Thursday, May 3, 2012

Becoming Sister Wives: Prologue and Part One: Matrimony

DISCLAIMER: If you plan on reading this book and you don't want to see spoilers, STOP READING NOW!

Okay, now with that off my chest, I can begin.

You know, I rewrote this review/report at least ten times. Why? Because this book was just so awful, I couldn't  stand to read my own negativity.

Now, that's bad...
For a break (and my own amusement) I ventured over to the Brown's Twitter land pages. One person wrote " Oh, your book was so great, I spontaneously burst into flames while reading it" and another wrote "I just love your book so much I can't put it down and I need to go to the bathroom, reeeelllly baaaaad!"

Am I reading the wrong book?

So, I girded up my loins and started reading the book again, and promptly fell asleep. Woke up, started reading again and yep, fell asleep again.
Is it just me?

I am positive that the way this book was constructed had a lot to do with my sudden onset of narcolepsy. Allow me to describe the layout to you. First you have this really bad family tree -- basically composed of a column with a wife's name and the year she married Kody, with a straight line down from her name to whatever child/children she birthed and their year of birth.

I mean, we all know who the grandparents are, they are mentioned in the book -- sometimes by name. Couldn't we see at least one generation back? Guess the grandparents really didn't want to be connected with this mess of book and demanded anonymity. Or maybe Kody wasn't willing to share royalties.

That's OK, I feel your pain...

This book is constructed so oddly... as if Kody, Meri, Christine, Robyn and Janelle were handed a piece of paper and told to 'write, dammit, as if your very lives depended on it' and the results were then strung together as a disjointed Meri's page, now Kody's page, now another Meri's page, now Christine's page, now Kody's page etc etc ... a weird discombobulated mishmash of thoughts that sort of are connected with each other...sometimes.

But there are some real gems in some of those pages.

If you've seen the movie 'Bridesmaids', there is a scene where Kristen Wiig accuses her roommate of reading her diary, and the roommate deadpanned "...I thought it was a sad, handwritten novel...", well that's what I think when I read Meri's 'pages'. Her thoughts were laid out so matter of fact, until she wrote about her love for Kody. Then she became animated. One thing for sure, Meri loves Kody and Kody loves Meri. They really are soul mates, no doubt about that.

But the one wife whose recollections were the most eye opening was Christine's. Now, I'm not sure if this was on purpose or was innocent, but Christine related a story that definitely was not part of the reality show. It seems that Meri and Kody, in their quest for a sister wife #2, started courting a girl from their congregation. Now, even though Christine had introduced this girl to Meri and Kody, she felt this young lady was a bit too young. You see, she was not yet 18 years old, but that was okay because as long as Meri and Kody did not marry the girl until her 18th birthday, they weren't doing anything wrong, apparently.

Now I ask you. Meri and Kody were at least 6 years older than this girl, and they were courting her for marriage? In fact, when the girl turned 18, they were dead set on Kody marrying her and even set a wedding date. Unfortunately, the wedding fell through a scant week before it was to take place.

Sounds so familiar, doesn't it? Isn't that the excuse FLDS parents used when asked about underage marriages -- that their daughters had to wait until they were 18? What they didn't mention was that those underaged teenagers were still being courted by adults.

Funny how this never came out on the TV show...

I've put together some other little tidbits of information that I found interesting.
While Kody stated as a family, their biggest struggles have been financial, he never mentions the failed businesses, or the bankruptcies. But he does say that "...If one of my wives...makes a bundle while her sister wife is looking after the kids, she will share her bounty. If someone has a windfall from tax returns or inheritance, then she usually shares a good portion of it."
Interesting...
Kody certainly had a lot to say in the prologue. While getting made up before his first appearance in front of the press, he nonchalantly tells his makeup person "My show is a lot more controversial. It's the first of its kind..it's about my family. I'm a polygamist and I have four wives."

Wow, not so fast bucko, because you were not the first polygamist family to be showcased in a reality show on TLC. That honor goes to Brian Wachtendorf in a gem called "My Husband's Three Wives". In case you missed it (and apparently Kody did) that show starred Brian, his legal wife Pam, his second wife Kathy and his prospective 3rd wife Denise. It premiered on September 24, 2006. And it was bad, very very bad...

Remember that famous kiss between Robyn and Kody that drove Christine to tears? Well, now according to Kody, right after he and Christine were married, she made him promise that if he married again that he would kiss his new wife before they said their marriage vows. So with that in mind,  Kody said he "...took Robyn's face in [his] hands and kissed her" to seal their engagement deal.
I guess Christine forgot about that...Aw heck, she was 9 months pregnant and hormonal!
Here's some more Kody tidbits:

  • His mother discovered fundamentalism when he was 14 years old.
  • His parents were excommunicated from the LDS church when he was 19 years old.
  • By the time he returned from his LDS mission, his father Winn had already taken a 2nd wife (and it wasn't Janelle's mother...she was wife #3)
  • He did not start courting Meri until he converted and was baptised into the faith.
  • He was so grossed out by a chubby Christine eating chili cheese nachos that he cooled off their relationship.
  • He was so financially strapped while dating Robyn, he considered selling his car, and admitted he didn't have the money to marry and support Robyn, but knew he would find a way. (hint hint)
  • Meri made it clear to Kody that she was not prepared to court Christine, but Kody pressed on with the relationship.
Some of Janelle's tidbits:
  • She married Meri's brother Adam after he converted to LDS. Although they had a Temple wedding, in six months they had separated and were divorced approximate one year after saying "I do."
  • Janelle and Meri were best of friends until she joined the family as Kody's 2nd wife.
  • Her mother at first was appalled to learn Kody was courting Janelle. When she met Kody's father Winn, they had instant chemistry and she converted and became his 3rd wife.
  • Winn had wanted Janelle to marry Kody's brother, but she was already in love with Kody.
  • When she married Kody, he and Meri were still "very much in love and they had no idea how to incorporate me into their lives...When we watched movies they would sit on the couch and hold hands under a blanket and I'd sit in my own chair."

Some of Christine's tidbits:

  • Her grandfather was the head of their church, "You could say that when it comes to our church, I'm connected."
  • She decided as a teenager she would enter a plural marriage only as a 3rd wife. Being a first wife was too much work and too much self-sacrifice. She felt a second wife disrupted the marriage between the husband and the first wife and caused heartache. The third wife makes peace between the first and second wives.
  • Christine's mother divorced her father and left their faith.
  • Although she married the man of her dreams, Christine realized on her honeymoon that she had married Kody too soon. He had a lot of baggage, not to mention two warring wives to contend with. It took a year for Kody and Christine to fall head over heels in love with each other.

Last but not least, some of Robyn's tidbits:

  • She married at 21 to a man who was from a "well-regarded" family in their community. In fact, she called the Jessops Spiritual leaders. Unfortunately, he mistreated and misled her.
  • She invented an alter ego super hero called She-Rah who represented Robyn's tougher, bolder side.
  • She decided after her divorce, if she married again she didn't care what her husband looked like.

So there you have it, the Prologue and Part One: Matrimony. Next up, Part Two: Sorority.

91 comments:

  1. Thank you for the review/ digging for the good bits. I am intrigued but can't justify spending any money or time to read this book.

    I find most of the stories to be incredibly sad. Maybe TLC can convince two of them to leave this mess - great ratings/drama and might be the best for Janelle and Christine to leave together. Janelle used to support the two families anyway.

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  2. It seems like they are being honest and blunt. Of course, the bankruptcies, wellfare fraud etc is conveniently left out.

    Thank you for your review :)

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  3. Excellent review CJ! APOLOGIES if this goes past your spoilers, I don't recall which section is which. Please don't post if I am intruding on your review. I've read the whole book and I agree with you, the construction of it is very odd. I actually think they did not use a ghost writer. What do you think? There are so many contradictions in their stories! I am confused with all the contradictions, lies, and negativity! What happened to this big happy family they have been telling us all about?? Wow, every SW's chapter was SO negative. Each one was so miserable, pointed out that Kody was miserable at his job, that they were always broke, that no one got along, etc...but then a chapter would randomly have 'but this is what was meant to be and we're so happy!' Huh??
    CJ, the beginning of book you have reviewed made my skin crawl, the courting part...did you get this feeling? As in everyone knew everyone/was related, real ick factor for me!! I was not aware that Janelle and Kody went on ONE date and got engaged on that date!
    I am rather surprised how mean Meri comes across in the book. Her words. It sounds like she never wanted ANY other wives, but felt she *should* want them or wanted some friends. But I don't think she wanted any other women with Kody and this seems to be a huge issue. Surprise!! Meri comes across as rather hateful, Janelle not the brightest as some think, Cristine actually seems smarter than Janelle. Robyn..seems just like Robyn. All I get from this book is they have been miserable and broke and now things are better since they have the money from the tv show because they can travel and get away from each other.
    Great work, CJ! Looking foward to the next part of your review.

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  4. I'm sooo glad I don't have to comb through that for all the interesting tidbits, thanks for doing it for us!! Some very interesting info for sure!!!!
    I have no idea what is up with Meri she comes off like a total voyeristic headcase. Janelle is more than ready to just leave and should. Christine I think truly wants the polygamist dream only because she doesn't know anything else, if she had something else..(or somebody else) to fall on she'd be gone. Kody is just dumb. And I still feel bad that the wives haven't been able to watch the Robyn/kody honeymoon and really they shouldn't cause it was gross.
    Can't wait for more write-up:)

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    1. Sorry Im new to this blog and don't know if this has been posted about before, but in the honeymoon episode, where was the "modest is hottest" thing when Robyn was being filmed walking around in public places in a swimsuit top? As far as I've seen, none of the other wives have ever been seen doing that... Just a thought.

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  5. "If someone has a windfall from a tax return or inheritance, then she USUALLY shares a good portion of it."

    Hopefully the "not so good" portion is being squirreled away in the wives' separate, secret bank accounts so they can bail when the pain and jealousy gets to be too much to bear on a daily basis. From the above review, I don't get a sense of "family" from any of the wives, just a lot of hurt.

    The lines on this family tree must look like a tangle of vines, criss-crossing and winded up so tight you can't pull them apart.

    Excellent review. I can't wait to get my hands on this book.

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  6. AMAZING review. I especially love how you incorporated Bridemaids into it :)

    "...I thought it was a sad, handwritten novel.." LOL

    In terms of the prologue, I personally found this line exceptionally hilarious:

    Kody: "I know what she's thinking, I'm an average-looking dude who looks more like a surfer than a religious fanatic. How could I be a polygamist?"

    LMFAO! Really Kody? Really?! She was shocked because you (in your view) look like a surfer, not a polygamist? THAT'S what she was thinking?

    No, hunny. I will tell you what she was thinking: "How is it that MULTIPLE women wanted to marry this guy? Ew."

    Also, most surfers are about 20 years your junior Kody, don't flatter yourself. They also don't insist on growing long blonde locks once a receding hairline occurs.

    Augh! The ego on this man!

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    1. Kody is sooo wrong...he does not look like a surfer dude. He looks like a middle aged man with a big belly, greasy hair and dirty clothes. A loser is what he looks like. Christine is so pretty. She needs to run, not walk, to a better life. Let Meri have this prize.

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  7. THANK YOU for posting this! So many questions, but I'll start with this one:

    I read the free blurb on Amazon and Kody says (Maybe more than once) that if the wives do not agree on him courting someone that he would not go through with it then, since everyone has to be in full agreement. But yet, in your Kody blurbs above it says: "Meri made it clear to Kody that she was not prepared to court Christine, but Kody pressed on with the relationship."

    So how'd he justify that?

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    1. Couple of things...1. Meri's family loved the idea of Christine with Kody and encouraged it 2. Christine went to her grandfather and told him if Kody asked tell him yes, she wanted to start courting..so gosh, Kody really had no choice! He had to follow thru with everyone's wishes. (heavy sarcasm)
      In Kody's words: "Meri was slightly more prickly when I started courting Christine. However, she liked Christine and was aware of how close the two of us were. I'm sure as far as Meri was concerned, bringing Christine into the family was just a matter of time."

      Description of Christine & Kody's wedding is more like that of a funeral. Dark, depressing day.

      I don't know whether to laugh or cry for these people, really I don't.

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    2. Thank you! And wow! Meri's own family encouraged it. No wonder she seems so mean in the book like everyone is saying. It's a passive agressive way to "pay back" all the hurt she's felt since she met this idiot! All 3 ladies have to be so full of hurt and resentment I can't even imagine. I don't count Robyn because as someone else said, shes an opportunist and nothing more. I noticed a while ago Meri doesn't follow Christine on Twitter but she does follow the other wives. Does Christine seem as bitter towards Meri in the book as Meri clearly is towards her?

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    3. From Meri's chapters it seemed she felt Janelle accepted Christine because she needed a friend in the house (paraphrasing). Which adds to my theory that Meri added Robyn as a way to get back at/limit the influence of the Janelle/Christine alliance.

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  8. I nominate you for SW sainthood.

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  9. I read the part about Winn and Janelle's Mom a couple times to make sure I had it right. If they met after Kody and Janelle were dating when was Kody supposed to do if she married his brother? Kody is one of those people who have no filter. How could anyone say publically what he did about the Nachos? One wife having a windfall on her taxes meant they could take turns scamming. I'm really surprised they presented a different view than on the show. Kody is just unbelievable. Thinking about selling his sports car!! One of the times when their cars broke down it showed Kody riding a motorcycle to the store. Speaking of the cars breaking down I think they planned that. Logan wouldn't have let them leave without checking the oil!! Glad this blog is going again :--)

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    1. Yeah, I've come across some info about their taxes & options & how they opted to handle their Kody Brown Family Entertainment, LLC earnings & it's unbelievable. They have come across the holy grail of tax loopholes & I guarantee U most of everything can be written off as "business expenditures"
      Their past financial history has shown us that clearly they are basically irresponsible & if they find a way to get out of their mounting debts,they will do it!
      I know, that they didn't want to pay huge income taxes or for their TLC & LIV earning$$, since obviously they moved up in the tax bracket world. They are still financially irresponsible, reckless & conniving, IMO!
      Just wonder they have paid off any of their past bankruptcies??

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    2. Great detective work, Caramel Brownie !!!

      What sleazes...stupid in soooo many ways, yet crafty and sly when it comes to playing the system and lying their asses off. The *system* being you and me and everyone else who pays taxes to make up the short fall of those who don't.

      I wonder about those past bankruptcies too....how did they protect those mentioned "inheritances" from being attached to pay off their creditors ?? Creative accounting or full out deceit??

      And you are right, the TLC Pot of Gold definitely ramped them up to an enviable tax bracket..
      I guess soon, just like with the jellies and jams, they will be tweeting and hawking their *favorite financial advisor and accountant.*

      These people are natural pimps. Kody leading the pack on that score. He wouldn't/couldn't support his family, so instead pimped himself and all of them out for the easy $$$ of TLC. And obviously, they all are willing employees for the task, no matter how tailored and fictional the scripts are.

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  10. ***jaw dropping*** Wow....thanks for the review CJ. I agree with most here who say the book sounds a lot more honest than the show. Have they read their own book?? And they s.t.i.l.l. justify this lifestyle? If Kody wasn't emotionally mature until 5 years into his "marriage" with Janelle then how could he make a rational decision to by a polygamist? We know what head immature males think with though don't we. (Is that too crude - sorry but it's true). And Meri kept saying on the show that both her & Kody decided to take on more wives yet look at how upset Meri was and how the new wives were treated!!! Nonsense!

    Since Meri doesn't really like Janelle or Christine it's no wonder why she wanted Robyn in on the family, she's that desperate for friendship that she's willing to share her husband yet again. And yet, by their own admission in the book, she DOESN'T want to share her husband. Just goes to show you how wrong this lifestyle really is. These women are brainwashed. They exhibit snippets of the tragedy of living this life yet refuse to acknowledge them as such. How incredibly sad.

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    1. I think in the first season Meri said the major (only) reason she stays with Kody is because she didn't want to separate Mariah from her siblings...

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    2. she can leave now, Mariah is going off to college

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  11. Hmm sounds interesting. Quite a lot of the polygamy memoirs out there are pretty disjointed so I'm kind of used to it. I wouldn't pay full whack for the book though so in waiting for my valued opinions amazon voucher code to come through lol

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  12. We should put this review on Amazon to let people know not to buy this trash lol. Love the review! Cant wait for the next installment, keep up the great work!!

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  13. OK, so I am stunned by this line:

    "She decided after her divorce, if she married again she didn't care what her husband looked like."

    Robyn putting in a sideways dig at Kody????

    Really?

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    1. I don't believe much of anything Robyn says but for some reason I actually believe she's telling the truth on this one..lol.

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  14. Thanks for this :) No way in hell I would pay money for the book but admit I am curious about it. Great to hear it from a SWBlogger.

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  15. Cynical Jinx, I'm still bursting into spontaneous laughter at your description of acquired narcolepsy. By god, save that book. A sure cure for insomnia.

    I love your bullet points. Thank you whoever first thought about bullet points. Clear, direct, to the point. Without the extraneous garbage. Thanks Jinx.

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  16. Thanks, CJ......EXCELLENT review!!!! *** As Always !!! ****
    Your organization of the facts in your review were infinitely better than you describe their choppy and amateur book format.

    Inspired and based on your review....and many, many thanks for sparing me the torture and extra Pepcids of having to read it......

    Ah yes...so Meri had problems all along with adding bedmates for Kody. Really??
    Then why wasn't that spelled out in the first show, as opposed to the grinning montage at the start of each show of all the "wives" standing proud and contented as Kody announces "Love should be shared.." ???

    So, Janelle couldn't deal with the Meri/Kody alliance after doing the marriage deed and then she split for 2 years...interesting! But then she came back to live in a cramped multi-layered hamster house in Utah with Meri and Kody still playing star-crossed lovers...and Janelle then proceeded to get pregnant again and again and again....?????
    I agree, perhaps Janelle may have been successful at earning a living, but not so innately bright at making life choices.

    And Christine...her stated reasons for so desperately wanting to be the 3rd wife are simply bizarre. She didn't want to come between first wife and Husband....HUH??!! SO Christine, did it ever occur to you that being a 3rd wife, you are still *doing* a first wife's husband and having his kids when first wife can't.???
    She wanted to be the peacemaker between 1st and 2nd wife...just bizarre !!
    Did it ever occur to her she was just yet another added log on the fire of discontent in that house.
    Was just being fertile the end-all and be-all of reason and logic??

    Unfortunately, Robyn needs to be mentioned too. She simply was/is an opportunist. Kody admits that taking on Robyn and her THREE kids was not realistic financially...but Robyn didn't care. Why should she?
    She and her kids were going to be housed and fed by the "family" and all she had to do was have even more kids who would be added mouths to feed and raise.

    And of course, we have to come to Kody. A man who never grew up except to indulge in his adolescent testosterone fueled wantings. He doesn't have any incentive (or skills apparently) to actually care for his brood of FOURTEEN natural children and three step-kids. And the possibility of adding even more children is ever on the table.
    By his own *unbelievable* description, the plan was always for each wife to bear and care and support HER children....all he had to do was show up and grin and drive his Lexus and preen his hair. Pathetic..and certainly sad that each wife either knew it at the start, or found that reality out soon enough.

    Meri is the love of his life yet he married TWO other women and had TWELVE children in rapid succession with both of them... while his *true love* watched and yearned. What a guy!~!!

    His big worry, which he again unbelievably *actually included in his book entry* was that when he was bringing Robyn into an already grossly over-burdened budget, his big worry was that he may have had "to sell his car".....No words for that bit, beyond utter contempt for such a shallow, self-centered jerk.
    And obviously he lobbied successfully, since he did get to keep the prized car.

    And now with all this "honesty" out in print, we get treated to the TLC trailer that now they are looking for houses right close together so they can be "a family again."
    Wow, just Wow. This stuff is so deep a shovel should be included with each book.

    Anyway,CJ, thanks again, you are the best !!
    Eagerly awaiting the next installment.

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    1. hahahaha....A shovel should be included w/ each book....Classic, Amused :D

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    2. I believe this was when Janelle moved into her own home until they got the big house. Christine lived on her own, too, for a while. However...

      Patience, BB, I promise to cover the sordid details in the next installment!

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  17. CJ, ur reviews are always an uncanny treat :D
    Now, I'm really surprised that some of honesty that is being displayed in the book,which is a far, far cry from what they have tried to display to America in their "coming out" debut, which a few of ya'll have pointed out. I do, have a few theories, tho...

    1. Their book has "humanized" them a lil more than before & finally has verified what most of us here @SWB pretty much figured out from the beginning. So the book is a "hook" to "recapture" America's interest & pity, so when SW premieres on May 13th, the ratings will go thru the roof, which is what they wanted if they're gonna be considered for another season in the Fall(even if its boring, overly dramatic, & out of sequence episodes. But, don't get sucked in too quickly, b/c they're all gonna throw it back in America's face w/ couch interviews, saying this is how it used to be, but now, were REALLY a big happy family.

    2. They're doing some "damage control", by again, "humanizing" the Browns individually. You see, when they first came out, they all had a happy-go-lucky & were one big happy family & so in love UNITED FRONT!! Setting themselves up for failure, bcuz it seems like they were expecting America to Welcome them w/ arms wide open & no hard hitting questions asked, etc.... Yeah, they scored some gullible fans who were even willing to send baby gifts & buy their LIV & Pampered Chef products, etc....but at the same time, they were getting a lot of folks that clearly see thru their bs & wants them to be held accountable & then there's the folks, that were on the fence.....meaning, since they couldn't successfully "win" America over as a united front, maybe they can win them over individually, bcuz now, they're being a lil honest, & maybe, just maybe, the "sharks" & fence riders would be willing to cut them some slack (even tho every big talk show hosts, gave them a free pass from the beginning) & empathize & sympathize w/ @least one of the Browns.
    3. Even though, it appears they don't have a "ghost writer" per se...who says, that the book wasn't compiled from all of their Individual stories that each of them had to put in writing or video or even taken from their initial TLC interviews before even being selected by the Network. In order, to be given a show, a family has to "stand out' in a sense, but also, be able to offer some juicy family gossip,drama, secrets, etc...they can later take tidbits from to create & publish a book.

    Now, these are just my theories & opinions. Yeah, they're a lil far fetched, but hell, I know, I was expecting a sugar coated version, but was surprised & a lil bit impressed w/some of the blatant & mean material that made it to print.

    Yes, I'm still skeptical, b/c no one will "expose' themselves or make themselves that vulnerable to the public w/o expecting some sort of payoff! We can't forget the Brown's are fame whores & can't see clearly w/all the $$ signs in their eyes. My opinion of Kody, hasn't changed. He's still an immature, self centered ass!

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  18. Caramel Brownie,

    I think you are *spot-on* with your theories, particularly about the KodyKlowns going for *damage control* to stem the inevitable tide of viewer boredom.
    Your thoughts about the book being designed to "humanize" them all, one by one, for the pity vote and renewed interest (those all important ratings) makes perfect sense.

    What I don't think will (or can be) revised are the couch chats. They will still probably have jaw-jutting, Redundant-Robyn, repeating what anyone else says and badly working it to death, Janelle looking bored and distant, Christine just twitching with nervous angst and Meri velcroed to Kody, looking at him in adoration. Old habits die hard. Either that or they will be literally reading prepared scripts w/acting instructions.

    One theory I have is that SW Blog has actually made an impact in alerting them (and/or TLC) to the *need* for damage control. They do have FB, website and Twitter fans, however they also now know that there are people out there who didn't buy it soon into the show's first season along with formerly interested fans who are just no longer buying into their bs.
    Kody referring to himself as having a surfer look is straight out of SWB. Kody filmed spending time with his kids soon after SWB had a long run of posts about his lack of presence...that was no coincidence....and the list goes on.

    Will be interesting to see if the book helps, or drives a final nail in their market value.

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    1. I totally agree with ur theory Amused about SWB making an impact & alerting TLC to do damage control.
      Since CJ's entertaining & insightful reviews sparks lots of interest & generates a steady flow of TLC storylines,etc...
      I say,CJ deserves a spot on the couch too w/ the Browns, with her own segment, SWB readers really want to know...???? & BAM, hit em up w/ some hard hitting questions. Ahhhh....the priceless WTF facial expressions we would get to see on tv!!...lol

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  19. Robyn "invented" a super-hero called She-Rah? You're really taking credit for the Princess of Power, Robyn? Just because you added an "H" at the end, doesn't mean you invented her:
    http://mutantsupermodel.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/she-ra-shera.gif

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  20. Caramel Brownie,

    Great post. After reading the book, I think the points you have made are very good ones, very insightful, and most likely true.

    An interesting part I was not aware of, is it was actually Christine who initially got them the show. She had been asked many times when she spoke at Principle Voices and when she finally told Kody, he jumped on it.
    When they started filming, Meri says she was very uncomfortable with the cameras. She says "I'm not an actor..that would be Christine"

    There are many Meri digs at Christine. Later we find out from Christine that she and Meri had a big fight over a parenting issue and were barely speaking for several years (seasons) and it continues to the present.

    But we didn't see that did we? Janelle claims to handle their tv contracts and says they made it clear that TLC could not film certain things and many times they have asked the camera crew to leave, so they could work out a 'private situation' (ummm...like a catfight perhaps?) She also talks about how much she enjoys all the entertainment that was set up for them for filming (i.e. Christmas cabin in the woods, camping trips, etc..) All the things they could never afford to do before the show, she says. Oh yes, all those not staged things that happen on non reality shows.

    Now Robyn claims she almost didn't marry Kody when she found out she'd have to be on a tv show-gasp-! LOL!!!!

    Yes, I think Caramel Brownie is on to some really good ideas.

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    1. Thank you Anony 10:12am :D

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    2. Now that I think about it, what is the one common theme of polygamist families where the women have very little control? They take out their frustrations on the other "wives" children but in many cases the other wives are powerless to protect the kids from the first-favorite-most strong wife. At least Christine did protect her kids from what she believed to be an over-disciplining Meri. I give her a lot of credit for that.

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    3. I always felt that Meri disliked Janelle. Surprised to read that it is Christine. Can't stand Robyn. Recently Kody said that she was so pretty she didn't need to know how to cook......unbelievable. Hate the way she is pushing her jewelry business onto the rest. I hope Janelle tells her to stick it. Every time you see Robyn she's crying, come on lady grow up you now have 4 kids. How did they all afford those new houses???

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  21. Hi Everyone,

    I hope it's okay to comment so soon after I've found this blog. If not, please let me know!

    I found this site when I was searching to see if there was more information out there about the trailer for the new season of the show. So far I absolutely love it and have read everything on it during the past few days.

    From what I am reading, the book sounds terrible and I'm wondering what it is meant to accomplish. Myself, I am thinking it may lose them viewers because now people can see that those cozy couch chats and numerous conversations about "why we came out" are just pure BS. Who wants to watch them BS on the screen when the book seems to clearly say Meri can't stand anyone but Robyn and went out of her way to make them miserable? As for Kody, he's the biggest waste of space that has lived....well, okay ALMOST.

    I appreciate the reviews of the book, the insight offered by other posters and can't believe the recall that some people here have! It's nice to see.

    All that said, I have a relative that lives rather near to one of the Kody clan in LV. He and his family are LDS but do not believe in polygamy. They are aware of the Browns and have had some very limited interaction with them - shortly after the move was made and again here recently. His take on this was that the women he met were drawn and tired looking and except for each taking their turn being in Kody's orbit, pretty much left each other alone. He referred to it as "like in high school where you have the cheerleaders, the band kids, the geeks and the stoners and none of them get along and just stay in their separate areas."

    Food for thought and thanks for being here.

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    1. that's how it seems to me too, that they all live really seperate lives in which case what's the point of it all???

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    2. I think many people fail to remember that a lot of the book is background work we obviously wouldnt see on a show. Thats 20 years from first wife and on in marriage... thats a lot of ground to cover, a lot of problems and issues and a lot of good times. The show edits, therefore we do not see all that happens, its not them being dishonest, its a show and naturally the production company edits what they need to. And as far as stories not matching etc, every person views their life and all in it differently. I would think it highly suspicious if all the stories are the exact same. They wrote each part of the book themselves, so its their view and the way they saw things. I could never be in a plural marriage but am I a person to say its absolutely wrong? no, sorry I cant say that. The fact that they have had issues and problems and are still all together after like 20 years is a testament that it works for them. How many marriages nowadays end in divorce? A lot! And honestly if they were happy hunky-dorry for 20 years I would have yelled BULLCRAP right away.. at least they can state the nitty gritty and say "yeah I was a total jerk" or "I had to have some space for a bit"
      And like all marriages one partner doesnt always take the other partners feelings and thoughts into account, just as Kody does with his wives sometimes. He's a man-child, he has an ego and he gets overly excited about stuff and jumps in head first sometimes. And its that part of him that ALL the wives love. He loves his wives, and thats apparent and he loves all the qualities that make them different from each other. And its those differences that the wives struggle with in regards to each other. The kids are looked after and obviously loved. People think "well he should be providing for them all", well how many marriages are even like that now? Most families are 2 income families. Therefore, its quite obvious that these women each have qualities that they bring to the table. Meri and Janelle both worked, Christine is a homemaker and loves it. Now all of them are looking at ways to support their family, in ways of employment and business. They are obviously independant people. And each has their own life outside of the family in whole and somehow thats a bad thing? No wonder they looked tired and drawn, supporting a family that large, being a parent and making the dough while some are also expanding their education is tiring!! And they shouldn't be happy when they are with their husband and enjoy the time they have with him? They stated many times they were naive, that this lifestyle isnt easy and they had romantic notions on how it would be when they got into it. They obviously would have a crash landing into reality, hell even a single husband/wife marriage is like that. They are people, nothing more, nothing less. They have ups and downs, struggles and triumphs like everyone else. Its not my place NOR any one of yours to judge, make fun of and act better than them...

      Delete
    3. Point well made Anonymous #2. The Browns clearly have issues,but what family doesn't? I know many two parent homes whose parents haven't resolved their marital problems after 20+ years. We shouldn't condemn polygamy as wrong because we weren't raised in it. As long as nobody is being abused and the decision to join a polygamous marriage was made by consenting ADULTS, we don't have a right to step in and dictate their lives.

      With that said I wouldn't choose polygamy for myself either. The potential psychological damage seems to be so much higher in a polygamous marriage if the wives chosen have incompatible personalities, such as the Brown women. Even if your husband chooses your best friend to be a second wife. How many people love their best friends but cannot live with them?

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  22. People inventing (and worse yet NAMING) their alter ego ranks right up there on my list of stupid and annoying things people do for attention. Right up there with people who refer to themselves in the third person. ROBYN JUST STOP TALKING!!

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  23. I was not going to buy the book but your review made me need more!! I read it all night,( I dont recommend anyone reads this before bed). and all morning. Oh my! One common thread throughout the book is this book is somehow a huge apology to "poor robin" maybe she rah is influencing the apology's, who can say but its annoying. And one other common denominator is the cruel way Janell has been treated by every one of these people. Janell who I have always favored, I saw as strong and the back bone I now want to go kidnap and bring home.I want to include her, listen to her opinion, laugh with her and and cry with her. SHE is so mis-treated, overlooked and taken advantage of, over and over! Meri is so full of herself, only matched by Robin! The world revolved around them and Christine and Janell are just players in the game. They are perfect books ends for sure! I cant imagine Kody or his HUGE ego without this lifestyle. what a strange look inside the lives these sister wives.

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  24. That seriously IS a Sad hand written book.... Jhanelle watching a movie on her own seperate chair while Kody and Meri hold hands underneath the covers? That's seriously SO sad. Nothing about this lifestyle it right or fair.

    And Kody!! What he said about Kristine eating Nachos?!? WHO THE HELL says that about their wife!? I seriously think he has some sort of developmental/ cognitive disability because no person in their right mind would say that especially in a book... that is completely unacceptable. I don't care how much Kristine laughs about it now she's probably crying about it and dwelling on it during her 3 alone nights. That's HUMILIATING.

    I really want to get the book but there is no way in heaven or hell that I'm giving them my hard earned money. I might go sit at Barns and Noble and read it. It's just too sad.

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    1. Totally agree. Cannot imagine how Christine felt when he sat there opining about being disgusted by her and how she ate the nachos. That was bad enough but then to go on about how unattracted he was to her was beyond comprehension.

      Those words will leave a lasting scar on her. Makes me think of Karen Carpenter who died of anorexia after a very obscure review early on in her career referred to her as chubby. Those words were written by a reporter who didn't know her---not her husband.

      As with many other commenters, agree that this family is all a sham. They paint such a rosy picture on the show about love not being divided yet it seems to me that all the adults are miserable.

      Cannot imagine that I will ever watch this show again.

      Delete
  25. Yes, I loved the She-Rah thing too. I guess Kody is her He-Man???? She's an idiot...

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    1. I found it interesting that "She-Rah" was dead set against Robyn marrying Kody. Sometimes you need to listen to your intuition...

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    2. Ewww, I just had a disgusting but yet, highly entertaining thought! I wonder if Kody & Robyn role play, using their alter egos?? Hahahahahahahaha!!! :D

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    3. Caramel, I need mind bleach now.

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  26. I'm curious... what exactly did Kody say about Christine and the nachos?

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    1. Here's an excerpt

      Kody said:

      "...I was convinced that Christine was the cutest girl in the world, although she was a little chubby. Back then, I was young and superficial enough to care about physical appearances. After we'd been on the road all night, we stopped at a gas station...

      Christine went into the Quickie Mart and bought herself what seemed looked [sic] like the largest portion of chili cheese nachos that I'd ever seen...

      Looking back, I hate myself for the thoughts I had at that moment, but the sight of this chubby girl in my car devouring chili cheese nachos for breakfast put the brakes on our relationship. It brought out the most superficial and shallowest side of me. I still liked her - in fact, I liked her very much - but the nacho experience cooled my attraction a little - well, a lot." p52-53

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    2. Alrighty Then....I don't get it. Didn't Kody say he has always been attracted to Curvy Women and that's why none of the wives were threatened by Robyn's smaller size?!? Here he is saying the exact opposite because afterall, he was young when he married Janelle and Christine so now he says he was turned off by Christine's chubbiness because he was young and superficial. Talk about BS. I hate to say this but the Brown's are the biggest liars I have ever seen, how in the world did they get a reality show when obviously, they live in constant denial. I am dumbfounded that so many people believe this bunch of crazies, unreal!!

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    3. Oh my goodness!! That's terrible! Is he NUTS!?!? What husband would EVER think it's a wise idea to describe his disgust at a chubby chili cheese fries eating wife? in PRINT?!

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    4. Wow. Kody should write a book on how to lower your wife's self esteem even more.

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    5. Kody has to go for women with poor self esteem----who else would want him?

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    6. Kody is a real a--. He's nothing but a bald headed old man trying to act young again by continuously getting more and more women to have his kids. He's like rooster strutting around.

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  27. SWB,posted a courtesy video on Sept 20, 2011....It's definitely a throwback video, that deserves a 2nd look!! Now that the cat(s) have been let out of the bag & the Brown's suddenly have change of heart & want to "confess" to the world some of their "family secrets", this video, just cracks me up. Each of them, esp Christine, Robyn, & Kody desperately trying to sell their polygamy lifestyle as one big happy & loving family. Count how many times, Robyn says fun & kids.
    Since their book, has shed an abundance of new light on various aspects of their relationships & family as a whole in general. IMO, this old classic interview video, could qualify as FALSE ADVERTISEMENT on the Brown's part bcuz boy they are definitely trying to sell their one big happy-go-lucky family image to America!....Ha!!

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    1. Dang, I forgot to add the show girl interview link:

      http://www.5min.com/video/The-Show-Girl-Interview-With-Sister-Wives-Participants-517151898

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    2. Wow, they are really shoveling the shit in this video. I would be so embarrassed to be married to Kody! He is so slimey with that stupid smile and he says "I'm a polygamist BUT I'm not the polygamist you think I am!" You are right about that Kody, you are a bigger, sleazier douche bag than I first thought. What a complete tool.

      Delete
  28. So, I wonder if he thinks the same thing about Janelle's Peanut butter fritos or is that Christines recipe??...lol
    He's still very much superficial today as he was back then...so, I wonder how "grossed" out he became when Christine & Janelle couldn't lose the baby fat after their pregnancies? Plus gaining more weight, including Meri in the last 2 years? But, heck so did he, w/ all of them free Mexican dinner meals among other places, so he has no room to talk!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. "so, I wonder how "grossed" out he became when Christine & Janelle couldn't lose the baby fat after their pregnancies?"

      LOL!! that's why he married Robyn! And when she gets fat, he'll move on to the next one!

      Delete
    2. Right, right...unless they decide to bail too!!...lol
      Maybe the Mean Girls scared her off... :D
      Wow, Meri sure does come off as a bully & apparently still is...

      Delete
  29. I just have to wonder if Meri's insecurity,bitterness, & resentments stem from the fact she's the 1st & legal wife to Kody, & sadly she was only able to bare one child w/ Kody. I mean, that has to hurt on so many different levels, esp when the other 2 are fertile myrtle's & popping babies out right & left.
    Since, Janelle used to be married to Meri's brother, it could be possible that the ex could've filled Meri's ears w/ nothing but negativity & poisoned Meri's mind about Janelle, from their previous marriage, relationship, etc...so she hastely turned on Janelle in defense of her brother + having to get used to ur husband sleeping with another woman in the same house no less, since they were just starting to expand their family & live the lifestyle.

    Hell yeah, Kody pressed on w/ his relationship w/ Christine, bcuz afterall she's the granddaughter of an Allred. Kody figured that by marrying her & having babies, would automatically boost the Brown name, from No Status to Celestial Status, since he married an important Allred bloodline & his kids would have the "almighty" Allred bloodline too.
    Kody & his parents being fairly new converts to the polygamy lifestyle,
    & maybe the Browns didn't have a deep rooted established Family name in the community, & what better way than to just marry one & be a sperm king donor.

    Oh yeah, I meant to ask earlier, did the book mention WHY after 16yrs, did they decide to add a 4th wife & was it necessary?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Meri said she and Kody's relationship was the worst it had ever been. They went to a friend's & saw Robyn, & Meri apparently was struck by God'slightening and just knew Robyn was meant to be part of their lives forever. These people seem to make major life decisions on feelings they get. This strikes me as impulsive and extremely foolish. She says in the book that she didn't expect Kody taking a new wife to solve their problems, but everything else says she did. She sounded so desperate. All these women seem to suffer from depression to varying degrees. Some who are very depressed experience psychotic episodes. Makes no sense to me.

      Delete
    2. The convertible was Kody's midlife crisis-Robyn was Meri's.

      Delete
    3. Love it SheilaAnn. good response.

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  30. Did any of you guys wonder if Robyn had multiple personalities when you read the She-Rah part?

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  31. Also, Kody never mentioned in the book (or anywhere for that matter) that his wives helped support their own families bc they were on welfare. This man sickens me. He takes no responsibility for supporting his wives or children. He should be ashamed of himself, but he is clearly a narcissist.

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  32. I think this book will end their show, how can you make believe your sister wives when you can't stand each other. Meri will cool it with Robin apparently she did the same thing with Christine to make Janelle upset. when shes done with Robin she will treat her the same way

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  33. Ha ha. Did you notice Robyn's faux pas in the Show Girl interview when she referred to their "families," then quickly corrected herself and said "family."

    Also, Robyn could potentially be sued for libel by Filmation for claiming in the book that she invented "She-Rah", as "She-Ra" was already an established spin-off from He-Man.

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  34. I have to say, I love connecting with the family. I am not of FLDS faith or LDS faith or of any exact faith. I am a mom of 3 and my husband is my 3rd and combining families and working through ups and down and children and finances. Every relationship is a work inprogress you ad a blended family it just ads fuel to the fire. They all have each other to talk to and kids have each other to talk to and with that is an enormous communication and outreach to each other to get through difficult times and teenage years. Being able to pull one marriage off and keep it alive much less 4 and that many children is a miracle in itself. I think we can all take something from each person on the show. Each wife thus has a different personality and holds a piece of the pie that holds the weight of the family. Take one piece away and you make a whole thus it all crumbles. Having all the seperate house I feel is hurting them more than helping them. They need to be closer and reconnect as a whole.

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  35. I thought you would want to know that you have some misinformation on your blog. At the top you refer to them as "Mormon", and they are not. They actually belong to the Apostolic United Brethren Church. You can double check that if you want by going to Wikipedia.org/wiki/sister_wives. Thought I would set the record straight. Mormons are not polygamists. Some early members of the Mormon faith practiced it about two hundred years ago, when a large percentage of Mormon men had been murdered by angry mobs, leaving a very large number of women and children fatherless and trying to survive. That was the only time it was practiced by them. Now it goes against their beliefs, because there is no "need" for it, and it was made illegal. Mormons believe in sustaining the law. Anyone who chooses to practice as a polygamist is excommunicated and is then not a member any longer. Just thought I would set that "perception" straight. =) I am a Mormon.

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    1. Hi Mrs. Good Food! Welcome to the Blog!

      "I thought you would want to know that you have some misinformation on your blog. At the top you refer to them as "Mormon", and they are not."

      Well, I've read (in wikipedia) that the AUB is an "is a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist church within the Latter Day Saint movement." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_United_Brethren]. Even though the introduction does not specifically say AUB=Mormon, I think saying that AUB is not Mormon isn't quite true either. It is a fundamentalist Mormon sect, plain and simple. Nothing against Mormons at all. I've had many Mormon friends, and I'm happy to report none of them practiced polygamy...there were some divorces, though.

      Is it true that Mormons still hold the belief that there is plural marriage in the afterlife? I've read that this denial of polygamy is all part of something called "Lying for the Lord". What are your thoughts on this?

      I'm not trying to pick an arguement with you, I'm interested on what your thoughts are, as viewed from your unique perspective as a Mormon!

      Delete
    2. It is completely untrue that polygamy came about because of a lack of good LDS men! Joseph, Brigham and the rest of the exalted leaders at the time found a way to have their cake and eat it too! There were actually more men than women in the faith at that time. The leaders definately hoarded women as plural wives. There was a sudden revelation from the Lord about how polygamy was no longer necessary - in this life - when it looked like the good ol' USA was not going to grant statehood to Utah because of this practice.

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    3. Paul.. you are wrong.. Mrs. Good Food is correct,,,, please check your research and then facts.
      C J... I believe I can try and explain the "plural marriage after death".. to some degree..
      Mormons when married in the Temple .. their marriage is :sealed:,, I believe lets say the first wife dies.. ( sad) and husband marries again. in the Temple, of course that marriage is :sealed: also. So when the husband dies..it looks to me he is :sealed: to both wives making him have a plural marriage in Heaven. whewwwwww i will do some research if you like come back with facts.i don't know how to set up an chat name on here but my name is lauraleigh.

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    4. Actually LDS church prohibits plural marriage... for now. It's definitely only because it's illegal in the U.S. (Never stopped Joseph Smith though, did it? Some of his wives were even already married and living with their husbands...)
      Also, it's of note to mention that if a widower marries again, he is with both wives in the celestial kingdom. So, the LDS church does believe in a form of plural marriage. You can't read doctrine and covenants and pearl of great price without seeing that Joseph Smith believed strongly in the necessity of plural marriage. in fact, those fundamentalist mormons practicing polygamy are the ONLY ones that are living REAL mormonism the way Joseph Smith taught it.
      But, then again, the whole religion is a fraud so, both camps are wrong. Moot point.

      Delete
  36. I had a chance to see the new season preview [limited to a few people] ahead of time. Get ready for a pending divorce and . . . . CHILD SUPPORT!!!

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    Replies
    1. guess this never came about did it.....

      Delete
  37. Ah ha! Well if you're referring to the preview everyone's seen then yes it appears Christine is calling it quits. I would tune in just to see one of his sex groupies to tell him sayonara sucker! That would give him a whole new season to find another lonely wretch to replace her.

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  38. Judge Jury and ExecutionerMay 8, 2012 at 4:36 AM

    I like reading blogs I don't like and calling people insecure narcissists and haters. I'm just a hypocrite I guess. Carry on

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hey everyone Meri's joined the conversation! See above..........

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  40. I wonder if his mother named him Kody...I mean , I can just see him at some point earlier in time saying " Yeah man, kody...witha "K" ...an I'm gonna be a poligamus...uh poligamis...uh, I'm gonna get me another wife an a red racecar and...Ya know? It just sounds like a neame he would choose for himself.

    ReplyDelete
  41. In response to something Mrs. Good Food wrote, a correction: Mormonism developed in the 1830s and '40s, not "about 200 years ago." And from the Anon comment: a woman cannot be sealed to more than one man, though a man can be sealed to more than one woman.

    As for the Browns, I enjoy the show and think I could be friends with any of the women (though whether they would befriend a liberal feminist childfree atheist is unclear...). I question the wisdom of them taking on the debt of these houses, but also realize that what I see on TV is a fraction of their lives, and probably only bears a slight resemblance to "reality." While I can't imagine ever wanting to be in the public eye, I think their decision to be out there can help us as a society think differently about what families and life choices look like. I wish them the best.

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  42. I am sorry if someone has already posted this and I missed it, but it seems weird that Kody said he had such a hard time with courting Robyn in the beginning because she was divorced...but then to find out that Janelle was married to Meri's brother Adam. What is up with that? Did I miss something?

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    1. Who knows with Kody. Possibly because she had children?

      Delete
    2. No you didn't miss anything. I think the difference was Janelle did not have children with her ex, but Robyn did. For all of Kody's pontificating about love, initially he said he was "grossed out". Like Robyn use to love to say, children are the proof that a woman is having sex relations with her husband (or something like that). So Kody had to face the fact with Robyn she had sex at least 3 times with another man. And of course they "changed" her eldest child's name from his father's to a generic city name (like many of the other Brown children) as if that will erase the fact who the child's father is. Her kids still have a relationship with their father - when she was pregnant she sent her 3 kids to their father for the summer, so I assume they go every summer.

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    3. It would have been nice if the Browns would have cared enough about their future reader to hire an editor for this "book". It's not even a story, it's just so here and there, and over there, and back there, and then here. Ugh, it's hard to read without banging your head off a wall!!

      I suspect they didn't "write" this at all. I think they recorded themselves speaking and then someone transcribed it word for word. It reads like a spoken word. In fact, it's a bit spooky. Since I watch the show when I am crafting, sewing etc I'm always listening to the show more than sitting and watching it. I go back and re-watch it, especially when someone on the blog discusses a particular scene. But I know their voices very well. I can hear them speaking when I am reading their parts. Creepy, it's like they are reading the book to me. ----shudder-----

      Anyway, part one. Wow. Meri and Kody are truly in love, I don't remember which episode or a clip or somewhere she say's "If I had to have sister wives to get this guy I would" I don't know if I'm remembering it right. From the beginning I always kind of thought Meri was the push for the sister wife part, but I think she is very ingrained in the belief. She MUST submit to this for the prize in the end. I think she is a self centered, egotistical woman who is also very selfish. She wants that man to herself, but she forces herself to endure the pain and emotional turmoil that a plural marriage brings for the Celestial Prize.

      She always states that she wanted 8 kids. Really?? Wow. If she would have succeeded then I think her life would be a lot closer to the insanity of Kate/Jon and their 8 kids. My-Way Meri would have been a tyrant to that many children. She was lucky to have the one daughter that she had, but it's sad to see on the show that her daughter just isn't enough. Quantity over quality I guess. Must have been great to grow up knowing you aren't enough.

      Back to the book. Janelle's story was of a sad, lonely woman looking for something. We don't get a lot of back story with Janelle, but I suspect loneliness in her life was part of it. Not belonging etc. Her stories of wanting to go to the wilderness to find herself, of spiritual searching, well, it sounds like a lonely woman in search of something to belong to, searching for herself. She was very vulnerable to being taken by a cult. Hey, she really was.

      Janelle threw herself at Kody. They didn't have any chemistry or romantic feelings when she basically said "Take me!!" She didn't just drink the Kool-Aid, she begged for it.

      Meri discusses knowing Janelle and being close friends, she really doesn't touch on anything from the fact that Janelle was briefly married to her brother. I suspect with something like 27 siblings she may not have been close to that brother. Janelle said that she was closer to the family and even after the divorce she remained close to the family. I think Janelle wanted the family, NOT Meri's brother.

      However, Meri didn't learn the first rule of roommates. Don't move in with your best friend, and set clear ground rules from the beginning. Just because you are friends, doesn't mean you can live together. Especially when that means sharing the love of your life, emotionally and sexually. It sounds like living with My-Way Meri isn't fun, not then, and not now.

      Delete
    4. Christine’s story is supposed to be light hearted. I think she is scarred emotionally by her family and by her Parent’s breakup. I would love to know more about the dynamics of her family.

      A professor in college told me once, “Sometimes the most depressed people have the biggest smiles on their faces.” I think Christine keeps herself locked into the silly teen girly behavior to keep herself from having to feel the real pain when she confronts her demons.

      When she describes how, in her teen years, she decided to live the “principle” she then and there decided to ONLY enter a marriage as the third wife. She describes it in the book, and on the show. I think that story is supposed to show us how solid she is in her plural marriage path. I don’t think it shows that at all. I think it shows how much pain she is in.

      She doesn’t want a man one on one. That is just too much work. Too much emotion you mean. You have to be in love, you have to want to be with that man, you want to take care of him, have him see you when you are vulnerable, and see him at his best and his worst. You also don’t know what is coming after the man. You aren’t guaranteed anything, not a good sister wife, not a caring man who will see to your needs as well as any future wives. You don’t know.

      Of COURSE Christine wanted to be third. She had it all worked out. Most plural marriages have two or three wives at best. If she entered as the third wife she would most likely be the LAST wife. There to take care of hearth and home for the others. There to nurture others as a way to mask the fact that you need the nurturing more than anyone! She would also know everything, and everyone she was getting involved with.

      Christine is silly and lighthearted for one reason. To keep everyone around her silly and lighthearted. It’s why she is so good with children, she’s goofy and fun to be around and I suspect that her “rules” are very flexible.

      If she stops the silly, flirtatious behavior things might get serious, she might have to feel real emotion. It might hurt. Better to keep it silly and lighthearted.

      That’s why Robyn coming into the picture swiped her off her feet. I don’t think she will ever fully recover from that until she gets some real counseling. Not just pills. Real therapy.

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    5. Kody’s part of the story? Wow. Nothing really new from what we have seen on the show. Just cements in my mind what an egotistical ass he really is. He can only live in the here and now, he can’t plan and he can only think about himself and his needs. A true narcissist.

      And Robyn’s story. Well, this book review is from May of 2012 and I am reading the book in Sept 2013. A lot has come out about Robyn since then and her story in this book is a bunch of bullshit.

      She left out of the story all of the “ran away from home” got pregnant and had to get married. She makes it seem like she met a nice boy from her church and settled down, that isn’t the story she tells later.

      It’s also very confusing about how her parents lived a life of a honeymoon, yet her father could never acknowledge her in public. I know from here and there that she has a step father, she never explains which father was the honeymoon father.

      Reading her story is the worst of them all. The whole She-Rah crap is just too juvenile for words. Puuullluuuuzzzeee. It’s okay as an adult to admit you really screwed up with your marriage choice and now you are moving on and learning from past mistakes. If you put her timeline together it was pretty close to getting a divorce/meeting Meri and Kody. I’m not sure which came first. She states that the marriage was 7 years and the divorce was 1 and ½ years, putting it close to the 2009 meeting with the Browns. They are vague with that and when it happened. I don’t think she was far out of her first marriage when she was hop, hop, hoping into her second.

      On the show she is a needy, clingy woman with needy, clingy daughters. Ugh. In the book she is a victim. Just lay her down in the street and paint tire treads over her, gag me. I’d rather have my teeth worked on by a brand new dentist than read her “writing”!

      However, I think Robyn is there for one person, at least in the beginning. Meri wanted Robyn for her own reasons. Meri wanted a friend, someone she could have a real, deep relationship with. Someone who would be on her "side", two against two. She even states that they all went to counseling together before Kody married Robyn. Hhhhmmm. She never did that with Janelle or Happy Christine. They didn’t have counseling with Robyn and Kody to help them come to terms with her coming into THEIR family!!??

      Well Meri, be careful what you wish for.

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  43. I'm watching this whole show on Netflix right now just because it's sociologically and psychologically fascinating. Unfortunately, it's also pathetic. These women are constantly talking (on the couch) about "getting through" the jealousy of the new wife etc. Well, in a monogamous marriage to your best friend there's none of that unhealthy crap (unless the man is a felanderer). The first wife, Meri, talks almost like a clueless bipolar when she says things like "today, it doesn't bother me...I don't know why!" giggle..."but yesterday I was so upset I couldn't sleep." And who really knows who their 14 children feel about all this. They are kids and are put in the position of having to put up a front of support for the "lifestyle" but meanwhile they're fielding ridicule from other kids etc. Then #2's teen boy gets clinically depressed in Las Vegas. They should take ALL their teens to a psychologist for evaluation so they at least have an outlet to discuss how the "lifestyle" really is affecting them. I mean, their father is a selfish prick who states openly that the thought of his wives w/another man makes him sick to his stomach AND he's disgusted at first that his 4th wife is divorced e.g., "it had an ICK factor!" The man has zero empathy and thus respect for women. Period.

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