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&quote;In this funny and engaging novel, Amy Stolls shows us that reallife romance is rarely as clearcut as it seems. The Ninth Wife is a vibrant, nuanced novel about marriage, identity and the moment when we realize that the shimmer of fantasy pales next to the tumultuous reality of ordinary, everyday happiness. Carolyn Parkhurst, author of The Dogs of BabelA smart, funny, eye-opening tale of love, marriage, and the power of stories to unlock the true meaning of home and family.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 journeyunbeknownst to Roryto 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.