The 19th wife

I don't know how to describe The 19th Wife. It's about polygamy in the early days of the Mormon religion, and also about a crime committed in a remote polygamist breakaway community. And because of that, I can't say if I liked it or not. I thoroughly enjoyed the modern-day story. It was well-paced and the characters were likeable. But I found the early-Mormon story too long-winded. And yet, I know that it was essential in my understanding of the background to the contemporary plot. I just wished the balance of the book had been more even. Maybe I should have skipped the bits I didn't like?