The Real Housewives of Colonial Virginia

When I first started reading Scandal at Bazaar, I had a flashback to reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. Everyone seems to have the same name, Randolph, and even the family tree didn't help. But I gradually got the swing of things, and I appreciated the maps provided as well.

I found this book to be the most satisfying of our books because it took us through the story of the scandal and followed the players lives up to their deaths. Kierner provided background to the story, but I did not have to wait till half way through the book to get into the story.  I was surprised that the trial of Richard resolved itself fairly early in the text. The rest of the book followed Nancy's life as she continually paid the price for her "transgression." What did she really do? It was said that it was not uncommon for colonial couples to become expectant before the wedding. Her bad luck was that Theo died, leaving her in a very difficult situation. Whether she suffered a miscarriage or an abortion, the life of the scandal was devastating to Nancy's future.

Kierner's book really provided a lens, focused into society in colonial Virginia. It is shocking to read about the degree of financial ruin and social instability left in the wake of the war. And the level of vindictiveness was unreal! Nancy gave as well as she received, especially from Jack/John Randolph and David Ogden. At times the book tries to use Nancy, Richard and others as exemplars of the changing role in Virginia gentry lifestyle in the face of change. I don't know, I think this is an incredible story that demonstrates what a small world that gentry society was, and how few choices existed for women before, during and after marriage. They needed a male protector be it father, brother or husband. Children, wives, spinsters and widows...none were truly safe to pursue their own interests. Perhaps it is karma that in the end, it was Nancy who found a partner in marriage and was able to manage his estate, protect her son, and assert her independence in her old age.