The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post: A Novel

It is the winter of 1891 in Battle Creek Michigan. Marjorie describes her father Charles William as someone who “molded my world, and then he went on and changed everybody else’s as well” (12). She grew up listening to her father’s stories, especially about presidents, such as his friend Abe Lincoln. Her father lived many lives, eventually settling in Battle Creek when he got sick. Marjorie’s mother, Ella Letitia Merriweather, acted coldly to Charles William, even as he lay sick on the train. They are in Battle Creek to meet with Dr. John Kellogg.

They stay with a widow named Elizabeth Gregory, who tells Marjorie how much she looks like her father. The next morning, she also warns them of Dr. Kellogg’s strict adherence to his religion. Marjorie and her mother drop Charles William off at Battle Creek Sanitarium, and are told to return that evening.

Each day, Marjorie and her mother take Charles William to the hospital, where he follows Dr. Kellogg’s treatment schedule. They stay for months before they finally meet Dr. Kellogg.

During their meeting, Dr. Kellogg explains that much of the food Americans eat is bad for them, so he has invented several alternatives, including peanut butter and “a concoction made of oats, wheat, and corn, which some of my patients here call cereal” (24). He changed Charles William’s eating habits, but nothing seems to be working; Dr. Kellogg attributes some of Charles William’s illness to his emotional state.

Marjorie tunes out the conversation, knowing that her father has only been getting weaker. Afterward, Ella confirms this, crying for the first time in Marjorie’s memory. Then, she pulls herself upright and says that all they can do is pray.

Mrs. Gregory urges Charles William to eat, though he says that he should stick to the diet prescribed by Dr. Kellogg. A Christian Scientist, Mrs. Gregory disagrees with Dr. Kellogg’s approach—she believes that healing comes from Christian faith. Marjorie has noticed the many people who come to Mrs. Gregory for home cures. Ella also takes an interest in Mrs. Gregory’s approach to healing and spirituality, asking to read from Science and Health, the primary religious text of Christian Science. She reads aloud to her family, their host, and their host’s children.

The next evening, Charles William, looking slightly better, agrees to have one bite of Mrs. Gregory’s dinner. He ends up having the whole plate.

In the morning, Marjorie’s father is already downstairs when she wakes. A few days later, he suggests walking to his appointment at the hospital. He begins to think that Mrs. Gregory’s blend of health and religion has made him well. He starts skipping appointments with Dr. Kellogg. However, sickness soon returns to Mrs. Gregory’s home—Marjorie falls ill.

Marjorie contracts scarlet fever (a bacterial infection that could be fatal in the days before antibiotics) and then mumps (a viral infection that could lead to debilitating health outcomes before the invention of a vaccine in 1967).

Marjorie thinks that God stayed near her bedside; though, in retrospect, it was probably her father. Her parents read to her from the Bible and Science and Health. Mrs. Gregory too tends to her. When Marjorie recovers, they all claim that her faith in God saved her. Her parents believe that “there was some large and meaningful purpose at the center of it all” (32) when both Charles William and Marjorie are saved from near death.

Charles William and Marjorie regularly venture through Battle Creek. When they pass by schools, he emphasizes that girls are just as smart as boys, a fact he sees clearly proven in his daughter. They also pick up an old corn toaster from the jeweler, who had planned on throwing it away. Charles William wants to “create a food that can nourish and heal, just as I have been healed” (36).

By 1901, Charles William Post has created a new type of food, one that is easy to prepare and thus saves time for housewives who usually spend their whole days cooking: a cereal called Grape-Nuts. He also invents Postum, a cheap replacement for coffee.

One afternoon, Charles William summons Marjorie to his office, and she’s grateful for the break from her tutor Leila, who is also her father’s secretary. Today, her father is upset that the newspapers keep comparing his products to those of Dr. Kellogg. He sets the paper aside, reminding Marjorie that “we Posts don’t fall down just because someone shouts louder or hits first” (41).

Eventually, Charles William’s success gains the attention of Vice President Teddy Roosevelt, as well as other famous men. Meanwhile, Charles William’s marriage is ending, and Ella is often sick. Charles William decides to send Marjorie to Washington, DC, for school. He has decided to move there as well.

Marjorie attends Mount Vernon Seminary, a private all-women’s institution.

In January 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt invites the Posts to a New Year’s party at the White House. Marjorie spots Alice Roosevelt, the president’s freewheeling eldest daughter, whose unconventional lifestyle and choices (which would sound quite tame to contemporary readers) often result in controversy. The media is obsessed with Alice’s romantic life, wondering if she will marry and if there will be a wedding in the White House.

At 14, Marjorie is settling into her newfound maturity, and her father’s wealth ensures that she is well-outfitted for this occasion. They greet the president, and then Alice introduces herself to Marjorie. She knows some of the available young men who visit Mount Vernon; some are interested in Marjorie. Charles William interrupts their conversation to dance with his daughter. He’s planning on building a home in New York. After their conversation, Marjorie realizes he never mentioned her mother in his future plans.

The next day, Marjorie visits her father, and discovers divorce papers on his desk. Then, she overhears Leila and her father; she slips out of the room, but discovers that the two are having an affair. Marjorie feels as though she’s been fooled by her father.

In the summer of 1903, Marjorie and her father are in Greenwich, Connecticut. By now, Ella and Charles William have divorced. Marjorie feels alienated from Charles William, sensing Leila’s growing presence in his life.

At a party, Marjorie senses everyone staring at them: The room is full of inherited wealth, while the Posts are new money. A young man named Edward Close greets them. They discuss the Posts’ new home in Greenwich, which has caught the eye of the Four Hundred, the elite and incredibly exclusive loose confederation of society families on the East Coast. Charles William suggests that Edward stop by the property when the house is finished.

Later, Marjorie stands on the terrace and Ed joins her. Marjorie admits to missing summers in Battle Creek. Ed asks if Dr. Kellogg is as unfeeling as the rumors say, and Marjorie affirms this, joking that the doctor is “[m]ore than stiff. Cold. You’ll make me shiver thinking about him” (60). Ed touches her shoulder, pretending to ward off her cold. They flirt more, and then Ed asks her to dance. She feels like she’s found something more exciting than she anticipated at this party.

Ed stops by their estate the next day. Marjorie is unsure what to do; Ed asks for the tour Charles William promised, but her father isn’t home, so she leads him around instead. Ed praises the estate, but Marjorie fears finishing school and returning to a place like Greenwich, where she knows no one. She doesn’t want to be alone, as Charles William often travels. Ed invites her to come sailing tomorrow. They joke about running away together. Ed brings her to a beach for a picnic, and he pulls out a box of Grape-Nuts, making her laugh. Marjorie greatly enjoys his company.

As the summer draws to a close, she wonders if she’ll hear from Ed while she’s at school. He is 21 to her 16. The next day, Ed comes to visit. He reveals that he is leaving to return to law school in New York City the next day. Then, he confesses his love, asks her to marry him, and kisses her. Marjorie says yes.

Charles William thinks that Marjorie is making a rash decision, worried that she doesn’t truly love Ed. He also worries that she won’t finish school, so she decides to wait to marry Ed until she finishes at Mount Vernon. The presence of Leila annoys Marjorie more and more.

At school, she writes Ed regularly, and he does the same. Resentful of her father’s treatment of his mother, she stands resolute despite Charles William’s attempts to make her reconsider her engagement. She feels she has found someone with whom she won’t be alone.

Both of her parents attend graduation, as does Leila. That night, Charles William and Marjorie have dinner, and he confesses that he is going to marry Leila. They will move to Battle Creek, leaving Marjorie the Connecticut home. Marjorie resolves to marry Eddie without her father’s blessing just as he had made his own marital plans without hers.

In the fall of 1905, Marjorie stresses over her wedding. Her mother refuses to attend if Leila is invited, and Charles William refuses to attend if Leila isn’t. Eventually, they compromise, with Leila sitting apart from Marjorie’s parents. Eddie’s family has their own complexity: His father passed away and his mother had a stroke, making it difficult for her to walk. Marjorie suspects that Ed’s mother dislikes that the old-money Ed is marrying nouveau riche Marjorie.

In December, they have an ornate wedding ceremony. As Marjorie walks down the aisle, she hears a woman whisper a disparaging comment about her to Ed’s mother. She resolves to prove to everyone that Ed has made an excellent choice.

On their honeymoon, Marjorie and Ed are greeted with an array of packages from Charles William. They include $100,000 in bonds (about $3.5 million in 2023) and the keys to the Connecticut home, which has been formally transferred to Marjorie, even though she tells Ed that it is a gift to both of them. Her father also includes a note expressing his affection toward Marjorie and Ed.

They enjoy their honeymoon, having sex for the first time. One night, Ed drinks too much, while Marjorie abstains as always. One night, when drunk, he comments that it is good that their children will be Episcopalians rather than Christian Scientists; he also reveals that he wants Marjorie to convert. Sure that he will apologize once sober, she agrees to go to the Episcopal Church with him, but remains staunch in her faith.

The next morning, Marjorie finds a package from a friend containing newspaper clippings about her wedding from publications across the country. One mentions that she is likely the wealthiest young woman in the United States.

Back in their home, Marjorie notices that Ed is less fond of Grape-Nuts than he pretended to be on their picnic. Their class differences now become apparent. Ed remarks that she can now spend mornings in bed since she is married, but the Midwestern Marjorie thinks that only women who are ill or who work in brothels should stay in bed in the mornings. He mocks her for her Battle Creek values, which do not align with those of well-heeled Greenwich. She tries to change the subject, asking how they can prepare for their trip to Michigan.

In Battle Creek, Leila annoys Marjorie, causing her to scratch her hands raw as she used to do when stressed as a teen. Ed also seems uncomfortable with the informality of the Post home. On their final night in town, Charles William announces that he wants to establish a village in Texas—a place Ed considers a “backwater” wilderness. When Charles William asks Marjorie and Ed to move down there with him, Marjorie is stunned, realizing that Charles William wants Ed to take over the business after his death. As a woman, Marjorie cannot legally inherit the company. Ed is clearly uninterested, unused to roughing it, but Marjorie is intrigued.

They agree to see the land. Taking a train to Fort Worth, Texas, Marjorie and Leila stay at a hotel while their husbands travel further. Charles William revels in the adventure, but Ed has a poor experience. He does not want to move to Texas, so Marjorie compromises by suggesting that they live in Battle Creek, from where Ed could help Charles William run the company. Ed refuses, even though Marjorie is unhappy in Connecticut. Marjorie feels like the only way to make her marriage work is to put her husband’s desires before everyone else’s, including hers.

Charles William puts Marjorie in charge of finances at The Boulders—the Connecticut house—which includes everything from paying their employees to the cost of food. When he reviews her books, he notices that her budget is off by five cents. Showing her the error, he emphasizes that even five cents matters.

Ed spends much of his time out of the house; when Marjorie suggests joining him to get to know his friends better, he reminds her that she doesn’t enjoy alcohol. One Saturday, Ed stays out very late, and Marjorie locks the door, so he has to knock to come in. She chastises him for his drinking.

Unsure of whom to turn to about her marital struggles, Marjorie is relieved when her friend Helen comes to visit. Ed will be away sailing for the weekend. By the end of her visit, Helen has seen how unhappy Marjorie is. When Marjorie explains what’s going on, Helen reassures her that Ed will settle down and that their problems arise from a difference in upbringing.

In November, Marjorie realizes that she is pregnant.

Adelaide Close is born in the summer of 1908. Marjorie and Ed are both thrilled, and they hire a child caretaker, Virginia “Pearcie” Pearson. Soon, Marjorie is expecting again, and she hopes that having children will continue to draw the family together.

Eleanor Close is born that December. One night, the baby falls seriously ill. Marjorie calls for a doctor and sends a servant to fetch Ed from the club. Hours later, the doctor reports that Eleanor’s fever has broken. Ed finally arrives home, still drunk. Marjorie is more unsure than ever that her marriage will survive.

It is 1911 in Greenwich, and Eleanor has decided to invest her time in charitable endeavors. She also plans on traveling more. They go to Palm Beach for the winter. When it comes time to return to Greenwich, Marjorie is not excited, and she suggests building a home in Palm Beach. Eddie is against it, saying that the town is “not for our sort” (115).

In the fall of 1912, Marjorie learns that her mother has passed away. She believes that Ella died of a broken heart. She travels alone to Washington, DC, to sort through her mother’s belongings and arrange her body’s return to Springfield, Illinois.

Two years later, Marjorie is shocked when a telegram announcing her father’s death arrives. She becomes the last Post.

Immediately, Leila makes it clear that she wants to be the main inheritor of Charles William’s wealth. Soon after, Marjorie receives her father’s suicide note—a letter addressed to Marjorie. The media lambasts him for dying by suicide, and Marjorie feels like she’s been left with his shame.

Ed and Marjorie travel to Battle Creek for the funeral. Letters of affection lauding Charles William Post’s achievements flood in, and the service is well-attended.

Leila argues that Charles William left half of everything to Marjorie and half to her. However, Ed goes to Battle Creek to find proof that everything should go to Marjorie. He eventually retrieves a contract from 1895, which shows that Marjorie is to get the whole company. Leila receives the land Charles William left for her, but not the corporation.