A Washington Post Most Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year

“Delicious and infuriating . . . unputdownable.”—Sadie Stein, The New York Times

“A tour de force. . . . The stories are gripping, horrific and sometimes funny, but most important of all they are important.”—The Washington Post

“A compulsively readable book.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Enthralling . . . incendiary reading.”—Daphne Merkin, Air Mail

In Lives of the Wives, author Carmela Ciuraru offers a witty, provocative look inside the tumultuous marriages of five famous writers, illuminating the creative process as well as the role of money, fame, and power in these complex and fascinating relationships.

The legendary British theater critic Kenneth Tynan encouraged his American wife, Elaine Dundy, to write, then watched in a jealous rage as she became a bestselling author. In their early years of marriage, Roald Dahl enjoyed basking in the glow of his glamorous movie star wife, Patricia Neal, until he detested her for being wealthier and more famous. Elizabeth Jane Howard had to divorce Kingsley Amis to escape his suffocating needs and pursue her own writing. In the marriage of the Italian novelists Elsa Morante and Alberto Moravia, it was Morante who often behaved abusively toward her cool, detached husband, even as he unwaveringly championed his wife’s talent and work. The most conventional partnership is a lesbian couple, Una Troubridge and Radclyffe Hall, both of whom were socially and politically conservative and unapologetic snobs.

Lives of the Wives is an erudite, entertaining project of reclamation and reparation, paying tribute to the wives who were often demonized and misrepresented, and revealing the price they paid for recognition and freedom.

What was the true cost of being married to a “Great Writer”?

• Creative Rivalry: From Kenneth Tynan’s jealous rage at Elaine Dundy’s success to Roald Dahl’s resentment of Patricia Neal’s fame, discover how ambition created toxic power dynamics.
• The Price of Ambition: Follow Elizabeth Jane Howard’s fight for her own creative life, a struggle that required divorcing the suffocating Kingsley Amis to pursue her own writing.
• Tumultuous Relationships: Explore the volatile marriage of Italian novelists Elsa Morante and Alberto Moravia, where creative passion fueled a cycle of abuse, even as he championed her talent.
• Unconventional Partnerships: Examine the surprisingly conventional lesbian partnership of Radclyffe Hall and Una Troubridge, a socially conservative couple who defied patriarchal norms in their own unique way.