Strong Passions - A Scandalous Divorce in Old New York

What could possibly go wrong in a wealthy matriarch's country home when her dilettante son, his restless wife, and his widowed brother live there together? Strong Passions, rooted in the beguiling times of Edith Wharton's "old New York," recounts the true story of a tumultuous marriage. In 1862, Mary Strong stunned her husband, Peter, by confessing to a two-year affair with his brother. Peter sued Mary for divorce for adultery-the only grounds in New York-but not before she accused him of forcing her into an abortion and having his own affair with the abortionist. She then kidnapped their young daughter and disappeared.

The divorce trial Strong v. Strong riveted the nation during the final throes and aftermath of the Civil War, offering a shocking glimpse into the private world of New York's powerful and privileged elite. Barbara Weisberg presents the chaotic courtroom and panoply of witnesses-governess, housekeeper, private detective, sisters-in-law, and many others-who provided contradictory and often salacious testimony. She then asks us to be the jury, deciding each spouse's guilt and the possibility of a just resolution.

Social history at its most intimate, Strong Passions charts a trial's twists and turns to portray a family and country in turmoil as they faced conflicts over women's changing roles, male custody of children, and men's power-financial and otherwise-over wives.

About the author

Barbara Weisberg is a former television producer and the author of Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism. She lives in upstate New York.

Product details

• Authors: Barbara Weisberg, Weisberg Barbara
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 20.02.2024
• EAN: 9780393531527
• ISBN: 978-0-393-53152-7
• No. of pages: 336
• Dimensions: 160 mm x 236 mm x 30 mm
• Weight: 559 g
• Illustrations: 1 illustration
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, New York City, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women, Biography: general, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, HISTORY / Women, LAW / Family Law / Divorce & Separation, LAW / Family Law / Marriage, c 1800 to c 1900, Social and cultural history, Gender studies: women, History of the Americas, Gender studies: women and girls, Biography: historical, political and military, Family Law: Marriage & Divorce, c 1860 to c 1869, Family law: marriage, separation and divorce