Famous couples often only need one name each—Anthony and Cleopatra, Scott and Zelda, Bogart and Bacall—but what do we really know about their story? What's it like to have a famous spouse, or to live your life in the spotlight or be at the center of history? Here are some power couples as they appear in fiction.
Above All Things by Tanis Rideout. George Mallory was one of Britain's greatest explorers and famous for his quote about the need to climb Mount Everest, "Because it's there." But he was also a husband and a father to three children. This novel explores his love affair with Ruth and their marriage as she waits for news of what turns out to be the doomed 1924 expedition.
The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki. For readers fascinated with American history: Why did Benedict Arnold make his name so infamous? This novel traces the marriage of Benedict Arnold and his wife, Peggy, and their plot, along with Major John Andre, to betray the revolutionaries to the British. Peggy's part in the scheme was not well-known until after her death in London, and this book illustrates how she used her beauty and charm to manipulate men to their doom.
The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck. Coming out in May 2015, this novel depicts the marriage of two unlikely spouses, Nathaniel and Sophia. Their relationship was tempestuous but enriched both their lives, even as Sophia struggles against the expectations of artist and mother. Definitely for fans of Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan, which was about Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny.
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