The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post: A Novel

When Marjorie returns to New York, she receives a call from Joe. He and his wife have long been separated and that he wants to formally divorce her so that he can be with Marjorie. He felt the spark between them, and Marjorie agrees, but refuses to see him until his marriage is over.

Despite his frequent gifts of flowers and letters, Marjorie does not speak with Joe until she receives a telegram saying that his marriage is over and that he is leaving for New York. He appears at her home, professing his love and telling her that the divorce documents have been signed. They spend two weeks together. On the morning of his departure, he asks her to marry him, and Marjorie agrees.

Marjorie marries Joe in a small ceremony in her home. She is certain it will be her last wedding. Deenie is displeased that her mother is getting married again, but Marjorie asks her to give Joe a chance.

In Washington, DC, after their honeymoon, Marjorie has tea with Alice Roosevelt, now married to Nick Longworth. Alice warns Marjorie that Joe’s ex-wife has a lot of friends in Washington. Rumors abound about Marjorie, Joe, and their relationship. Nevertheless, Marjorie resolves to carve out a place for herself in Washington through her business.

She asks Colby Chester to join the board of General Foods, arguing that women have taken more and more positions of power in the country. Colby agrees. Soon after, Joe receives news that his ambassadorship will be in Moscow. FDR is concerned about Hitler’s rise to power and knows the US needs the USSR to be an ally.

In January 1937, Marjorie and Joe settle into Spaso House, the ambassador’s residence in Moscow, USSR.

Marjorie knows that no one expects her to fare well in the Soviet Union, but she is the American ambassador’s wife and plans to be hospitable. She packs coolers and iceboxes filled with frozen food aboard her yacht, planning on wowing the Russians with good food, a scarcity in the Soviet Union.

She begins to restore their new home to its former Neoclassical grandeur. Their first event in the USSR is a trip to the Kremlin, where they attend a meeting of the leadership of the Communist Party. Marjorie is impressed that women are allowed in government. However, when she spots Joseph Stalin, the terrifying dictator leader of the Communist Party, a chill runs down her back.

Soon after, she and Joe host a party, which the premier and his wife attend. Shortly beforehand, when the power goes out because of the coolers, the quick-thinking Marjorie tells her servant to turn on the generators.

USSR Premier Molotov and his wife Polina offer Marjorie and Joe a loaf of bread and a container of salt, a traditional Russian welcome gift.

At the end of the evening, Joe and Marjorie take a bath, knowing that running water will drown out their voices against the listening devices inevitably planted in their home. Joe calls the premier smart and powerful, acting as “Stalin’s hammer” (258). Below, they hear the secret police’s sled, then gunshots.

Soon after, Madame Polina Molotova welcomes Marjorie to her home. She also meets the writer Ivy Litvinova. As they drive through Moscow’s streets, Marjorie is struck by the sights of hunger and cold around them. Madame Molotova takes her to the Park of Culture and Rest, an amusement park that includes a roller coaster. When Marjorie likens it to Coney Island, Polina does not believe that such a place could exist. Marjorie does not argue.

Marjorie later tells Joe that the meal lacked any fresh vegetables and that the premier’s home had no personal details. Joe then speaks up, talking to anyone listening, and emphasizes that their government wants to have a positive relationship with the Soviets.

Marjorie travels with Polina to a commission shop. She is surprised when Polina mentions that the shop—a run-down warehouse—houses some of the work of famous jeweler Karl Fabergé. Marjorie feels as though she’s stumbled onto treasure. She is surprised by Polina’s lack of reverence for the overthrown tsarist families. She is even more shocked when Polina offers to sell her some of the items. Marjorie realizes that the Molotovs want her money, seeing her commitment to capitalism as a weakness. Marjorie is willing to buy the treasure, nonetheless.

Even as she and Joe become more comfortable in the Soviet Union, Marjorie longs for home. She misses America. When Joe comes down with a stomach illness, it is severe enough that they receive permission to travel home.

Before they leave, they host a dinner party. Premier Molotov makes a toast, delivering two warm coats as gifts for the Roosevelts—they symbolize that relations are warm between their two countries, just as the coats are.

In 1937, Marjorie’s doctor diagnoses her with “Moscow Malaria,” a flu-like illness that lasts for months. He puts her on bedrest for a few weeks, and Deenie tends to her. Deenie remains icy toward Joe.

Hitler rises to power in Europe. Joe and Marjorie know they need to return to the Soviet Union. When they arrive in Moscow, their mission is to maintain trust and convince the USSR not to ally with Germany. However, their former friends avoid them in fear for their lives. Stalin has been cracking down on anyone with foreign associations or anyone even suspected of non-communist ideas, sentencing many to death on trumped up charges.

The ramp up to WWII begins with Hitler’s annexation of Austria in 1938. Soon after, Joe is reassigned to Belgium and Luxembourg, placing the couple close to Germany.

In 1938, Marjorie and Joe take up their new post. War is in the air, even as their hosts in Belgium and Luxembourg welcome them. When Hitler invades former Czechoslovakia in 1939, Joe and Marjorie flee to London. Marjorie continues on home. However, since Joe has not been recalled to the United States, he stays in Europe. Marjorie fears that the war will spill to American soil.

The Soviet premier orchestrates a pact of friendship with Germany, shocking Joe and Marjorie, who feel betrayed, having welcomed him into their home. FDR summons Joe home to serve as Special Advisor to the Department of State.

In January 1940, Marjorie settles into life in the US capital once again, finding some degree of acceptance while everyone is distracted by the war. She hosts the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, who fled her country before Hitler invaded.

Marjorie resumes her work serving on the board of General Foods and volunteers for the Red Cross. When Joe is asked to oversee FDR’s next inauguration, Marjorie adds organizing it to her plate, hosting a gala at her home.

Soon after, Marjorie is invited to give a speech on American-Soviet relations, and she uses it to discuss the role of women in the world.

In 1941, Hitler turns on Russia. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, bringing the US into the war.

In 1942, Marjorie throws a party to welcome the new Soviet ambassador. When she gives him the book of letters and reports Joe wrote while in Moscow that she compiled since he’d been ill, Joe snaps at her for talking about it too much.

With the war raging, Marjorie decides to raise money for the Red Cross, the military, and European refugees. She also leases her boat to the government. Deenie volunteers for the USO, performing shows for soldiers in the South Pacific.

One day, the president comes to see Joe and Marjorie. He is concerned about Stalin’s allegiance since he and Winston Churchill openly dislike one another. He asks Joe to go to the USSR since Stalin trusts him. However, Marjorie does not want Joe to move back to Russia, fearing for his health. When Joe turns down the post, FDR asks him to at least go to one meeting and deliver a note. Marjorie requires that Joe’s doctor go with him; she also sends along food, knowing that food in the Soviet Union will not benefit Joe’s health.

The narrative skips ahead to 1946. WWII has ended.

Deenie is engaged to a wealthy American veteran. She wants to get married at Hillwood, the Washington, DC, estate Marjorie shared with Ned. On the morning of Deenie’s wedding, Joe refuses to speak to Marjorie, so enraged is he at the idea of seeing Ned.

Profits soar at General Foods, and oil is discovered on Marjorie’s Texan land. She and Joe take a second honeymoon aboard their yacht, newly returned from its wartime service for the US government. However, Joe is often angry—so much so that Marjorie’s daughters have taken to avoiding him. Partly, Joe is bitter that he wields less political power now that FDR has passed away.

Marjorie sells Hillwood and her property in Manhattan, since Joe dislikes visiting places she’d shared with her previous husbands. She wants to show Joe that she wants to spend her life with him in Washington, DC.

In 1952, Alice Roosevelt attends a party that Marjorie is hosting. All around them is the Washington elite, including Lady Bird Johnson, and President Truman and his wife.

Joe is in a sour mood, despite having recently been declared cancer-free. After Marjorie joins in the dancing, Joe chastises her for dancing with other men, even married ones. He declares that he no longer needs friends in Washington; he thinks everyone is a fake, including Marjorie. As he rages at her, she decides to leave, ending their marriage.

The newspapers seize on Marjorie’s third divorce, writing about Joe’s anger and his fights with her daughters.