The Bluestocking: The Story of the Famous Forrest Divorce Case

In a blend of historical fact and fiction, the story of a scandalous pre-Civil War divorce trial uncovers the skewed social mores of the nineteenth century and shows how they severed the ties between a young couple in love.

The 1851-1852 divorce trial of eminent tragedian Edwin Forrest and his English-born wife Catherine was a classic New York City tabloid scandal. Delman ( Bye-Bye Baby ) captures the eye-to-the-keyhole tone by quoting large portions of the actual courtroom testimony, including accusations of adultery and alcoholism, with minimal narrative intervention. Providing counterpoint to the testimony are a third- person chronicle about Henry Stewart, a high-born widower who has taken on the low-class profession of journalist and is covering the trial for the New York Herald , and the fictitious diary of Catherine Forrest, which serves to make the accused "bluestocking" more sympathetic and may lead readers to conclusions somewhat different from those arrived at by the court. Henry becomes involved with Serena Blaylock, a staunch supporter of Mrs. Forrest, but the novel's real interest is provided by the working-class characters who testify on behalf of one or the other of the Forrests; their language and descriptive stories perfectly encapsulate the tabloid mood. The milieu is dated but the theme of acrimonious divorce is timeless and has sensational appeal, and Delman's writing puts it over the top.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Delman's second foray into the mid-19th century (Ain't Goin' to Glory, 1991) is a period/courtroom hybrid--an Age of Presumed Innocence based on the scandalous 1851 case in which America's foremost tragedian and his wife launched countersuits for divorce, each accusing the other of adultery. The principals in the case would have gladdened the hearts of the tabloids. Edwin Forrest, already famous for his magnetic performances and his thespian high-handedness, had recently achieved notoriety of a different kind when a demonstration against Forrest's British rival William Macready staged by the Friends of Forrest, a group of supporters headed by the legendary publicist Ned Buntline, left 22 dead outside the Astor Theater. Catherine Sinclair Forrest, his British wife, was almost equally notorious in more select circles for her advanced views, which saw marriage as economic enslavement and monogamy as unnatural. The two opposing attorneys were Charles O'Conor, who would go on to defend Jefferson Davis and prosecute Boss Tweed, and John Van Buren, son of the former President. And the haplessly stiff-necked crowd of luminaries caught in the crossfire ran the gamut from the late actress Josephine Clifton (who may have enjoyed a liaison with Forrest eight years ago) to Nathaniel Parker Willis, New York's leading magazine editor (publicly accused by the outraged husband as ``the seducer of Catherine Forrest''). In order to reach a verdict, the jury was asked to consider whether Forrest's repeated visits to a house of ill-repute, or his wife's receiving a letter identifying her with the indomitably chaste heroine of a George Sand novel (gasp!), constituted more incriminating behavior. The high-profile players, and the determination of the court to maintain decorum while recording scabrous accusations, make the court proceedings as fascinating as most fictional murder trials. Only in the conventional offstage flourishes--pages from Catherine's diary, the romance of a journalist with one of Catherine's supporters--does Delman disappoint. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Delman ( The Liar's League , Doubleday, 1989, among others) resurrects one of 19th-century America's most famous trials. Through courtroom drama, a woman's diary, and the musings of a male reporter, the reader views the spectacle of public accusations of adultery and an ensuing divorce trial. Some of the characters of this novel are based on real people: Edwin Forrest, the famous Shakespeare tragedian; his wife, Catherine, a remarkably strong, modern woman; Charles O'Conor, a landmark-case lawyer and Catherine's counsel; and John Van Buren, the son of the eighth U.S. president and Forrest's lawyer. Other characters, like Henry Steward, the court reporter, and Serena Blaylock, are fictional. As the dissolution of Catherine and Edwin's marriage is replayed in the testimony, blundering Henry and resolute Serena stumble through the beginnings of a promising relationship. This fun and thought-provoking novel is recommended for historical fiction collections.
- Betsy Larson, Brennemann Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.