The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander

ISBN: 1496737873

Author: Bryce, Denny S.

Condition: New

Inspired by a real-life scandal that was shocking even for the tumultuous Roaring Twenties, this captivating novel tells the story of a pioneering Black journalist, a secret interracial marriage among the New York elite, and the sensational divorce case that ignited an explosive battle over race and class-and brought together two very different women fighting for justice, legitimacy, and the futures they risked everything to shape. From Denny S. Bryce, bestselling author of Wild Women and the Blues and In the Face of the Sun.New York, 1924. Born to English immigrants whove built a comfortable life, idealistic Alice Jones longs for the kind of true love her mother and father have. She believes shes found it with Leonard Kip Rhinelander, the shy heir to his prominent white familys real estate fortune. Alice too, is white, though she is vaguely aware of rumors that question her ancestry-gossip her parents dismiss. But when the lovers secretly wed, Kips parents threaten his inheritance unless he annuls the marriage.Devastated but determined, Alice faces overwhelming odds both legally and in the merciless court of public opinion. But there is one person who can either help her-or shatter her hopes for good: Reporter Marvel Cunningham. The proud daughter of an accomplished Black family, Marvel lives to chronicle social change and the Harlem Renaissances fiery creativity.At first, Marvel sees Alices case as a tabloid sensation generated by a self-hating woman who failed to pass. But the deeper she investigates, the more she will recognize just how much she and Alice have in common. For Rhinelander vs. Rhinelander will bring to light stunning truths that will force both women to confront who they are, and who they can be, in a world that is all too quick to judge.