"A vibrant, nuanced novel about marriage... and the moment when we realize that the shimmer of fantasy pales next to the tumultuous reality of... happiness." -- Carolyn Parkhurst, national bestselling author of The Dogs of Babel

What sane woman would consider becoming any man's ninth wife? Bess Gray is a thirty-five-year-old folklorist and amateur martial artist living in Washington, DC. Just as she's about to give up all hope of marriage, she meets Rory, a charming Irish musician, and they fall in love. But Rory is a man with a secret, which he confesses to Bess when he asks for her hand: He's been married eight times before. Shocked, Bess embarks on a quest she feels she must undertake before she can give him an answer. With her long-married, bickering grandparents, her neighbor (himself a mystery), a shar-pei named Stella, and a mannequin named Peace, Bess sets out on a cross-country journey -- unbeknownst to Rory -- to seek out and question the wives who came before. What she discovers about herself and her own past is far more than she bargained for.

"A witty, satisfying novel with a clever structure... There's something so sweetly endearing about both Bess and Rory that readers will pull for them, knowing the odds may be against them -- even against marriage itself -- but hoping that this time, true love will triumph." -- Sarah Pekkanen, The Washington Post

"A nuanced take on relationships." -- Publishers Weekly

"As Amy Stolls takes us into the minds, hearts, and histories of Bess and Rory, we grapple with the thorny, thrilling truth that love is always complicated, always -- every time, every day -- a risk." -- Marisa de los Santos, New York Times-bestselling author of Love Walked In

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• Publication Date: June 11, 2024
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 498 Pages
• File Size: 56 KB