won't, um, download, and I can't figure out how to simply delete it) but it's handy and light-weight, and I can surf the net. :)

10th-Oct-2011 03:18 pm (UTC)

onegrapeshy

PS and occasionally it doesn't automatically return to the page I was on. THAT is annoying.

10th-Oct-2011 08:23 pm (UTC)

ophelialaughs

Oooh, sharing. I forgot about that feature. It definitely sounds like what I'm interested in. A lot better than toting my entire laptop around school just so I can look up words and check e-mail. I figure one day I'm going to fall over backwards onto my bookbag and be like Sue Heck on the Middle, unable to get up...

11th-Oct-2011 07:06 pm (UTC)

dlgarfinkle

Wow, and she even had a named cowriter. You't think the cowriter would be a professional who'd liven up the writing.

12th-Oct-2011 06:21 pm (UTC)

onegrapeshy

It could just be me. She got a lot of 4+ star ratings on Goodreads. I know it's not because of the material because I'm very interested in it, so...

12th-Oct-2011 10:38 am (UTC)

lalam

Memoirs are difficult, at best. Unless it's a very exciting life most of the time it doesn't work. For me, being in a cult, sect, child bride, etc just doesn't seem like exciting stuff.

12th-Oct-2011 06:22 pm (UTC)

onegrapeshy

I'm fascinated by cults, so I thought this one would be right up my alley. Not.

14th-Oct-2011 04:30 pm (UTC)

fuguemacabre

That good huh? LOL

14th-Oct-2011 05:42 pm (UTC)

onegrapeshy

I shouldn't even mention books that I don't like. In fact, I usually don't. But I BOUGHT this one. Um, actually I buy 90% of them...

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