WillySteed*ChristineMarie*KolleneSnow*AudienceMember*EdKociela AuthorPlygsAnswersQuestions *JewelryAtGuilt* DickJaneFlipbook*Spoilers*Tweets*RebeccaMusser*My5WivesGreat Stories*BuyTeamKolleenTshirtTodayDon'tMissOut!!!Review!!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Becoming Sister Wives: Part Three: Family

Ysabel packing for a stay at Meri's



WARNING: I am about to be brutally frank and definitely mean. If this will disturb you, sorry. And if you don't want to see SPOILERS - STOP READING NOW!
Meri's Big A-- Chapter


Well, over half way through, and finally, I get to Part Three: Family. Then I take a look at the chapters. Whoa Nellie! What's this? Why is Meri's chapter almost twice as many pages as Janelle's and Christine's combined?

What the heck is happening?

Then I start reading Meri's chapter. I don't know, maybe I'm getting tired of reading this stuff, but for goodness sakes, I can't believe how she could talk so much about so little.

For example, at the beginning of her chapter, she says when she married Kody, they shared a checking account. When Kody married Janelle, Meri added Janelle to the account. Meri paid all the bills, and set up the monthly budget, Janelle felt Meri was trying to control the finances and got mad at Meri. Eventually they got their own bank accounts and started paying their own bills for their households.

Four sentences. Meri conveyed the same information in four PARAGRAPHS. And I'm still left wondering, did Janelle think Meri was perhaps not allocating enough funds in Janelle's budget? Why would Janelle get so upset? Guess I have to wait until Janelle's scant 5 1/2 pages to get an answer, maybe.

As I continued to forge ahead, I notice a major faux pas - well in my book at least. After a lengthy discourse on why she doesn't allow her bonus children to jump on her furniture, how she expects her bonus children to not only respect her, but her space and inanimate objects too etc etc, she starts talking about how she had to discipline the boys who were picking on Robyn's girls on a camping trip. Wait a minute, wasn't that incident on the show (yes it was). And then 3 pages later she talks about her "close bond" with Ysabel and that "Christine will joke from time to time that Ysabel should come live with me...Half the time I'm not sure that she's joking!"

Hey, that was covered in the first 15 minutes of the same camping show, when Mariah was cleaning up the extra bedroom so Ysabel could move in. Are you telling me THAT WAS ALL FOR SHOW AND NOT REAL?????Ysabel wasn't really moving in??????

And why the hell is Meri writing about stuff that already was shown on the TV show anyway? What happened? Did the book writing get in the way of traveling back and forth to Utah?

Here's some tidbits - summarized to preserve your mental well-being:

  • The Browns divide the responsibility for bill payment (mortgage, cell phone etc) based on each person's income level. In other words, the person who makes the most money, pays the most in bills.
  • Emergency expenses are brought to Kody's attention who then will go to another wife (or wives if it's a lot) to collect enough money to cover the expense.
  • If Kody had a good sale month, they would either use the extra cash to pay past due bills or use the money for a trip with a wife and her kids.
  • Once when Christine disciplined Mariah, Meri disagreed with the punishment claiming it was inappropriate and extreme. Christine stood her ground and they agreed to disagree.
  • When Meri disciplined Christine's 'boys' about picking on Robyn's girls (camping trip incident) Christine later told Meri she was completely out of line for yelling at the boys. Christine would have preferred to talk to her boys in private and individually.
  • Mariah is a goody two shoes (my words) and plans on going to college and becoming a doctor and plural wife.
  • Mariah shares Meri's eating habits - they prefer fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish instead of "kid-friendly" foods.
  • Robyn and her kids join Meri for dinner at Meri's house often. This happens with and without Kody being present.
  • Though Meri and Janelle both have pools, the teens tend to congregate at Janelle's house more often. Meri claims this is because Janelle's house is more centrally located and she has a bigger pool.
  • Meri's house is the quietest of all the houses.
  • Meri has bonded with Dayton, and they share the same birthday.
  • Mariah is often at Robyn's house babysitting or helping out with her kids and she "...is happy to do it."
  • When Mariah leaves for college, Meri sees her life going down three possible paths: continuing school, pursuing the family business by doing humanitarian work or travel, or Robyn being a surrogate and Meri becoming a mother again.
Janelle's Chapter
Some tidbits:
  • Compared to Kody and the other wives, Janelle believes she is a softy, and if it wasn't for them, her children would have run wild.
  • Certain kids form attachments with different mothers, in Janelle's case Hunter "gravitates towards Christine."
  • She believes that because they are out in the open about being polygamists, they can be available for each other's children at school or sports events. "We can finally be the family we always dreamed of being."

Christine's Chapter

Some tidbits:

  • Christine says "While all four of our households have more or less the same rules, the enforcement can be quite different! For example, none of us permit jumping on the furniture - but Meri's couches will last her entire lifetime, while Janelle's were broken after a month,. Mine get really , really dirty, really, really fast, while Robyn's will remain pristine for a long time."
  • Christine finds plates and forks under her couches occasionally, and wrappers shoved in between the couch cushions.
  • Christine acknowledges she has a problem with Aspyn and Mykelti showing too much skin, and hides their low neckline shirts.
  • Mykelti is best buds with Robyn who helps her with hair and makeup.
  • Christine has asked her kids not to go on blogs because "...some people have no conscience online and say  whatever they feel--and sometimes it really hurts our kids."
  • Christine has been thinking about moving into a house with Janelle and her kids, but they would need at least 9 bedrooms.

Robyn's Chapter

Some tidbits:

  • Robyn says "...Now that we have a television show, we are essentially working together as a family on a daily basis and we are a team financially."
  • Breanna and Robyn are hypoglycemic.
  • She stands up for the underdog: She stands up for Mykelti and sees  the best in her.
  • Robyn does not tolerate bullying and minor teasing is off-limits.
  • Admits the older kids did not accept her as a mom, and although their relationship is getting better, its "still a work in progress."

Next but not least: Part Four: Celebrity and Epilogue: Kody.

52 comments:

  1. Notice that if one of the wives has a money crunch, Kody goes around to the others and gets the money from them. He doesn't think of kicking in. What a racket.

    Right, Janelle and Christine, take off. Now. You don't need 9 bedrooms (more crazy thinking) and you need to go pronto. So Robyn stands up for Mykelti and sees the best in her. Like what do you think is wrong with her that she needs the support from the likes of Robyn? Meri is a total b___h. No other word will do and I hate I didn't spell it out. Surely no one would object here. No teens will accept a stranger as a new mother right off the bat. They really, deep down, don't accept anyone as a mother but the birth mother. Why? Because they aren't a real family with the mothers sisterwives and a strong father. Give me an f_ing break.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed BC....Kody is such a huge effing boob!!! o_O

      Delete
  2. Wow, thanks. At least I don't have to buy this book now.

    I feel so bad for these kids. No amount of money could make me compromise my kids' privacy like this. And I think that was in Parenting 101.

    Mariah is clearly smart. I'm not sure any woman has ever managed to be a polygamist and a doctor. But, uh, power to her. She's also smart enough to tell her mom what she wants to hear, but maybe not smart enough to realize her idiot parent will broadcast all over the universe. Poor girl.

    Seriously, I am rooting for her. She doesn't need this BS. She can come home for Christmas with presents, get married at 30, and be a star. Mariah is smart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Shipp

      Ellis Shipp was a polygamist and a doctor - and this was in 1875. Not endorsing the lifestyle, but it is pretty amazing what she accomplished consdering the circumstances.

      Delete
  3. Another Wow !!

    Meri is not only a control freak, she also is not very original, nor very smart. Doing a replay of the "disciplining the boys" and essentially letting the cat out of the bag that the "Ysabel move" *was only for the cameras* is insulting to all who plunked down $$ for the book or download. (or watched the show)
    Not to mention the *example* it sets for the children about truth and integrity.
    Instead, it teaches them at an early age how to sham, how to "fake".....!!!

    Janelle's chapter is disappointing to all who want to believe that this wife/woman has an extra bit of character and backbone than the rest of them.
    "I am just a softy..my kids would be "wild??"
    Wow...not a terribly bright admission or indictment about your parenting skills or intention.
    Not too hard now to see why she came back, is it??

    Christine is....uhh, consistently, Christine !!
    A bit wacky, a bit clueless and always willing to try to be the moral compass for what others should do and think. (yes, the Blog comment was noted)
    Christine and Janelle together...why not? May as well only destroy one house, rather than two.
    But then again, is this just another tidbit to throw into the book for *color*....true or not!!

    Robyn....My, my...the self-proclaimed, self-appointed Nanny MCFee of the KodyWorld.
    May she ever reign.

    Thanks, Cynical Jinx !!!!
    You deserve an award for *stamina* as well as for wit and smarts.!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Christine stood up to Meri?

    Is it just me, or does Mariah just tell the adults what they want to hear-in order to set herself apart from her 16 siblings (she's the only one that is decidedly pro-polygamy, not from her own words, she seemed to parrot back what the adults said about polygamy being beneficial).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree I think Mariah is a little parrot. i think she's a little delusional about the whole doctor thing, no one in that family seems to take education very seriously. Not only that but the girl grew up around adults who (except for Janelle)hardly ever work. Becoming a doctor takes an extremly disciplined work ethic, something for the most part that is learned by example and her examples suck.

      Delete
    2. I agree with you on all points. Also, didn't Kody (in a rare incident of parenting) state that the church school wasn't going to cut it-as far as grades? It lead me to believe that the school wasn't accredited and that they may not have followed state homeschooling guidelines.

      I just finished reading Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy, by Susan Schmidt (Verlan LeBaron's 5th wife). She was called on to teach elementary school on the LeBaron compound, but she hadn't finished 9th grade (married and pregnant at 15)! If that's the state of fundamentalist Mormon teachers, Mariah doesn't have a good chance. She needs hardcore advanced work in math and science, perhaps joining HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) to see if its her thing.

      Joining the military might work for her-if she has enough discipline to do it-that way she could get funding for school from the GI Bill.

      Delete
    3. Great idea about the military especially if fundage is low and what better way to be introduced to discipline. I agree that the mormon schools are not anywhere up to par regarding science and math. I don't think they see education especially of young women as beneficial to them as a group or them individually since baby/home maker is what they're destined for.

      Delete
  5. Thank you so much for posting these reviews, I'm addicted!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You know, I'm honestly surprised that Meri is coming off as such a "mean girl" in this. Did they not all READ the book before it was published? I can't imagine that anyone read this and got any impression other than Meri being a bully. My heart really does break for all these women. I'll admit, when I first started watching the show, I defended their lifestyle, believing that consenting adults should be allowed to live how they want, provided they are not causing harm to others. Now, while I still believe they should have the freedom to choose, I can't help but believe they are doing irreparable harm to their own self-esteem and emotional well-being.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh I hope this season ill include Christine and Janelle living together and Kody suggesting Meri also move in with Robyn because Meri doesn't realistically need a whole house. OH PLEASE TLC OH PLEASE!

    The look on Meri's face.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would actually watch it on tv if this happened TLC :) Not just watch it at my leisure via the web. Now THAT would be GOOD tv!

      Delete
  8. I appreciate the recaps of the book, thank you very much. I've been interested in it, but wasn't sure I wanted to donate through the sale, to the Kody Klan.

    I'm concerned over the payments they receive from the show. I would think that some of that has to be put in trust for the kids, as they also appear in the show. I just have this concern that they will spend and spend and be right back down the bankruptcy road as soon as the show is over.

    As far as the different wives' chapters, I'd think they'd use those to tell us about themselves more so rather than rehashing things we've seen on the show. Of course, I'm not sure Christine and Janelle have enough self esteem to think they are worth discussing in their chapters. I have always felt very sorry for those 2 and just wish that for once they had a reason to feel good about themselves.

    Something I noticed from the last recap is their insistence that "they all work". Where? I never see them going to or returning from work. I'm thinking their idea of work and mine are different. Maybe they work taking care of their kids, sure - but work? I've not seen it since they've moved to NV. I used to see Janelle coming home from work in UT.

    As for Kody, if he had a good sale month, either the money would go to overdue bills or a trip with A wife and their kids???? What's wrong with if there were no overdue bills, put that money into savings --- I don't know, maybe in case there's an emergency???

    These people!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. F.T. I love your name!

      "I'm concerned over the payments they receive from the show. I would think that some of that has to be put in trust for the kids, as they also appear in the show. I just have this concern that they will spend and spend and be right back down the bankruptcy road as soon as the show is over."

      Unfortunately, the Coogan Act is a California state law only. We can only hope the Browns' were responsible enough to have created trusts for their children...

      Delete
    2. I doubt they're making as much as everyone thinks. Remember they have 21 people to support. I'm sure they are doing better than they were financially than before the show...but they don't strike me as a bunch of savers. I also don't believe they get anything from their promotional tweets. I'm sure TLC pays for stuff that happens on video - buying the furniture, eating at the Mexican restaurant etc. maybe the restaurant owner throws in some free guacamole once in awhile off season but I doubt they are being comp'd to any large degree.

      Delete
    3. Whether they have been salting $$ away for the kids' future will become apparent (or not) when Logan and the older kids start getting ready for college...even with scholarships (?? From where I have no idea) there are still going to be expenses to meet - my guess is community college w/part time jobs and student loans. Not that there's anything wrong with community college but...

      Delete
    4. Jinx - thanks for the information on the Coogan act being a CA law only. It should be throughout the U.S.! Why should a child's parents make a fortune off of them and leave the child with nothing? (Thinking of John/Kate plus 8, and other train wreck shows)

      Thanks for the compliment also! I love yours :-)

      Delete
  9. Hmm interesting stuff there.

    1. Christine has asked her kids not to go on blogs, This makes me wonder if they are refering to this blog?

    2. Robyn stands up for the underdog..she stands up for Mykelti. I wasn't aware Mykelti was an underdog?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Christine has asked her kids not to go on blogs, This makes me wonder if they are refering to this blog?"

      LMFAO!!!! SWB was called the mean blog on the Facebook page when Robyn was 11 months pregnant with Sol. So I have no doubt that Christine was referring to SWB!

      And don't forget Aspyngate...some of her friends (if not the young Brown herself) showed up on our doorstep many times!

      Delete
  10. CJ- I commend you on being able to stay awake enough to have read this part of the book, and also comprehending it enough to write a concise review. I came down with sudden onset narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder during the "Family" chapter. What a nonsensical snoozefest. While in the first two parts of the book they seemed to be opening up a bit, the "Family" chapter seemed to be a bunch of filler, which was poorly organized and very random and difficult to follow. You are right pn about Meri saying absolutely nothing in a whole bunch of pages. Someone should have given them a tip that It would've greatly helped if they had used an outline, flow chart, or even a Venn Diagram to write their chapters. Guess they missed out on Creative Writing class in high school.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C'mon, my 1st graders can use graphic organizers. : )

      Delete
  11. I think Meri showed her butch side (ick) when she was yelling at the kids on the camping trip. But then everyone left her hanging when she yelled "I'd like some support from the wives..." Yep, bullying only gets you so far in life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What amazed me about that incident, as well as Meri's rehashing of it in Becoming Sister Wives, was the fact that Kody - the OTHER parent was right there the whole time, yet Meri calls on support from the mothers?!?

      Later on the couch Kody said "I was so angry...If Meri had not done this I would have taken them all back to the campsite and the night would have been over." Yeah, right...sure you would have.

      Tells you a lot, right there!

      Delete
    2. The only time I actually did like Meri was when she ripped into the other kids for acting like bullies.

      Delete
  12. Again, thanks to Cynical Jinx for the info and time reading what sounds like a floundering book at this point.

    Finances...hum, always wondered how that worked. Doesn't seem fair that Christine, Meri, Robyn and Kody drop their bills on Janelle since it appears she had the steadiest income. "If you make more, you pay more" No wonder Janelle has that hollow, distant stare...nothing to look forward to...I feel sorry for Janelle. Sounds like she knew better, got out for a while and then went back to raise all those kids.

    As for Meri's section...sounds like she was phoning it in from the road because it all sounds like episodes we have already seen, right?

    Weird how the show divided Meri and Dayton's birthday into the big 70's surprise party for Meri and the simple cake for Dayton on moving day.

    Janelle input on family as usual short, sweet and practical.

    I think Christine's omission of the sloppy house is in line and expected with cooking, schooling and daycare of all those kids.

    And good old Robyn as selfish as always talking about herself instead of the family...I'm hypoglycemic, I stand up for the under dog, older kids don't accept me...boo who who !

    And in my last post I suggested that Janelle and Christine make a run for it and leave the others behind...it appears that has been considered...run Janelle run and Christine will watch the kids. No more worker wives against the "prissy cling-on" wives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good point about Janelle - working and giving all her money to support this enormous family must be quite a heavy burden. Can't save for a new pair of shoes or some new curtains when you have to feed, clothe and shelter 21 people.

      I agree that Janelle and Christine need to bail. Then Kody can get Meri to move in with Robyn so he won't have to run around like a goofball anymore, wondering which house he left his favorite wrinkled shirt or blow-dryer.

      This family is a house of cards. While I think the women all knew what they were getting into when they signed up, I hope at least one of them will realize she's heading down a path of lifelong sadness, take her children, and leave.

      Delete
  13. Thanks so much for reading this and giving us the short version. I saw this book for sale yesterday but bought Sam Brower's book instead. These poor women! No surprises, though. From the beginning, I always thought what wasn't shown on "Sister Wives" was more interesting than what was.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Laws are made to protect people from abuse or harm from others. The U.S. government apparently believes polygamy abuses or harms women and children, and, despite the assurances by the wives that they are oh-so-happy with this arrangement, and the warm praise from their fans who think "consenting adults" should be allowed to do whatever they want, the show and book have reinforced my conviction that polygamy does, in fact, harm women and children. If the Browns were hoping to change the law by opening up their lives to us, I think their plan backfired.

    On a side note, I wonder if Reverend Dani has read the book...

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow!! Sounds like this chapter was a snoozefest, esp Mean girl...lol I kinda expected more from the other moms to share stories about how each of their household is handled on a day to day basis, school functions,etc...
    Seems like they always had overdue bills since they always seemed broke, so why wouldn't they automatically just pay bills instead of taking 1 wife (I'm guessing it was Meri most of the time) & kid(s) on a trip. Or better yet, if they were gonna blow extra $$ on a good time, why not plan something for all the wives & kids to enjoy?? Even if its a trip to a park to cookout...
    I'm not buying what Meri says about considering, Robyn as a surrogate. I just think she put that out there to make it seem like it's a possibility & maybe they're saving it for a "last resort" card to play w/ TLC if they're show is on the verge of being cancelled unless they can bring a "wow factor" to the table.

    I'm sure Christine was referring to SWB, when she was referring to blogs. People who may not exactly agree w/ your lifestyle choices & speaking the truth or expressing how they feel, aren't exactly mean, Christine, it's called reality & it's way more truth & real than what America is seeing on the ur show, Sister Wives. Maybe they haven't figured out, that w/ fame comes lots of public criticism. Just have to take the good with the bad, U know...kinda like the polygamy lifestyle. Also, about the girls showing too much skin. Hello, U live in Vegas. Not only is it super hot there, but what were ya'll expecting when ya'll moved to Sin City? Las Vegas environment is on a way different level of its own!
    After, their time on tv has ended, Janelle, just needs to get the hell outta there & make Kody support the other wives on his own income. What a freaking loser Kody is....ugggghhhhhhhh!!!
    Of course, Robyn is gonna stand up for Mykelti....she's her main babysitter.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I honestly don't think that the surrogate thing is ever gonna happen even if Meri agrees...unless TLC is footing the bill. $$$

    ReplyDelete
  17. "Janelle felt Meri was trying to control the finances and got mad at Meri."

    Meri expected Janelle to fork over her paycheck while Meri didn't work and ran off on trips with Kody every chance she got....Ha Ha nice try Meri!!

    And whats this nonsense about Mariah babysitting Robyn's kids...for what reason?!? I thought when Kody married Robyn she felt bad for not contributing to the finances so she was gonna do her part by helping Christine with the kids, lol. Oh, it must be for those special nights w/Kody so she can be completely focused on her man & keep that Honeymoon Experience going! YUCK!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robyn married Kody becau$e $he $aw money $ign$, e$specially when $he found out about the reality $how. In her chapter in Matrimony, $he even mentioned the many convertible car$ parked at the big hou$e when $he vi$ited the Brown$ the fir$t time "...the fir$t thing I noticed wa$ that there were three convertible$ parked in the driveway. For $ome rea$on, I had the impre$$ion that they were trying to $how off for me..." I bet you thought that, Robyn!

      $he played hard to get, and Kody fell for it hook line and $inker. $he'$ now got live in baby$itter$ and income from TLC. $he no longer live$ in a double wide, $he'$ in a rented 5 bedroom 2 $tory hou$e in La$ Vega$. In her limited world $he think$ $he'$ hit the jackpot...and $he ha$, until the TLC gig end$.

      And then $he'll be back where $he $tarted.

      Delete
    2. For $ome rea$on, I had the impre$$ion that they were trying to $how off for me..." I bet you thought that, Robyn!

      Thanks, CJ...you are too funny & I sooo agree about the $$$$ signs! I can totally see Robyn believing that crap...she certainly is FULL of herself!! These people are embarrassing!

      Delete
  18. So I gather from Robyn that she considers the show to be "working"...remember her tweets...?

    ReplyDelete
  19. So I'm watching the very beginning of Sister Wives on Netflix, b/c I hadn't seen it from the very beginning before...
    Just can't believe how they're tryna appear so normal & make it sound like their lives are just perfect, etc....in the couch interviews(pre-Robyn), when they're talking about adding another wife to the mix, U can clearly see how uncomfortable Christine is w/ this concept. Also, the priceless looks on Christine & Janelle's face, when Meri say's "well, the more the merrier"....lol Of course, Meri & Kody has stupid grins on their faces.....
    Also, how Kody says that at least once a week the family eats all together & how every night he likes to make sure he sees his kids off to bed, etc... Maybe he did, when they all lived in the house in Lehi, but I wonder just how often the whole family eats together now or hangs out together for that matter? I just wonder how much they have all grown apart, or would even admit to, since moving to Vegas? Now, that they have had their taste of having their own homes, it will be hard to merge the family back into 1 family unit, if push comes to shove & have no choice but to move back to Lehi. I suspect the wives won't look forward to it. Also, have to wonder if Robyn would get her own house again, or how would they work that out? The show is a huge contradictory to their book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right after they moved to Las Vegas, they had a talking heads/couch session where Christine (?) said Kody promised more quality time with each family and she and Meri agreed that they would rather have less time seeing him if he was more focused on them. It was a rare moment of "life wasn't that great in the big house".

      There are families where one parent is traveling every week Sun-Th (consulting firms are big on this) and those families still see their parent more than these kids see Kody. i don't get how being a single mom with a stop-in boyfriend is better than just being on your own. It isn't TLC, because I bet dollars to donuts TLC would continue to employ any one of the women that left and agreed to be part of the show but as an ex.

      Delete
    2. Is it just me, or does Kody not seem all that interested in his kids once they exit the womb?

      Delete
    3. He's probably jealous because children will always get more attention than adult. Especially an adult who acts like a 40 yr old kid!

      Delete
  20. 'Compared to Kody and the other wives, Janelle believes she is a softy, and if it wasn't for them, her children would have run wild'.

    Funny, I have always favored Janelle's kids. They are the ones that seem the most well balanced and mature of the bunch. Janelle don't sell yourself short. Your kids rock! Hoping you and Christine soon make your getaway and hoping TLC gets behind you, now that is a show I would love to watch :) Janelle and Christine breaking free, dating and being independent of the Kody Side Show. Expecting, and GETTING so much more out of life. Not the only one rooting for you and Christine!

    ReplyDelete
  21. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  22. One thing is for sure, now that they have the book out and are making the media rounds, the *plots* for the new season will have to trump the book or at the very least, mirror the book's admissions.
    Otherwise, even diehard fans will be scratching their heads in "WTH??"

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow - this section was very anti-climatic. Thank you for suffering through it, CJ!

    I think this sloppy disjointed section shows them for what they really are - when they were all talking about *themselves* (and being snarky about each other) they had a lot to say. It's like the "family" part is an afterthought in their world. The kids are just pawns that get them higher into heaven I guess? And there's obviously no "sister hood" within these sister wives. How can TLC seriously continue on with this ruse? They are going to have to drop the editing and roll the tape as is and let the train derail to save any kind of face with this.

    And again with the wanting to have all this attention, but as soon as some of it points out cracks or flaws, let's whine and call the blog talkers big meanies. Nothing I have said (or that I can see that anyone else has said since I started reading this blog a few months ago) has ever really appeared mean spirited and rude. I see a lot of questioning, trying to understand these people's way of thinking, a lot of blunt advice, a lot of trying to make sense out of half truths the Brown's put out there and the flat out lies, etc. Yes, we all have things someone could point out about us. You should see how glamorous I look at 5 AM in freezing temperatures hauling kids and stinky hockey bags off to the rink without yet having my mandatory 3 cups of tea. I am sure some could question my parenting decisions, marital decisions, financial decisions, religious beliefs, diet and exercise habits, etc. However, I am NOT on National TV asking for people to pay attention to me, I am NOT writing books and hawking them on the talk show circuit, I am not twittering and face booking ads for businesses, I am not trying to shill some crazy MLM scam to all of you. That's the difference. You can't have only one side of the coin. These people's sense of entitlement makes my head spin around. They are "entitled" to religious freedom and to be consenting adults and have a million kids, etc. They are "entitled" to their freedom of speech and will get a tv show and write a book and have a web site and twitter and facebook just to prove it. But the second someone questions, or disagrees, or points out a blatant LIE they are telling, or that people are upset because most find it wrong that the government and hard working tax payers spent a lot of money supporting them, then they are going to cry foul! Why can't people leave them alone? Why do people have to get into their personal life? Why are people such big meanies?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent post, HockeyMom! You hit the nail on the head about the Brown's sense of "entitlement"!

      Delete
  24. CJ - I have to say, I really like this blog and always keep my eye on it for updates. I think you hit the nail on the head a lot of the time.

    To be honest though, I think you're being far too true to your cynical name with these reviews. I read the 1st two and then bought the book and read it last night. I didn't fall asleep, I stayed awake reading it til I was too tired to keep my eyes open, and read the last 100 pages this morning.

    The book has its good points and I found it very interesting. None of those involved are writers, however (though Janelle speaks very well), so unless you watch the show and are interested in the family already, I think you might get a bit lost and would not find the standard of writing up to scratch.

    The weakest parts of the book are those written by Kody, and it was a relief to see that the majority of the book is written by the wives. You can definitely hear their individual voices come through in each chapter. I respect Janelle even more after reading it, and I think she illustrates how Mary has been very nasty to her over the years without being spiteful. She gives the facts, as she sees them, and her honesty and candour are so refreshing. And though I really dislike Mary, based on her treatment of Janelle and Christine, she does at least acknowledge how she behaved and appears regretful. She says she loves Christine and really values her as a member of the family.

    As for Robyn, reading her section in this book actually made me like her more. It really is painted by everyone who discusses her introduction in the book as though Mary and Kody pursued and courted her together, far more than she pursued them. The 'She-Rah' thing was a bit corny for my liking, but I actually can see now why the other wives stick up for her; they all admit to having treated her unfairly and they all say that she doesn't let them leave a room til they have voiced opinions and feelings that would otherwise (and were, for nearly two decades) have been bottled up, before she came into the family. I think this openness can only be a good thing for Janelle and Christine in particular.

    Basically, I think if you are interested in this family, read the book. Going on someone's second-hand interpretation (often factual, but often coloured by cynical judgment) of a book that was written entirely for the purposes of giving a first-hand account is just so paradoxical!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the feedback, OpenMinded.

      Please refer to my warning above!

      Delete
    2. Oh I know, and I genuinely appreciate where you're coming from :) and I can certainly understand it, reading what they say is so unbelievably frustrating at times! Just offering a bit of a different opinion, thanks for publishing :)

      Delete
    3. The book totally contradicts the Sister Wives show. That is where most of everyone's opinions is coming from. So, just reading the book, will not give a genuine identity to this family. Watch, read, & research this family's history in all areas of their life, to really get a true sense of themselves.

      Delete
  25. Thanks for the reviews about the book! Defenetly not going to buy it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not only am I not going to buy the book, I am going to stop watching the show. Good luck to these people, they're going to need it. I especially have empathy for the children. I hope they can break this cycle of irresponsibility and narcicism (sp) that is their father's example.

      Delete
  26. I read a bit from the book in a BN store and one think stuck to my mind: Mary says at one point that when Kody went with Jannel in honeymoon, he looked into Mary's eyes, hands her some money and says: "this are crazy money, do something for yourself. spend it, do anything..." wow, what a generosity!! it is like he was saying, I am going to make love with this other woman, enjoy myself, and you get some money to entertain yourself (get even some candy and popcorn)....wow, how much must it hurt. Love can never be replaced with money...
    Dysfunctional all the way!!!!!!!!!!! It is completely nuts.

    ReplyDelete