Books » The Secret Life of Mrs. London
Charmian London's relationships with her husband Jack London, and their friend Harry Houdini
(published 2018)
A riveting story of ambition and infidelity, THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON captures the fateful meeting of the Houdinis and Londons, the most remarkable couples of their time.
Jack London, the most popular author in America, and Harry Houdini, a world-renown escape artist, have reached the pinnacles of their careers in 1915.
Their wives, Charmian London and Bess Houdini, are opposites — they bond through their trials with the over-sized egos of their famous husbands. Free Love, blinding fame, tenuous success and the Great War threaten them.
The couples struggle to hold onto their marriages through the challenges, eventually succumbing to the lure of another's arms ... until one of them takes a stand ... alone.
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Praise for "MRS. LONDON"
"An impressively original and exceptionally well-crafted novel by an author who is a master of character- and narrative-driven storytelling. Rosenberg's THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON is an inherently riveting and thoroughly reader-engaging story from beginning to end, featuring many an unexpected plot twist and turn."
—Midwest Book Review
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"Interesting, and based on the actual lives of the participants … Learning more about Jack London was enjoyable, as well as seeing early feminist examples."
—Historical Novel Society
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"… Rosenberg paints an immensely intriguing portrait of a marriage and tells it in an accomplished lyrical prose that captures each moment with poetic intensity."
—Prairies Book Review
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"Women of all ages and historical fiction fans will love this book."
—Online Book Club
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A rich, resonant, deeply-satisfying novel
"THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the marriage of Jack and Charmian London, both fascinating and complicated characters. Rosenberg conveys their rich inner lives in crisp yet poetic prose. This contemporary historical fiction raises questions that are still relevant today about what makes a good marriage, and whether creativity and stability are incompatible. A rich, resonant, deeply-satisfying novel sure to delight and leave readers thinking long after they put it down."
—Malena Watrous, author of If You Follow Me and Sparked! and director of the Stanford Continuing Studies Program in Novel Writing
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"THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON is a heart-wrenching portrait of a marriage. Two people utterly depend on one another, but ultimately aren't enough for each other. With skillful precision of language, Rosenberg weaves a narrative that defines the complexities of love, passion and art. This is a perceptive, deeply moving novel by a great new talent. It's about a couple who has gone unnoticed in historical fiction until now. Anyone who has ever loved another person will want to read this book."
—Victoria Kelly, author of Mrs. Houdini: A Novel
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"One of Houdini's best-kept secrets was his affair with Charmian London in 1918. Now Rebecca Rosenberg tells the story using an elegant blend of fact and fiction, creating a Houdini book like no other. THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON is a true peek behind the curtain and a page-turner."
—John Cox, Wild about Harry
