Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples

In Outlaw Marriages author Rodger Streitmatter chronicles the hidden relationships, both tender and turbulent, of fifteen same-sex couples in recent history. What I appreciated most about this book was the sheer amount of information that was new to me; I'd had no idea about the backgrounds of many of these fascinating women and men. Many a time I interrupted my reading in the middle of a chapter, inspired to find out more (e.g., listen to Fanfare for the Common Man, search for images of Johns' flag paintings, find Baldwin's books at the library). On the other hand, I also found the writing somewhat irritating. The chapters were laid out rather unimaginatively -- formulaic and dry. The author also came across as self-congratulatory at show more having coined the term "outlaw marriage," forcing it into the text at every conceivable opportunity. show less

I want to like this book more than I do. The profiled couples are interesting. The writing style, on the other hand, is very plain, almost perfunctory, with some repetitiveness in the descriptions and largely lacking in complex sentences. I've read about three of the fifteen couples, but don't think I'll finish the book before the digital ARC expires.

Honestly, I'm wondering if maybe I'm just not cut out for biographies. (The section on Whitman and Doyle makes me interested in reading Whitman's poetry, though. So I guess I've gotten something out of it?)

A quick read, relying mainly on secondary sources, Outlaw Marriages is an important reminder that some lesbians and gays have not needed the sanction of the state in order to create fulfilling lives together (The average relationship length here is thirty- five years). The majority of the couples, like social reformer Jane Addams and her partner Mary Rozet Smith, for example, consist of one ‘famous’ person supported by the work of a behind-the-scenes spouse. One of the book’s theses is that the more public partners did their best work when together. While true in some cases (Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo, for example), this point is debatable in others.

Its wonderful to have a book like this that sheds a light on the same sex couples that have existed long before they were officially recognized and also the contributions that any good partner (same sex or not) can have on the life of the one they love. This book just made me very happy, even when the relationships didn't work out long term.

The writing is functional. No more, no less. The fifteen stories are brief but interesting. It included several couples that I had no idea that at least one of them was gay. It includes mainly famous couples from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century. Some couples remained "married" for decades and often only friends and family knew; not the public. Most were quite successful and often the so called quiet partner was the energy to success. I can't say you have to run out and read this book but it was a curiosity and I am curious. Since I could borrow it from the NYPL e-library it was a trial that cost me nothing.

This book doesn't get any points for being ground-breaking. In most of the cases covered, the people are extremely well-known, and no new insights are being provided. The chapters on each couple are quite short-- almost like encyclopedia entries-- and therefore do no cover much ground. They're also very formulaic: almost every relationship sounds relatively identical after awhile, which is not at all the case, in truth-- it's a product of not-so-stellar writing and presentation: They were born, they met, artistic activity flourished, conflict (if applicable), they died with no acknowledgement of their relationship. Period. Reading the book in one sitting gets very repetitive. And if you're reasonably well-versed in the lives of these show more people (Walt Whitman, Gertrude Stein, Tennessee Williams-- in most cases, there's a pretty good chance you are), I repeat that there is nothing here that is going to come as groundbreaking news or add to your understanding of these people's lives and work. While it does have fairly extensive research, none of the research is particularly fresh or new. If you really want to dig into these "outlaw marriages," seek a good biography of the people who interest you the most instead of this cursory, brief review of facts. show less

4 1/2 stars Review coming.