691. Belle Burden | A Cautionary Tale
In 2023, Belle Burden, a granddaughter of Babe Paley, published an essay in the New York Times Modern Love column called, “Was I Married to a Stranger?” It’s a question a lot of people ask themselves after a divorce, so the column went very viral and a book deal followed. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage published in January, and quickly became the must-read book of 2026. It’s part processing and part cautionary tale, especially to women, about being active players in their own finances, and clear about their marital finances. Alicia explores the story and some of the pushback it has received.
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Alicia’s Receipts
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage (bookshop.org)
Belle Burden And Henry Davis – The New York Times
Belle Burden’s Divorce Novel “Strangers” — Filled With Lies, But Defenders Don’t Care (reddit.com)
What Belle Burden’s $63M Secret Teaches Us (bobbirebell.substack.com)
Who Is Belle Burden’s Ex-Husband? Inside the Strangers Author’s High-Society Family (eonline.com)
What’s Missing from Belle Burden’s “Strangers” | The New Yorker