The Trial of Mrs Rhinelander by Denny S Bryce
Historical fiction inspired by a real-life scandal of the time. Dual time line.
In 1924 New York, Alice Jones is from an English immigrant family. She meets and falls in love with Leonard “Kip” Rhinelander, a shy heir to his prominent family real estate fortune. When they secretly marry, Kip’s parents threaten his inheritance, because they believe she is not white. Kip freely admits, he cannot live without the money and his father’s approval even though he loves Alice. He knew it would come to this while Alice was completely unaware. It’s the start of what will become a famous trial and news story about race, Justice, and social class. Reporter Marvel Cunningham is a pioneering Black journalist is following the trial and has formed her opinions of Alice but after they meet one night and trade stories, Marvel is realizing how much they have in common and how the world has already put them into a specific lane.
In 1941 Roberta is told by her boss that she is to interview her Aunt Alice. Roberta hasn’t talked to her aunt in years, and isn’t really given a choice but to reconnect and try to get more details from the reclusive woman.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook copy and an audiobook. The narration is done by Chante McCormick and Joniece Abbott-Pratt who do a fantastic job with the performance. The two have very distinct voices and can easily be identified. Both have strong voices and are able to express emotions clearly. I liked their voice contrasts which made it easy to hear the timeline and POV change. That’s not always as easily heard as it is here.
As usual, I listened to this at 1.5 which is the best to match local conversational speed.

I found this story sad in so many ways. Alice thinks she’s white and even asking her parents, is told that “your mother is 100% white, so you’re white” regardless of her skin color, regardless of her father. She believes what she’s been told but Kip knew what everyone else thought and married her anyway. Alice continues to love Kip though he’s gone back for the money.
There’s a whole lot more through the annulment and trial and then support payments. More social injustice. More family thrown into turmoil when Alice declares herself black for the trial. It’s sad that it mattered then. Even more so that it is still a factor.
The story is sad but also enlightening.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and RB Media.

This is an amazingly written historical fiction on the scandal that rocked NY in the 1920s. Alice Jones marries the wealthy Leonard "Kip" Rhinelander and believes her life is set. But when the press catches wind that one of the wealthiest heirs has married a lower class woman, the headlines roll in.
The most scandalous headline... "His Colored Bride." Alice's parents were immigrants from Britain and although her father was a little dark, Alice was raised and firmly believed she was a White woman. But the question of what constitutes someone's race and the controversial adage of "the one drop rule" comes to play on trial as Alice tries to save her marriage, her name, and her dignity.
This is a thoroughly researched book. @dennysbryce did an incredible job of taking the facts and spinning a story that even if you know the true story as I did, you're still wondering, what's going to happen? I loved the aspect of the dual timeline and Alice recalling her life to her estranged niece. Getting a glimpse into what her life may have been like after all the hoopla of the trial. Both Roberta and Marvel's characters are strong and motivating. I wonder if Marvel Cunningham's character is paying homage to two Black women journalists, Marvel Jackson Cooke and Evelyn Cunningham? If so it goes to show how diligently the author worked in producing an inspiring story. I absolutely loved it! These are the stories I live for and this author always delivers!

Thank you @netgalley for an earc copy and a chance to read and review.

Based on a real court case, the story here is very interesting, but as a novel, fell short for me. I think I would have enjoyed this novel had I approached it as a holiday/light novel rather than historical fiction, for which I have a higher bar. Read as the representation of a true trial, it felt like there wasn’t enough meat on its bones. Hence, the 2*s!

The trial is featured only in dialogue, except in one instance, and therefore, doesn’t offer us a flavour of the judicial side of things. While the story is told in a dual timeline, narrated by Alice to her niece, Roberta, there is an almost-over-the-top effort to capture 1920s NewYork and nothing to capture WW II era America. And while the politics of colour is the focus of Alice’s story, Roberta’s has none other than a hatred of her aunt, the cause of which is kept under wraps for most of the novel in a very contrived fashion. Thus, the niece is merely a caricature of a black, independent young woman, whose inclusion in the story mainly seems to be as the reader-surrogate. At the end of the book, Roberta is a non-entity to the storyline.

Finally, Alice’s story, while interesting, is told to Roberta (through whom we read it), rather than shared through the book Alice (later) writes (for herself). Had the latter device been used, we would have had a better insider-view into her psyche. By using the former path, I felt like I didn’t still know Alice, nor really understand her choices. Her hurt, and anger, appear and vanish with no insight, and sometimes without sufficient reason - a lack due to the story’s structure than the writing itself.

However, the writing itself was easy, and compelling. For that reason, I will be reading other Bryce novels despite the disappointment with this one.

Fascinating story. You'll likely find yourself doing a deep dive into Rhinelander vs Rhinelander after reading this. The dual storyline made reading a little slower but the story is evenly paced. Highly recommend.

A historical novel covering a very real society scandal that was crazy even for the Roaring Twenties. Alice Jones is of the working class and falls in love with Leonard "Kip" Rhinelander, he of the 5th Avenue High-Society old-money families. However, their marriage is not so much contested for Alice's working class background, but for the whispers that her background may not be so "pure." Lenny wants Alice but also wants his inheritance. He comes up with a scheme that will allow for both. This is the fictional take on the story of the annulment trial that rocked New York Society.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for this e-arc.*

3.5 stars rounded to 4. This is the first book I have read by Denny Bryce in which she is the sole author. I previously read, and loved, a book which she co-authored with Eliza Knight , titled “Can’t We Be Friends”.
This story is based on the real life story of Alice Jones, who became the wife of Lenny “Kip” Rhinehold, son of a real estate tycoon. Alice is born to immigrants and is by no means wealthy. This does not sit well with Lenny’s father Philip. Putting the nail in the coffin is the fact that Alice’s father, of Jamaican descent, has a bit of colored blood in him. No matter that, because Alice’s mother is British, her children are considered “white”. Philip Rhinelander will not tolerate this and being the brute that he is, threatens to cut his son off from his inheritance if he doesn’t push Alice out of his life. He will not have this scandal threaten his family name. Lenny and Alice are very much in love, but Lenny is weak and that weakness overcomes him. He comes up with a plan to have the best of both worlds… the woman he loves and his father’s inheritance.
I enjoyed most of the book. I did feel that the middle between Alice falling in love and leading up to the trial felt a little draggy. There was also a part about a good friend Alice reached out to in the story, but as soon as she was mentioned she was pretty much forgotten about in the story (to the point where I can’t even recall her name!). However, the majority of the story was interesting and it’s so crazy that it was true. Alice went through a lot, hanging onto a thread that things would work out. The author brings Alice’s niece Roberta into the story to help explain later years with family dynamics. This dual timeline works.
It sounds like Denny Bryce did a lot of research, digging through the articles of the many newspapers who covered the sensationalized trial of the Rhinelanders. It had to be a lot of work and I appreciate the time she put in to make the story as accurate as possible.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

was hard to read as it was in first person.much luck to this author

thank you storm and netgalley

1921, New Rochelle, NY: Alice Jones was born in the United States and the middle child of immigrant parents. Her father drives a cab and her mother works as a maid in the homes of the wealthy. Alice was working at a clinic during a summer and met Leonard Rhinelander, a shy student who was the son of a very wealthy family. Lenny’s father keeps controls him with threats of disinheritance whenever he doesn’t approve of Lenny’s actions. Lenny and Alice secretly marry and when his father learns about it, the complications multiply and Lenny comes up with a plan that he believes will allow him to be married and still receive the inheritance.
This novel is based on a true story. It’s a love story that includes secrets, lies, betrayal and justice.

Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley

Set in the 1920’s, Alice Jones is the middle sister of Emily and Gracie, and all are declared as white on their birth certificates, due to their white English mother. However, their father has West Indian heritage, and in those days, the “one drop” law that was in many states - which declared that if a person had 1 drop of Negro blood in them, they were considered Negro and not white - causes issues for the sisters, especially Alice. She has fallen in love with one of the “400” elite, and he’s in love with her. However much she appears to be white, this “one drop” law and the vindictiveness of his father, who is furious with Lenny not to have chosen another one of the 400 of his bride, spells doom for the couple. The story is written as Alice’s niece, in the 1940’s tries to uncover by talking to her aunt, what really happened, and what has caused the family estrangement. The story of the rich and a weak man who won’t stand up to his family for fear of losing his inheritance balanced against a young woman discovering her strengths, this is a great read of human perseverance. Fans of The Personal Librarian will really enjoy this book.

I’m sorry, but I was unable to get into the book. I wish both the author & publisher much success upon its release.

A compelling dual time line novel - set in the 1920s and in 1941- about Alice Rhinelander, whose racial identity was at the core of a vicious and notorious court case after she married into the Rhinelander family. Alice's father is Jamaican, a fact her family keeps quiet and which she did not disclose but did she only marry for money? The swirl of gossip, innuendo and the court case eventually brings her Marvel, a crusading Black female journalist who helps. Thanks to Netgalley for the ASC. It's an interesting one.

DIDN'T IMPRESS ME, EVEN THOUGH THE TRUE STORY WAS VERY INTERESTING

Actual rating: 2.5⭐

I'll preface this by saying that I see how much others enjoyed this, and perhaps I am just not in the right state of mind at the moment to be reading this book. But I do feel like it has some shortcomings, which kept me from fully enjoying this book.

What I didn't like

Alice: I probably would have enjoyed this book more, if I had been able to connect with the main character, Alice. I just couldn't get a sense of her, her personality or her motivations. Her character seemed superficial. She lacked depth.

Kitty: This might be a small issue, but apparently Alice has a best friend who's always there for her. Problem is, we only meet her half way through the book. She came out of nowhere and suddenly she was there. It felt really odd. She should have been left out or introduced earlier in the story.

Evelyn Hugo: I got a really strong The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo-vibe from this book early on. A (in)famous recluse finally decides to give an exclusive tell all. I might have liked the book better, if the Roberta-story was cut.

Writing: The writing was not to my liking wither. It felt a bit clumsy. Bryce was obviously very conscious of the setting of her story (New York in the 1920's) and made an effort to make the era come alive. Only problem is, it was just too much. It was too heavy. It felt overworked and just clumsy. It didn't make me think 1920's. It made me thing 2020's-trying-to-be-1920's.

I loved this book. I had never heard of the real life story that inspired this book, but I was completely enthralled right away. The way she weaved the social complexities of the time into the story was beautifully written. This was my first Denny S. Bryce book that I've read, and I can't wait to read more of her books.

I love the author’s writing. This is a fascinating story but unfortunately, it was too somber for me. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I love how Denny S. Bryce’s books have introduced me to aspects of Black American history that I either knew very little about or knew nothing about prior to picking up her books. In the case of The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander, it’s very much the latter, as I hadn’t heard of Alice Jones, the Rhinelander family, or Rhinelander v. Rhinelander case before. But this book has all the hallmarks of some of my favorite stories, like discussions of race and class relations, and how those play out both in the courts of law and public opinion via the newspapers.
The structure of this book is interesting, and it’s not unlike Bryce’s prior books in its dual timeline focus, but I also saw parallels to books like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, particularly in its use of a journalist reporting on the story years later, not to mention discussing the issue of “passing” in high society as a parallel to Kitty Karr. With the more contemporary element being the weakest part of both (and dual timeline also being hit-or-miss for Bryce), I initially didn’t care for this structure, and found the chapters from Roberta’s perspective to be the weakest parts of the novel. But Bryce’s work here is aided by the fact that she reinforces Roberta’s personal connection to Alice, in addition to role as a journalist.
I do feel that the blurb was a tad misleading in overselling the journalistic element though. While it’s a substantial part of the case and its aftermath, I didn’t feel it was so in the way the blurb presents it. The journalist Marvel who Alice befriends is mentioned in the blurb, and the blurb frames it as if Marvel has a large role at least equal to Roberta, and prior to picking it up, I worried that the book would follow the two journalists, with only limited glimpses of Alice, who is the true star of the book.
Speaking of which, I love Alice. She went through so much, and her family was simply trying to exist in the racist American society of the 1920s, which had different standards of race (the infamous “one-drop rule”) and Blackness in comparison to England, where the family hailed from. She fell in love with Lenny/Kip Rhinelander, who came from a wealthy family, and they got married, but his father made her justify her right to marry into the family, and demanded an annulment. To see how the aftereffects lingered far beyond when the original court case played out, until all the Rhinelanders involved had passed on, was truly intense.
This was an enlightening and emotionally moving read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for historical fiction about strong Black women.

Yet another case of "this book could've been great, but the author decided to write in first person, present tense."

Another great historical story from Denny S Bryce. Focusing on the true story of Alice Jones Rhinelander who marries Lenny, whose father wants the marriage annulled or else Lenny gets booted from the family and loses his inheritance. Alice was one tough woman and I loved getting to know her as well as her niece, Roberta, and the fictional Marvel. Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A book based on a real story of the Roaring Twenties. It has an interracial couple when that was looked down upon. It brought up several topics that we have forgotten or take for granted today.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another fabulous story by this author. Set in the first half of the 1900s in New York City. In the 1920s, Alice Jones found herself falling for Lenny Rhinelander whose family was part of the '400' in the social register at the time. This was a real-life scandal that lasted for decades. Alice wanted nothing but the love of her life. Lenny's family wouldn't allow it since Alice did not come from money and her lawyers couldn't prove her father was white. In the 1940s, Alice's niece, Roberta, reconnected because her boss at the newspaper wanted a story and Alice would only talk to her niece. The book moves between the two story lines to reveal the complex details of Alice's life.
I have really been enjoying books set in the 1920s because so much was going on that I didn't know about. I read this in a few days because I had to find out what happened to Alice, Lenny, and their families. The author explains that Rhinelander v. Rhinelander was a real divorce case and what was fictionalized in the book. I felt for Alice and all she went through for the majority of her life because of racism and prejudice. Roberta's story was fictionalized and I really liked how she had to find those connections to the past.
If you are looking for a good story of family relationships gone wrong and navigating with world of 1920s New York, I would recommend this book.
Thank you Kensington Publishing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Alice Jones Rhinelander was a fighter who went up against a powerful family in 1920s New York. Her marriage into the wealthy family became a scandal when she was accused of passing as white during a time when the "one-drop rule" meant she was Black. The fact that this novel is based on a true story makes it an engrossing—and heartbreaking—history lesson.