Library Journal - Audio
06/10/2024
Award-winning author (Smack Goddess) and filmmaker (Slam) Stratton explores the Rhinelander v. Rhinelander trial, which highlighted the racial divide in 1920s America. Leonard "Kip" Rhinelander, scion of a wealthy New York family, married Alice Jones, a middle-class biracial woman, only to sue for annulment at his father's urging. In Stratton's reimagining of the sensational trial, narrator James Anderson Foster gives voice to Alice's lawyer, Lee Parsons Davis, whose first-person voice dominates the novel with authoritative assurance and gravitas. Narrator Joel Froomkin brings a young, overwhelmed Kip to life, while Imani Jade Powers delivers the fictional diary entries of Alice, a woman of British and West Indian ethnicity, with a soft, wistful sadness. Those interested in historical fiction, legal thrillers, and race will likely find this novel fascinating, though the length may be a bit off-putting, and some of the sexual descriptions are startlingly explicit. Regrettably, the author did not provide an update on what happened to Alice Jones, though he mentions that Kip Rhinelander died in the 1930s from pneumonia. VERDICT A smart, if overlong, depiction of a noteworthy trial initiated only because of a domineering father's racist beliefs.—David Faucheux
From the Publisher
"Gripping courtroom drama and social commentary…the story flows well…[the author is] masterful in building suspense." — Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
09/01/2022
With this historical novel, memoirist ("Cannabis Americana" trilogy) and filmmaker (Slum) Stratton reimagines New York City's remarkable 1925 Rhinelander v. Rhinelander trial, in which white socialite Kip Rhinelander sought a divorce from his wife Alice, a biracial woman. Explored through the eyes of Alice's attorney Lee Parsons Davis, as well as the diary entries of defendant Alice and the words of plaintiff Leonard, the story depicts the courtship and aftermath of an unprecedented marriage Flipping between Alice's romantic flashbacks, Leonard's confused thoughts, Davis's unapologetic high courtroom drama, and some quite scandalous (for the era) letters, Stratton tells the tale of a couple in love who are torn apart by the very real class, race, and gender struggles that divided New York society in the 1920s. Almost 100 years after this case took place, the themes that Stratton hammers home in his at-times long-winded account are still relevant. VERDICT Fans of Stratton might appreciate this new offering from the author of crime novel Smack Goddess. Readers interested in Jazz Age history will value Stratton's close observance of the Rhinelander case and the historically accurate snippets that he peppers throughout his text.—Tara Kunesh
Kirkus Reviews
2022-08-31
A tale about a tense legal battle over race and love, based on the sensational 1924 case of Rhinelander v. Rhinelander in White Plains, New York.
Leonard Kip Rhinelander, “pampered scion of an aristocratic bloodline,” meets and falls in love with Alice Jones, a beautiful, alluring young woman of English and West Indian background. The attraction is mutual, and she appears to be indifferent to his wealth. They run off and marry, the news of which is too much for Leonard’s domineering and racist father, Philip, who has his son kidnapped. Leonard, who has a weak backbone, sues for annulment of his own marriage, with expensive lawyers paid for and under the orders of Philip. The grounds? Alice supposedly tricked Leonard into thinking she was White. Defending Alice, attorney Lee Parsons Davis warns her that the trial will be nasty and brutal. Indeed, Leonard’s lawyers look out only for Philip’s interest, portraying Leonard as a stuttering, “brain-tied idiot” defrauded by a whore who just wants a piece of the family fortune. The marriage must be annulled! Thus unfolds an epic courtroom clash that gains national headlines for weeks. Tension builds for both courtroom and reader. The existence of love letters comes to light—Leonard apparently wrote some doozies describing sex acts Davis deems disgusting, unnatural, even illegal. But will he introduce the correspondence into evidence? He keeps the courtroom on tenterhooks. Alice is deeply sympathetic as she receives and rejects repeated offers of cash to settle the case and go away; she simply wants her marriage back. Opposing attorneys smear her entire family with racist insults. Davis is the primary narrator, and he is masterful in building suspense as opposing sides brutalize each other. Davis makes it known that he is a renowned trial attorney; and he is a great storyteller as well, though he—or the author—suffers from a touch of logorrhea as he drives home essential points. Still, the story flows well.
Gripping courtroom drama and social commentary.
