Unwise Passions: A True Story of a Remarkable Woman---and the First Great Scandal of Eighteenth-Century America [Paperback]

Alan Pell Crawford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2005

In the spring of 1793, eighteen-year-old Nancy Randolph, the fetching daughter of one of the greatest of the great Virginia tobacco planters, was accused, along with her brother-in-law, of killing her newborn son. Once one of the most sought-after young women in Virginia society, she was denounced as a ruined Jezebel, and the great orator Patrick Henry and future Supreme Court justice John Marshall were retained to defend her in a sensational trial. This gripping account of murder, infanticide, prostitution charges, moral decline, and heroism that played out in the intimate lives of the nation's Founding Fathers is as riveting and revealing as any current scandal -- in or out of Washington.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Unwise Passions traces the trajectory of aristocrat Nancy Randolph's tempestuous life, beginning with her privileged birth in 1774, continuing through a series of scandals that eventually sent her North, and concluding with her death in 1837. But this engaging, accessible biography also serves as group portrait of the Virginia aristocracy--and of its declining fortunes, as the colonial oligarchy was supplanted by an unrulier democracy. When she was only 18, Nancy was accused of having borne a child to her own sister's husband, Richard Randolph, who then allegedly murdered the newborn. Defended by Revolutionary legend Patrick Henry, Richard and Nancy were acquitted, and she returned to live with him and her sister. But the rumors persisted, and Richard's sudden death in 1796 only made them uglier. Many of the ugliest rumors were voiced by Richard's younger brother, Jack; Nancy's former suitor. Jack improved the debt-riddled family estates while he pursued a political career as a fiery states-rights congressman (a career that gets nearly as much of the author's attention as Nancy's life). Virginia-based journalist Alan Pell Crawford doesn't conclude definitively whether or not Jack actually believed Nancy had murdered his brother and had sexual relations with a slave, but the congressman certainly hated her enough to throw her off the family farm and repeat those stories later to her husband. At age 34, reduced to poverty and living in New York, the long-suffering Nancy married Gouverneur Morris, another wealthy veteran of the Revolutionary generation. Their happy union produced one child and endured until his death. Crawford, also the author of Thunder on the Right, pens a lively narrative that vividly evokes his characters: kindhearted, rather frivolous Nancy; urbane, unshockable Morris; irascible, overwrought Jack; and a host of cousins who are scattered throughout America's inbred, gossipy high society. Good fun and good history, to boot. --Wendy Smith --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In 1792, 18-year-old Nancy Randolph of Virginia, a supremely eligible and sought-after beauty, gave birth to a baby rumored to have been fathered and subsequently killed by her sister Judith's husband, Richard Randolph. Although no body was found (supposedly, slaves had seen a dead white baby lying atop a trash heap) and Richard was acquitted, Judith and her husband's brother Jack never forgave Nancy. Indeed, they went out of their way to make her life miserable, aided by the fact that no southern gentleman would now have her. Nevertheless, like a true-life Scarlett O'Hara, Nancy willfully declared, "I shall rally again," and she did. While her vengeful relatives fell into ruin (the heady days of the southern tobacco-dominated economy and the lavish lifestyle of the plantation owners were dwindling decidedly and irreversibly), she headed north, married the wealthy Gouoverneur Morris, who had hired her to run his household, and lived happily ever after. Crawford's (Thunder on the Right) account has the makings of a great story of intrigue, passion, greed, honor and lust set in the South, replete with an extraordinary supporting cast that includes Thomas Jefferson, a long-time family friend and relative; Francis Scott Key and Patrick Henry, who served as Richard's legal defense. But despite extensive research, Crawford, a former U.S. Senate speechwriter, fails to bring Nancy's character to full life and never seems to dish up the meat of his story, leaving it merely an interesting tale for those who like their history light and with a whiff of scandal. Maps and illus. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743264673
• ISBN-13: 978-0743264679
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, fascinating tale of scandal, love, and crime!, October 13, 2000

By 

A. Levine (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unwise Passions : A True Story of a Remarkable Woman and the First Great Scandal of 18th Century America (Hardcover)

Highly recommended: If you're fascinated by true-crime stories, American history or just like a good read, you should really enjoy this compelling story about the Crime of the (18th) Century. Imagine a cross between Dominick Dunne, Stephen Ambrose and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," and you'll get a sense of the author's power at telling a gripping tale. The book tells the story of a young, tempestuous aristocrat, Nancy Randolph, part of the legendary Randolph clan of Virinia, who is accused of killing the love child she had with her brother-in-law, Richard Randolph. The two Randolphs were defended by Patrick Henry and even Thomas Jefferson was caught up in the family's crises. The book then traces the fate of Nancy Randolph in the wake of the scandal that clouded her name forever, as she tried to remake herself as the wife of Gouverneur Morris of New York, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. The story is played out against the crumbling of the Virginia tobacco aristocracy and the politics and passions that swept America in the wake of the American Revolution. This is as riveting as any book published so far this year. I loved it, and I think you will, too.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!, November 21, 2000

By 

Marian (Cumberland County, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unwise Passions : A True Story of a Remarkable Woman and the First Great Scandal of 18th Century America (Hardcover)

True crime, mystery, biography, history - this book has it all. The happenings of more than 200 hundred years ago and involving some notable names in our American history - Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Gouverneur Morris to name a few, had this reader sitting up all night absolutely spellbound! A remarkable story, meticulously researched by Mr. Crawford, it brings to light many details that one would not find in an ordinary history book. Living just a stone's throw from the site of the old Bizarre Plantation I have heard this local legend many, many times, but never before with such accurate detail or startling revelations. BRAVO!!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unwise Passions review, November 11, 2000

By 

jane glancy (Evansville, In usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unwise Passions : A True Story of a Remarkable Woman and the First Great Scandal of 18th Century America (Hardcover)

This is a fun and fascinating book. It is a great story, all the more so because it is true. The characters are among our country's founding families, including Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. The author shows us the very human side of the people involved. He smoothly works in quotes of letters to and from the characters to give us an eyewitness account of people and events. Crawford tells the story impartially so we are free to draw our own conclusions and opinions. I found myself unable to put the book down and read it in a weekend.