The Foursome

by: Christina Baker Kline

Goodreads Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline comes a boldly original reimagining of an astonishing true two sisters in nineteenth-century North Carolina—Kline’s own distant relatives—who married world-famous conjoined twins from Siam.

When Chang and Eng Bunker arrive in Wilkes County in 1839, they’re not just a curiosity—they’re a sensation. Everyone is eager to learn whether the salacious rumors about them are true. Within months, the twins have opened a general store, bought land, and begun building a plantation. Now, word has it, they’re looking for wives—and in a place that thrives on gossip and legacy, their ambitions set the community on edge.

Sarah and Adelaide Yates, daughters of a once-prominent local family brought low by scandal, are drawn into their orbit. Bold, beautiful Addie sees in the twins’ fame a chance to reclaim her future. Sallie, quiet and observant, isn’t so sure. When the twins’ lives become entangled with theirs, they must navigate loyalty, longing, and identity in a world where everything—including race, class, and gender—is rigidly defined.

Spanning five decades and unfolding against the backdrop of a fractured nation hurtling toward war, The Foursome is both intimate and a story of love and constraint, identity and reinvention. With piercing insight and emotional precision, Kline brings to life a forgotten chapter of American history and the complex, boundary-defying marriages at its center.

Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 1/2

I was dying to read this book. I am obsessed with all things Chang and Eng ever since I listened to Mo Rocca’s podcast on them- click here to listen. I have read all of CBK’s books and this was my least favorite. I feel like I already knew so much going into it that I wasn’t awed like I thought I would be. Basically, it was the story of conjoined twins and their broodmare wives. They had 21 children between the four of them! There was fairly graphic description of their sex lives (in case you wondering- pervert!). A lot of liberties were given in this book, I will be interested in Holly’s opinion on this piece of historical fiction.

Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓

Meh…I suppose this is historical fiction, but lots of liberties taken here. The life story of Chang and Eng Bunker and Adelaide and Sarah Yates is definitely fascinating, and amazing that there were 21 children between them and they lived in Surry County. Mount Airy is an interesting and happening place, and I have never been there. I feel a road trip coming on! For a more interesting read about the lives of Chang and Eng Bunker, try Chang and Eng: A Novel by Darin Strauss, published in 2000.

Click here to purchase.