The Lonely Polygamist

By: Brady Udall

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Brady Udall is the acclaimed author of the internationally best-selling The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint. In The Lonely Polygamist, Udall pens a tragicomic tale starring Golden Richards - who, despite having four wives and 28 children, hasn’t quite found fulfillment in life.

Like other men in the midst of a mid-life crisis, Golden feels as though he’s drowning. His wives squabble amongst themselves, and he hardly has time for all his children - least of all the 11-year-old who’s taken a keen interest in explosives. And now his construction business is struggling. Yet even after Golden falls in love again and takes a mistress to alleviate his pain, life continues to fall short of expectations.

Udall’s skillfully observed tale is “as comic as it is sublimely catastrophic.” (Publishers Weekly).

©2010 Brady Udall (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“One of the best novels I’ve read in a while . . . Golden Richards, middle-aged, 6-foot-6 polygamist with an overbite, is one of the most appealing, original, and brilliantly tragicomic protagonists to appear in American fiction in some time.” ( Newsday)

“A wry, sympathetic portrait of a spectacularly dysfunctional family.” ( The New Yorker)

“A thick, transporting, critically hailed novel from which you emerge, blinking but sated, into the real world.” ( Miami Herald)

favorite narrator & new author did not disappoint

I selected this title because David Aaron Baker is my favorite narrator. I fell in love with him with the Odd Thomas series. imagine my surprise when I found a nice long title he narrates for free (might be because of the specific plan I have on audible I'm not sure). I was prepared to dislike the main character and story given the subject matter. Instead I found compassion, patience, humor, tragedy, and deeply flawed and lovable characters. The narrator does a great job voicing a number of different characters of different backgrounds and genders in an immersive and non-distracting way. The plot is riveting, believable and endlessly entertaining. I would highly recommend this listen, for free or otherwise.

Excellent, and in learned a thing or two

Know a lot more about polygamy now than in did at the start of the book! Moving and intelligent.

I enjoyed it!

This was really a good story. I really enjoyed it and found that I miss the character, Golden, now that I'm finished.
I do want to note, because I don't think the author was very clear, that this is not a story about Mormons. Mormons don't practice polygamy and haven't for a couple of hundred years. While there are some words and phrases that the author uses that are similar to that of the Mormon faith, it's important to note that these people are NOT Mormon. Being Mormon myself, I cringed every time such a reference was made. Polygamist sects are breakaway groups and not affiliated with the Mormon faith in any way.

Other than that, the story line was great and entertaining. Great characters and funny, realistic situations. You don't always get what you want, but be grateful for what you have and hold it dear. That's a great way to sum up the lessons of this book!

Book Proves That Authors Can Think Sideways

I bought this book on the recommendation of Audible and I'm glad I did. I have rarely read a book that made me wonder how an author could come up with that idea; that phrase; that description - all of which combined thrust me into the world of Golden Richards, one of the most confused people I have ever met. Udall takes us through his life and trials from Golden's childhood up until middle age all the while wondering, "Am I supposed to like him or not." And that's part of the point. No one in the book can really decide that either. The writing is brilliant, stunning and absolutely unique. There are moments of such humor that I laughed out loud even while alone. There are also scenes of such sorrow that I also cried because I felt every moment of pain. I suppose it can be called a dark comedy, but that phrase really doesn't describe the breath of material which simply exposes life as it is - at least as it is for Golden, his four wives and 28 children, the names of whom are a mantra for him.

We stick with Golden as he floats from moment to moment, almost always a victim of the circumstance he finds himself. We try to cut him a break as we try to understand why he doesn't "get it" but he rarely satisfies our wish. We sidle up to his wives and cheer them on as they try to come to the same understanding. However, we don't really side with them because they are just mean and that is one thing Golden is not. We want to love all the children, but we can't really bridge that gap, except for two. The small strokes of genius subplots that carry through all the way to the end of the book are masterful and remind us that even in the throes of life,there are little things that viewed from a distance are hilarious even as they simultaneously drive us batty.

We meet Rusty, the neglected son and while we end up hoping he gets what he so ardently desires, we wish he would go about it much differently. We want to shake the entire family for failing him on so many levels. And we are amazed at how Udall nails the kid dialogue and thought process.

David Aaron Baker reads this so well that there are times you are certain there is more than one reader. He has a talent to read many voices all distinctly.

The plot twists and turns and keeps us engaged but does so in a very precise, deliberate way. I cannot say it is a comedy. I cannot say it is a drama. I cannot say it is a tragedy. It is life, fairly and justly represented in all of its glory and frustration, polygamist notwithstanding. It is us. It is no surprise to me that Udall is the writer-in-residence in Idaho.

Pleasantly Surprised!

I admit I was a little skeptical about this download, but prompted by the good reviews it has received I decided to give it a listen. It was not what I had expected. With the "Plural wives" concept as its' foundation, the storyline is not preachy nor necessarily informative. It is about the lives and hearts of the Richards family. It tells of their individual pasts and present feelings, mostly with regard to the responsibilities and often lifestyle changes, of belonging to this kind of family. Through the many stumbles and heartaches along the way, it portrays their love and need for each other. I truly enjoyed this book. It made me stop and think about the weight of the choices we each make. David Aaron Baker provided a fantastic narration, as well, to deliver insight into a different lifestyle that perhaps is not so very different from our own.

Glad I took a chance

Under "normal" circumstances, the chances of me selecting this novel are rather remote. However, it was offered on an Audible promotion as a title that editors had suggested had not received the attention it deserves. I concur - completely.

I laughed. I roared with laughter. I split a gut laughing. I cried. I sobbed. I cried rivers.

Not your usual subject material or genre? Give a listen anyway. I'm sure glad I did. Good pick, Audible Editors!

Loved this book

This was one of the best books I've listened to in a long time. I laughed so hard, but cried also. I usually don't laugh out loud while listening to a book. I really enjoyed listening to the narrator. Looking forward to listening to Brady's Edgar Mint book next.

Golden is a really good guy

The main character and father of 24 children, Golden Richards, is a nice guy who seems to have fallen into a lifestyle that amazes him. He wasn't raised as a Mormon and certainly didn't know anything about plural marriage till his largely absent father, who became a Mormon just before Golden finds him when he is 17, died and bequeathed him his fiance. From that point life just seems to happen to him without any real direction. The book takes its time in giving the reader thorough character development of Golden and his wives, particularly Trish, the youngest of the four. I particularly related to eleven year old Rusty, who feels utterly betrayed by his father and mother (the third wife) and becomes the family scape goat in order to be noticed by anybody at all. This must be the real dilemma of large polygamist families - how does any child in a group of 24 get noticed, be appreciated and have the love required to grow and prosper as an adult? I really enjoyed this book. The narrator was terrific. He captured the laconic dad and Rusty, the troubled boy, quite well.

I Loved this story

Maybe because I live in a heavily populated Mormon territory with some bad history of polygamy?!
I thought the characters were great, and well written. The narration was pretty good too.Whatever, it grabbed my attention and kept it....Of course I probably never would have bought it but for the summer sale!

Sometimes 4 wives is 5 too many!

It’s easy to be lonely even in a crowd! Insightful, funny, heartbreaking character study of the lives of a polygamist family in Utah.
So easy to identify with various characters and relate to their emotions.
Situations that seem plausible only because the talented author has coaxed you down an unfamiliar path with his obvious knowledge of the subject.