I was hooked from the first page, where Belle describes the mated ospreys that nest outside her Martha’s Vineyard home and whose progress she and her husband had always charted during their summers there. Her segue from this tender observation to a description of how - as she and her husband and children settled into a comfortable Martha’s Vineyard lockdown in March 2020 - she was entirely blindsided, after dinner one night, by the discovery that her husband of 20 years was cheating on her. By the morning, he was gone, and so was the life she’d imagined for herself.

The book deals with Belle’s attempt to make sense of the blow she’s been dealt and to try to work out if she could have anticipated that blow, whilst navigating life as a singleton in a world of smug marrieds, and revisiting her upbringing and past experiences with her new, jaded eyes.

It’s important to say (as this becomes very clear as the book progresses) Belle is privileged. Her husband earns millions; her trust fund paid for their NYC apartment and their Vineyard home; she is Babe Paley’s granddaughter, and Calvin Klein designed her wedding dress as a favour to her mum (a friend). She is not a woman who would automatically inspire sympathy and she knows that. Her ruthless exploration of her own failings, though, and her recognition of that exact privilege - plus the universality of her experience - mean that the book never feels out of touch or remote. I flew through it, and highly recommend it.

Belle tells her story as it was and it's a true reflection of what she experienced. I say this because others will pour different spins on it but facts don't alter just others perspectives may just be different. Belle has become a pearl or diamond presious because of the pressure she went through to get to where or who she now is.

So what does all that mean? It means this is an incredible and honest account of her separation , divorce and what she went through from her eyes and so it filled with pain, emotion and honesty. She shares a bit about the effect of others around her and in its rawness I found only compassion and empathy for her. As Covid hit everything changed and then one day bang she had an even bigger explosion he upped and left. Everything she thought she knew changed and this is her story her life told with the passion you can understand and an honesty that leaves you bound in her wake. Think that's the right words.

This is a story that could even be the base of a thriller only it was lived out by her and her daughters and son although he wasn't at home at the time everyone had there pain this is Belles side and her account an incredible read. I haven't mentioned the husband as he hasn't told his story he changed that's all we know it's her story not his, but read and find out what the fall out was.

I just read this book in two sittings. I couldn’t put it down.
It’s the first ever memoir I’ve read.
It’s a memoir on marriage and a loss of a marriage.
I found it incredibly heartbreaking at times.
It’s a very brave and powerful real story.
From the first page I was captivated. The power, the money, the lifestyle, the children, the marriage, a family living through COVID. It all completely pulled me in.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

I read this in about 36 hours, the first book in quite awhile that I have been very motivated to finish quickly.

I’m not married and never have been and never will be so I wasn’t going to get this book when I was offered an ARC from Netgalley, but I did read the blurb and the quotes from readers and started recommending it to my friend who is about to go through a divorce. In discussing it, I became more interested and eventually requested the title, in part so I could test the water for her in case it would be difficult or triggering. Starting it in bed on the first night, I texted my friend saying ‘ I’m 30% in! It’s actually just a really good book!’

So that’s my review- as a reader with no frame of reference- it’s actually just a really good book.

I was really interested in the background stuff, about the authors family including her grandmother, Babe Paley, as I had watched the Truman Capote Feud series. Also fascinating to think about how the pandemic factored; how many lives switch to a new track when there are tectonic shifts in the world?

This book tells the story of a sudden and traumatic marriage breakdown from the point of view of the wife. It deals with the trauma of having to relearn how to navigate life when you no longer have a partner to help and examines how much of a partnership the marriage really was.

Whilst this book is fiction and not a self-help manual Im sure lots of women will find it resonates with their own lives and may help them to process their own experience.

This book was beautifully written and very thought-provoking indeed. An incredible deep and meaningful story of finding love, a marriage breakdown and building yourself back up again. The main character certainly showed how brave one can become, a very powerful character in the end. The parallel quotes of the ospreys of how they make families and return home was very endearing. Will gladly read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review which will also be published on Amazon and Goodreads.

A true story of the authors journey through what she concidered her happy marriage for 20 years and her eventual divorce.
Well written. I could also see some parallel s with my own divorce. And how you learn to be strong in yourself and for your children.

Absolutely wonderful..An area much written about but this is so affecting and well written. Wonderful,

I wouldn't have expected to describe a memoir detailing the breakdown of a marriage as riveting but this truly is an almost unputdownable book. Belle Burder believes she has a happy, loving marriage - until she finds out her husband's been having an affair and the following day he walks out on her, their life, and the three children they have together. He offers almost no explanation (other than something along the lines of 'I can't do this anymore) and leaves Belle reeling - she had no idea he was unhappy. The memoir details her reaction to her husband's departure, in the immediate hours, days, and then months afterwards, including some details of the divorce proceedings.

Over her years of marriage, Belle has been curiously incurious about her husband's earnings and has turned a blind eye to the family finances; it's only in the run up to the divorce that she discovers her husband is in fact more wealthy than she ever imagined, but he still intends to play hardball over the divorce settlement. He also makes it plain that he has no interest in continuing to be a father in any meaningful way - he will see the children for dinner every now and then, but has no wish to accomodate them into his new life at all.

On the one hand, Belle is lucky - she herself comes from a fairly privileged, well-connected family and she has married someone who is able to provide a luxurious lifestyle - but her husband's departure is so sudden, so inexplicable, that you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel for her.

This memoir is beautifully and compellingly told - I'd recommend it to anyone, with or without a partner.

A beautifully written and intimate portrait of the sudden breakdown of a marriage. I had the feeling she was so in love with James that she didn't see the warning signs - I'd love to know his side of the story, but seems like he doesn't want to talk about it. Very readable.

An honest and heart breaking account of a sudden marriage dissolution.
When your husband of 20 years suddenly walks out on you and your 3 children. Cutting all ties, emotionally and physically. All in tandem with all the issues of the global pandemic.
The resurrection and coming in to her own Belle reflects on family history of previous generations as well as her own marriage. The need to protect her 3 adolescent children from the fall out. The legal ramifications, monetary and emotions. From in law's turning their backs on the 20year relationships and her husband's affair.
It proves you do come out the other side but not without a lot of emotional pain and recovery.

This book is beautifully written and moving. It's the honest account of the breakdown of a marriage where one person just walks away leaving utter devastation in his wake .

It shows how deep such an incident leaves on family, relationships and your own self esteem. You can't help but root for Belle throughout as she slowly comes to terms with what has happened and struggles through to bring up her children single-handed and hold down a pressurised job all whilst feeling her own life is imploding.

This book will resonate with anyone who has been through a divorce or knows someone who has.

Brilliant book.

This is a very different book, classed as non-fiction as it's the true story of a breakdown of a marriage.
It is a story that many women are familiar with, but rarely is it written in such a brutally honest fashion.
It's almost like watching a documentary as the reader is allowed into the inner sanctum of the author's mind. We feel her hurt as she documents the chaos caused when her husband of over 20 years abruptly leaves.
In fact, this is a cautionary tale of what happens when tust in a relationship is betrayed.
Interesting, and strangely moving.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully honest memoir on the breakdown of a marriage and the devastating repercussions this has on everyone around them.

I think Belle is someone many will be able to relate too. I felt so sad for her because she was completely blind sided and there was literally nothing she could do about it.

I thought this was very moving and it goes to show that you can overcome situations like this even when you think you won't.

This was an amazingly lucid and painful read that looks over the breakup on a marriage. I would have loved a view from James side though

Belle's husband and father of her 3 children suddenly leaves them during lock down after it's revealed that he has had an affair. Belle's world implodes and she examines why through memoirs of her childhood, their life together, and she examines her own self as an introverted, shy woman who can be socially awkward. Why didn't she see this coming, how could he become this cold stranger? An intriguing look into a marriage and the aftermath of the breakup. Belle is broken but she rises up to become stronger and we applaud her.

Honest and brutal account of a marriage breakdown. When your husband of 20 years just walks out in favour of his affair partner leaving you and your three children in utter devastation and despair. Beautifully written, truthful and moving account.

Absolutely brilliant! Belle Burden delicately, compassionately and sensitively explores relationships, belonging and intimacy. What do you do when your husband of twenty years without any prior warning, says he is leaving you? He is father of three children and you believe he is content, committed, stable and happy in the marriage. With his request to leave, he has no desire to co-parent and he is unable to give a reason for his decision to divorce his wife. Definitely intriguing. From being a devoted father and husband he transforms completely, morphing into a stranger. As this sad saga unfolds we witness Belle becoming much stronger than she ever imagined. She emerges braver, more courageous , more determined and more vocal in what she needs and what benefits her remarkable children. Her journey of self discovery leads her to expose patriarchal structures that force women to be discreet and compliant. A must read!

This memoir is not a “Poor me, my husband left” story; it is a story of the construct of relationships in all forms - and Belle represents a vast majority of women in the modern world still living fairly traditional marriages - but what happens when the marriage ends?

Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage is raw and honest, it explores the ripple effects once the institution of a marriage falls - how to find your place in the world and navigate a loss whilst still functioning in a not-so-kind society + still offer love and support to your children.
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The memoir isn’t a ‘battle of the sexes’ type of story but heavily suggests that men and women are wired differently and there is a stigma as to how we as women should react and what we are allowed to speak openly about. It challenges narratives and how we seek validation and reassurance in the people around us. It also reminds us it is ok to stand your ground and not bow to social expectations.
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What I found most interesting about this book was the observations of community; who will reach out and who will turn away when you are hurting.
Also, how much of your identify is wrapped up in your role as a spouse, in this instance Belle as a wife?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, I was fascinated by living inside Belle’s mind whilst she was questioning, analysing and observing her life, her choices and her situation. Quite gripping and also very clever writing, a lot of suspense made me turn the pages faster than most books I’ve read recently.
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Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this soon to be released memoir.
5/5 stars

Memoir of a failed marriage, do not dismiss this. Excellent reading .

Story taken from a completely different angle to the normal.

A really good page turner, who are your friends in a situation like this?

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Belle Burden has written an honest and raw memoir about the sudden breakdown in her marriage. How the husband she had been with for over twenty years suddenly became a stranger to her. A person she never imagined he could be.
Despite wanting to fall apart she's aware she has to be strong for the children, and this strength resonates through the book especially in the latter stages when the lawyers are involved.
At times its a heartbreaking read but also uplifting as it shows that there is life after a divorce .

In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Belle's husband leaves her and their children, abruptly ending their 20-year marriage. Reeling in the wake of this new reality, she charts her reckoning with the way she feels she does not necessarily know her husband, the world she has been living in and, even, herself. Burden writes in a compulsively compelling style and I found myself racing through this poignant and feeling memoir. An excellent addition to the memoir genre and perfect for fans of Lisa Taddeo.

This is a brilliant but, quite frankly, jaw-dropping account of the implosion of Belle Burden's marriage. It took my breath away.

Belle and her husband James had been married for 20 years. Three children, a big daft dog, a summer home and an apartment in the city seemed to signify to Belle that her life was all it could be. But at the start of the pandemic a phone call from another woman's husband explodes everything she believed about her marriage and the man she loved.

The writing in this memoir is superb. Part of me wanted to devour it in one sitting but I forced myself to slow down to take in every part of this marriage's sudden disintegration.

I'll be honest, I was absolutely horrified at the sheer callousness of James. Not only in his actions as he ended the marriage but his coldness towards his wife and children as Belle tries to come to terms with his abandonment (and I don't use that word lightly).

What Belle Burden has written is a touching and honest account of what it is like to find out that the person you think you've known for decades is, in fact, a stranger. It should also serve as a cautionary tale to anyone in any kind of partnership who doesn't keep a weather eye on the finances. As for love - noone can predict what may happen but make sure you read the bank statements.

An excellent memoir. It must have been painful to write. It was certainly hard to read but I would highly recommend it to anyone. I sincerely hope Ms Burden writes more books.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House.