Belle Burden on 'Strangers,' her divorce, and financial literacy for women
From NPR's Book of the Day by NPR
May 5, 2026 · 9 min
About this episode
Belle Burden discusses her divorce, the success of her memoir, and the importance of financial literacy for women.
During the second week of the Covid lockdown, Belle Burden’s husband ended their 20-year marriage and became “someone [she] did not recognize.” Their divorce and the affair that prompted it came as a shock to Burden, who says she had been happily married, enjoying “cozy” time with their family in Martha’s Vineyard. She recounts her story in Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage , which is now in its ninth printing and will be developed into a Netflix film starring Gwyneth Paltrow. In today’s episode, Burden speaks with NPR’s Juana Summers about the details of her divorce, the memoir’s smash success, and the importance of financial literacy for women, even those in happy relationships. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
People in this episode
Host: Juana Summers
Guest: Belle Burden
Topics covered
- divorce
- financial literacy
- memoir
- women's issues
- personal story
- Covid-19
Keywords
- divorce
- financial literacy
- memoir
- Covid-19
- women's empowerment
- Gwyneth Paltrow
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR
Books & works: Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
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