THE DIVINE MISS MARBLE

The story of forgotten icon Alice Marble, a beloved international tennis star, and one of the most unique and unsung figures of the 20th Century.

Weintraub is the NYT Bestselling author of NO BETTER FRIEND and in THE DIVINE MISS MARBLE he turns his attention to a forgotten icon who made her name as a champion tennis player, winning Wimbledon and the US Open in Forest Hills. Alice Marble grew up in poverty and California and went in to become a beloved fan favorite and international celebrity for her all-out-effort, sunny good looks, glamorous friends, and distinctively fashionable (and self-designed) outfits. Marble achieved massive fame after triumphing over illness that drove her from the sport for two years, only to rebound to win the biggest titles in the sport. Guided by her svengali-like coach, a singular whirlwind named Eleanor Tennant, Marble hobnobbed with the rich and famous, from Old Hollywood superstars like Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, to one-percenters who opened their homes and lives to her, like Will du Pont and Arthur Loew. While she moved among the glitterati, she could never really be one of them, thanks to the strict amateurism that ruled tennis at the time. Alice compensated by successfully dabbling in numerous other fields--fashion design, nightclub singing, radio broadcasting, writing, public speaking, and relentless touring in a world slipping into war. Even after WWII prematurely ended her tennis career, she stayed squarely in the public eye, thanks to her unbreakable work ethic and despite a series of physical ailments that would fell a lesser spirit. She was also on the front lines of the period's sexual inhibitions, forced to live a secret life that would manifest itself in the story of an espionage mission she claimed to undertake near war's end, involving a former lover, Nazi loot, and a daring escape. Weintraub investigates and brings to vivid life one of the most unique and unsung figures of the 20th Century. Robert Weintraub has written about sports for Slate, Play, ESPN.com, The Guardian, Deadspin, and many more. He is the author of four books, including The Divine Miss Marble and New York Times bestseller No Better Friend. Weintraub lives in Decatur, Georgia, but he grew up in the large shadow cast by Yankee Stadium, in Rye, New York.