Finalist for the Western Writers of America’s 2020 Spur Awards for Historical Novel Finalist for the 2019 Association for Mormon Letters Awards for Novel “Compelling historical fiction…. Part love story, part religious explication, part mystery….A journey you won’t forget.”—Houston ChronicleIn the inhospitable lands of the Utah Territory, during the winter of 1888, thirty-seven-year-old Deborah … Utah Territory, during the winter of 1888, thirty-seven-year-old Deborah Tyler waits for her husband, Samuel, to return home from his travels as a wheelwright. It is now the depths of winter, Samuel is weeks overdue, and Deborah is getting worried.
Deborah lives in Junction, a tiny town of seven Mormon families scattered along the floor of a canyon, and she earns her living by tending orchards and making work gloves. Isolated by the red-rock cliffs that surround the town, she and her neighbors live apart from the outside world, even regarded with suspicion by the Mormon faithful who question the depth of their belief.
When a desperate stranger who is pursued by a Federal Marshal shows up on her doorstep seeking refuge, it sets in motion a chain of events that will turn her life upside down. The man, a devout Mormon, is on the run from the US government, which has ruled the practice of polygamy to be a felony. Although Deborah is not devout and doesn’t subscribe to polygamy, she is distrustful of non-Mormons with their long tradition of persecuting believers of her wider faith.
But all is not what it seems, and when the Marshal is critically injured, Deborah and her husband’s best friend, Nels Anderson, are faced with life and death decisions that question their faith, humanity, and both of their futures.
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‘The Glovemaker’ is set into motion when Deborah, a Mormon wife living in Junction, Utah in 1888, opens her door to a stranger’s knock. Junction was settled by a group of Mormon families who strayed from the norms of their church in that they did not build a wardhouse, nor did they appoint a bishop. Only one homesteader is polygamous, but the residents are sympathetic to the Saints–men who chose to have multiple wives and believed that this brought them closer to God. Deborah’s wheelwright husband, Samuel, has been travelling to outlying towns for work for months but is due home soon. In the past, he has aided Mormons fleeing from the law, helping them find their way to a sanctuary called Floral Ranch. Despite qualms about opening her home to a stranger, Deborah believes that it is her duty to help a fellow Mormon, as Samuel would have done. She feeds the man and lets him sleep in her barn overnight, and after he leaves in the morning, she sends him off to her nearest neighbor, Samuel’s best friend Nels, who will take him on to Floral Ranch. She takes pains to conceal the fact that he was ever there. Deborah knows that if he is running, there will be lawmen behind him, and the last thing she wants is to be charged with aiding a criminal. And indeed, a federal marshall soon arrives. He is bent on finding Braden, claiming the man kidnapped a 16-year old girl and made her his third wife. Deborah denies ever seeing him and directs the marshall to Nels’s house, hoping the two men have already left. Soon, the situation takes a turn for the worst.
There was a lot to like about this book. For one thing, I didn’t know a lot about the early Mormon church and its offshoots, nor did I know the extent of the persecution the Mormons endured. One striking event that I had never heard of was a raid on a wagon train of settlers that left all but a handful of children dead–men, women, children, the elderly all slain. While Native Americans were initially blamed, it came out that Mormons had also participated, presumably to avenge the murders of Joseph Smith and his brother. I also appreciated Weisgarber’s descriptions of the ominous territory in the deep of winter. Overall, the characters were individualized and well-drawn, and Deborah’s internal conflicts–her fears v. her sense of duty, her concern for her sister and her family, her growing dependence on Nels and his apparent attraction to her, and her concern that Samuel should have returned weeks earlier–were handled believably and added to the tension. Overall, this was an enjoyable historical novel.
One note: Despite the title, glovemaking had little to do with the story. There is no glovemaking shop, no customers stopping by, no gloves being made. Yes, Deborah does make gloves, mostly as gifts for family and friends. There is a description of the gloves given to Nels the previous Christmas, Deborah twice pages the through the book where she has recorded people’s measurements, and she mentions a few times that it makes her happy to know that Samuel must be wearing the gloves she made for him. That’s it. I looked for a symbolic meaning but found none. Not exactly false advertising, but the title really doesn’t measure up to the story that Weisgarber tells.
I’m familiar with that area of Utah and the story seemed very realistic.
A meticulously researched novel that drew me in from the first page. The writing is lovely with a subtly that is rare. A quick and enjoyable read.
Did not like
I enjoyed reading this novel as a piece of fiction. However, later I learned that it was quite accurate historically. Previously, I hadn’t known that a segment of the Modern Day Saints broke away from the Mormon church due to its policy on the plurality of wives.
Well written. An interesting read.
This book was awesome. Was a real page turner. Sat up a few nites late, could not put it down.
It was to long . Didn’t care for the ending
Much to my disappointment, glove-making has little to do with this story. Or did I fall asleep during that part? What I had hoped would be a fascinating read – a mormon wife (glovemaker) in 1888 Utah awaiting her husband’s long-overdue return encounters a stranger at her door – was rather slow and dull. While the lifestyle and beliefs of that faith were interesting if you cared to luxuriate in that atmosphere, it grew tiring for me. It was interesting, however, to learn more about the injustice and persecution they endured. What I enjoyed most was the winter scene in the desolate and rugged area where this early settlement of Junction took place.