I started reading THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON with no
knowledge of the real-life characters other than Jack
London wrote THE CALL OF THE WILD and Harry Houdini
performed magic. One of my favorite English literature
teachers taught me to love learning about the authors
behind their great works and so I was obviously very
excited to learn more about Jack London. Even better, I
was looking forward to learning about his second wife and
her influence on him as an author.
However, I didn't expect him to be such a jerk! Rebecca
Rosenberg does a marvelous job of portraying Jack London
as a brilliant but highly erratic and extremely selfish
author. His interactions with his valet, Nakata,
infuriated me even more so than his highly volatile
relationship with Charmain. His sense of superiority and
entitlement ooze through the pages and I developed an
intense dislike for him.
It was easy to understand why Charmain turned to other
men, including Houdini. Rebecca Rosenberg makes Houdini
the person seem as magical as Houdini the entertainer. I
could almost forget he was cheating on his sweet wife,
Bess. However, I still struggled with Charmain's
character as I wanted to appreciate her determination to
be an author in a time when men dominated the scene. I
wanted to appreciate the strength of character that had
her push Jack to write when he'd fall into drunkenness
and despair. Unfortunately, I just couldn't as her
destructive and volatile relationship with Jack made me
cringe on more than one occasion.
Historical fiction is tricky, particularly if the
characters portrayed are temperamental. THE SECRET LIFE
OF MRS. LONDON wasn't my cup of tea but I'm sure others
will appreciate it, particularly considering the backdrop
for the storyline. Rebecca Rosenberg does a great job
evoking an emotional response from her readers in THE
SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON and some book clubs may find
the discussions surrounding the events portrayed to be
quite lively.
San Francisco, 1915. As America teeters on the brink of
world war, Charmian and her husband, famed novelist Jack
London, wrestle with genius and desire, politics and
marital competitiveness. Charmian longs to be viewed as
an equal partner who put her own career on hold to
support her husband, but Jack doesn’t see it that way…
until Charmian is pulled from the audience during a magic
show by escape artist Harry Houdini, a man enmeshed in
his own complicated marriage. Suddenly, charmed by the
attention Houdini pays her and entranced by his sexual
magnetism, Charmian’s eyes open to a world of
possibilities that could be her escape.
As Charmian grapples with her urge to explore the
forbidden, Jack’s increasingly reckless behavior
threatens her dedication. Now torn between two of
history’s most mysterious and charismatic figures, she
must find the courage to forge her own path, even as she
fears the loss of everything she holds dear
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