Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies
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- Author：Laura Thompson
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Summary
Author of THE SIX: THE LIVES OF THE MITFORD SISTERS Laura Thompson's HEIRESSES: THE LIVES OF THE MILLION DOLLAR BABIES， examining the phenomenon of the heiress， from Christina Onassis to Patty Hearst， Mary Davies to Alice Silverthorne， telling their stories and considering why it is so hard to live with plenitude， as some heiresses succumbed to their fortune while others became patrons and built up their estates， to Charles Spicer at St。 Martin's。
Reviews
Margie
，
I’m torn with this review。 There was so much information and facts that spanned years and years that I felt like I was listening to a research paper by a college student， and at times was a tiny bit bored。With that said， there was a lot of good information and comparisons between an heiress of the 17th century and a modern-day heiress。 The things people got away with in the 17th century makes your skin crawl。 The “rules and laws” are much better at protecting fortunes these days but only if the I’m torn with this review。 There was so much information and facts that spanned years and years that I felt like I was listening to a research paper by a college student， and at times was a tiny bit bored。With that said， there was a lot of good information and comparisons between an heiress of the 17th century and a modern-day heiress。 The things people got away with in the 17th century makes your skin crawl。 The “rules and laws” are much better at protecting fortunes these days but only if the heiress is willing to do the work to protect it and if her mental health is in a good place。 Too many women feel as if they aren’t good enough， smart enough， pretty enough， etc and there are plenty of ruthless people that will take advantage of those feelings。 Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kelsey
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HEIRESSES: THE LIVES OF THE MILLION DOLLAR BABIES is an in-depth look at the myths， mysteries， facts and scandals of heiresses from all over Europe and America， spanning from the 17th century all the way to the present。 Inside are stories of kidnappings， elopements， theft， and of course， fortune。 First and foremost， if you are looking for light， fun biographies about heiresses， look elsewhere。 Thompson does speak in-depth about the individual heiress， however， the information comes off sporadica HEIRESSES: THE LIVES OF THE MILLION DOLLAR BABIES is an in-depth look at the myths， mysteries， facts and scandals of heiresses from all over Europe and America， spanning from the 17th century all the way to the present。 Inside are stories of kidnappings， elopements， theft， and of course， fortune。 First and foremost， if you are looking for light， fun biographies about heiresses， look elsewhere。 Thompson does speak in-depth about the individual heiress， however， the information comes off sporadically and not all put together。 To me， this read more as a study of what it means to be an heiress versus the individual heiress。 Despite this， it was enjoyable in parts。 There were women I knew about， and a lot more that I had never heard of before。 The introduction to these women were enthralling。 But， only just so。 It read so academically that it was hard to focus sometimes。 This is a great book if you're into this sort of subject， but with that being said， it was extremely dry for me in huge bulks of the work and I want to say this was mostly because， again， it was less of a study of individual women， and more of a study of what it meant to be these women。 All in all， I liked it。 I would recommend it to friends who I knew liked this sort of reading material and who would enjoy it。 Thanks to NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review！~ 。。。more
Katie
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The Heiresses tells the true stories of some of the wealthiest women built by their inheritances。 Although they came into money and sometimes fame from their family lineage， many of them faced difficulties being their own person after marriage。 Many of these women fought for equality but the odds were stacked against them。 I really wish this book would have been less academic and more interesting to read。 I wasn't expecting such a textbook style offering based on the synopsis。 Each heiress featu The Heiresses tells the true stories of some of the wealthiest women built by their inheritances。 Although they came into money and sometimes fame from their family lineage， many of them faced difficulties being their own person after marriage。 Many of these women fought for equality but the odds were stacked against them。 I really wish this book would have been less academic and more interesting to read。 I wasn't expecting such a textbook style offering based on the synopsis。 Each heiress featured has a sizable portion of the book for her story with basically just the facts of who she was， how she got her money， who she married， and the struggles she faced。 Rinse and repeat for each person。 Certainly an interesting topic， but not tackled in a way I personally found enjoyable。 Thanks so much to St。 Martins Press for the advance reading copy！ 。。。more
Rachel
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Beginning in 1600's， this title traces the history of heiresses to modern day。 The plight， trope， and concept of the heiress is explored as related to culture， literature， politics， and gender。 Those who enjoy watching and reading about "Downton Abbey"， "The Guilded Age"， "The Crown"， and Anderson's Cooper's "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of An American Dynasty" will recognize familiar names and history。 If you enjoy this type of memoir be prepared to build another to be read list as the title i Beginning in 1600's， this title traces the history of heiresses to modern day。 The plight， trope， and concept of the heiress is explored as related to culture， literature， politics， and gender。 Those who enjoy watching and reading about "Downton Abbey"， "The Guilded Age"， "The Crown"， and Anderson's Cooper's "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of An American Dynasty" will recognize familiar names and history。 If you enjoy this type of memoir be prepared to build another to be read list as the title is well-researched and the the author references titles and names that will lead further reading。I was given an early release copy of this title from the publishers on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lauren Barnett
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A good concept very badly executed。 I agree with the other reviews， the writing is all over the place， difficult to follow， jumping around too much and occasionally repetitive。 It reads very much like a draft student paper and I was surprised to lean this was not her first book。 It is a serious shame because the idea is really interesting。 I hope another publisher or writer is inspired to write a better book on the subject， because it could be a hit。
Jennifer Daun
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Won a advance reader copy…gave it a go。 Not a book I would have picked up on my own。
Jennifer D。
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Won an advanced reader copy， so felt I should give it a try…。not a book I would have picked up on my own。 Was interesting & full of information。
Jeanne
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I found this book very repetitious。 I tried very hard to read every word but did end up skimming some areas。 Some interesting facts but not enough to rate higher。
Shirley McAllister
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Wealth！ A Privilege。。。or Not！This was an interesting history of some of the richest women in the world。 It was quite sad as how in the early centuries the woman heiress was bartered to the highest bidder by the family， and some were abducted and forced to marry at a very young age。。too young。 Many of the young women of means tried to find their own way and make their own decisions， but with dire consequences。 Most were controlled by marriage。 Even the later century ones did not often fair well。 Wealth！ A Privilege。。。or Not！This was an interesting history of some of the richest women in the world。 It was quite sad as how in the early centuries the woman heiress was bartered to the highest bidder by the family， and some were abducted and forced to marry at a very young age。。too young。 Many of the young women of means tried to find their own way and make their own decisions， but with dire consequences。 Most were controlled by marriage。 Even the later century ones did not often fair well。 Some spent their fortune and ended up penniless， others married and ended up in loveless marriages or divorces。There were a lot of different stories of different wealthy women。 I had a hard time keeping straight which person was being spoken about because there were so many and some had the same first names。 It was a little hard at times but the author did a good job narrating I think If I was reading a print book I might get confused。There were a few that took up causes or were happy in their wealth but it appears that a good many were not。 It is clear that money is not everything and that being a wealthy woman does not guarantee happiness。 I enjoyed learning of these historical woman and if you are interested in historical women I would recommend this book to you。 The author did a great job with the narration of the audio book I listened to 。 I think I like the audio books that are read by the author's they engage me much more in the story。Thanks to Laura Thompson for writing a great historical account of famous women and doing a wonderful job of narrating it， to Macmillan Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me。 。。。more
Ashleigh Hughes
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The beginning was interesting but I got very lost with all the time and name jumping throughout。
Alina
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Heiresses and us， regular mortals， are two different types of humankind。 The first， who was born into money， look at the world in a completely different way。 One of the many differences is the danger money brings。 Laura Thompson takes the reader way back into the seventeenth century when women were nothing more but property in a hands of their husbands。 They were forced into unwanted marriages， some kidnapped， and some ended up in an asylum。 But with each century they improved their positions an Heiresses and us， regular mortals， are two different types of humankind。 The first， who was born into money， look at the world in a completely different way。 One of the many differences is the danger money brings。 Laura Thompson takes the reader way back into the seventeenth century when women were nothing more but property in a hands of their husbands。 They were forced into unwanted marriages， some kidnapped， and some ended up in an asylum。 But with each century they improved their positions and equality in the world。My favorite part of the book was the end of nineteen and the beginning of the twentieth century。 That's the beginning of feminism and drastic change in the world of "old" and "new" money。 The book combines many interesting stories of the heiresses。 Many of which are referenced in multiple classical novels by Jane Austin， Edith Wharton， etc。 This is a very relaxing and entertaining read with short "biographies" of the world's wealthiest women。 Thank you， NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for a free and advanced copy of the book。 。。。more
Adrienne
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I loved this book！ Laura Thompson talks about the lives of heiresses in history and fiction in excellent detail。 She writes in a conversational and engaging tone balancing fact， humor， awe， and drama。
Ashley
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What an intriguing and gripping non-fiction read！ Every time I picked up “Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies”， I learned something new about various women throughout history， as well as the times in which they lived。This is the first book I have read by Laura Thompson， and it certainly will not be my last。 She brings the past to life right before the reader’s eyes， and I can only begin to imagine the amount of research she must have done for this book。 Her passion for what she i What an intriguing and gripping non-fiction read！ Every time I picked up “Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies”， I learned something new about various women throughout history， as well as the times in which they lived。This is the first book I have read by Laura Thompson， and it certainly will not be my last。 She brings the past to life right before the reader’s eyes， and I can only begin to imagine the amount of research she must have done for this book。 Her passion for what she is writing about is so vividly clear， and I felt drawn into the various time periods through her writing。 This non-fiction book delves into the lives of many heiresses throughout history; not only in their personal lives， but also explores the eras in which these women lived in。 Some of the women discussed include: Mary Davies， Consuelo Vanderbilt， Nancy Cunard， and many more。 The author also weaves in some women and stories from literature as well， two such examples being from “Pride and Prejudice” and “The Age of Innocence”， along with more historical figures and modern women too。 The good， the bad， and everything in between is presented throughout the book， and the result is an extremely thought-provoking read。 The book， at times， does feel quite jumpy subject wise， and not entirely organized。 However， I still found it very difficult to put down。If you enjoy biographies， I highly recommend this book。 It kept me turning the pages， and I look forward to doing more research on my own。 I also look forward to reading what Ms。 Thompson writes next。Thank you so much to St。 Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book， and for the beautiful finished copy as well。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Bookoholiccafe
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review to come
Caroline Hedges
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I loved the idea of this book but was disappointed， not because it was badly written but I was hoping it would be told in a fictional way。 This is a very fact heavy book that flies around centuries and decades， dipping in and out of stories with no real structure。 I really enjoyed the opening and loved some of the suggestions for why so many heiresses struggled with what they had。 This would have made a great essay or extended article。 I’m afraid I didn’t finish this。 There are just too many gre I loved the idea of this book but was disappointed， not because it was badly written but I was hoping it would be told in a fictional way。 This is a very fact heavy book that flies around centuries and decades， dipping in and out of stories with no real structure。 I really enjoyed the opening and loved some of the suggestions for why so many heiresses struggled with what they had。 This would have made a great essay or extended article。 I’m afraid I didn’t finish this。 There are just too many great books out there and I didn’t want to waste time finishing this one。Thank you Netgalley for the ARC。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Kristen Perry
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I received Heiresses as an audiobook ARC through Netgalley。 I had high hopes for this book。 I was very intrigued to learn about heiresses from all different time periods。 Thinking each chapter would be about a different heiress。 And while each chapter did sort of focus on one heiress， there were so many different people and facts presented， it was hard for me to follow and not enjoyable to read。 The narrator did a wonderful job and enjoyed the cadence of her voice， just not how the story was put I received Heiresses as an audiobook ARC through Netgalley。 I had high hopes for this book。 I was very intrigued to learn about heiresses from all different time periods。 Thinking each chapter would be about a different heiress。 And while each chapter did sort of focus on one heiress， there were so many different people and facts presented， it was hard for me to follow and not enjoyable to read。 The narrator did a wonderful job and enjoyed the cadence of her voice， just not how the story was put together。 。。。more
AnnaScott
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If I'm quite honest， the pervading thought in my mind after reading this book is that I am thankful that I am not an heiress。 As this book shows， they have been notoriously taken advantage of throughout history， and overall were quite a miserable group of people。 This book tells the stories of significant or notable heiresses starting roughly in the 18th century and going until late in the 20th century。 There were some absolutely insane stories。 Apparently heiress snatching was popular for a tim If I'm quite honest， the pervading thought in my mind after reading this book is that I am thankful that I am not an heiress。 As this book shows， they have been notoriously taken advantage of throughout history， and overall were quite a miserable group of people。 This book tells the stories of significant or notable heiresses starting roughly in the 18th century and going until late in the 20th century。 There were some absolutely insane stories。 Apparently heiress snatching was popular for a time， purely as a sport and not just for the financial gain。 Women were tricked （or forced） into marriages， some had countless different husbands/lovers， and really none of them got a 'happily ever after' despite their millions。 While this was a fascinating book， the part that I struggled with was how many heiresses were covered。 Because most of them were not well-known outside of this context， and many of them were related to each other in some form or fashion， it quickly became a bit confusing as to who was who。 As a reader who read this purely out of interest， I think it would have been better to simplify it to four or five heiresses， and spend more time on them。 If you were reading for academic purposes， though， it is great。 But packing that much information into a book for someone who is not immersed in this field was a bit overwhelming at times。 Overall， this was very interesting to read， and it really highlighted how much Women's Rights have impacted society over the last century。I received a copy of this book from Netgalley。 All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own， and I am writing a voluntary review。 。。。more
janne Boswell
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Five Stars。 The photograph/cover sets the stage for "The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies。" This is a comprehensive， well researched 'tell all' of the lives of the wealthy 'oligarchs' as Ms。 Thompson references， dating back to the Edwardian age。 In Part II， she moves on to the 19th century and takes a deep dive into the Vanderbilts， who were one of the wealthiest shipping and railroad tycoons。 She at times， adds some tidbits of gossip and snarkiness particularly， when detailing the famous feud Five Stars。 The photograph/cover sets the stage for "The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies。" This is a comprehensive， well researched 'tell all' of the lives of the wealthy 'oligarchs' as Ms。 Thompson references， dating back to the Edwardian age。 In Part II， she moves on to the 19th century and takes a deep dive into the Vanderbilts， who were one of the wealthiest shipping and railroad tycoons。 She at times， adds some tidbits of gossip and snarkiness particularly， when detailing the famous feud between the Astors and the Vanderbilts who fought for the 'Crown of New York Society。'The Author weaves a gilded but， at times， tarnished tale of tthe lives of these million dollar babies from Mary Davies， Catherine Tylney Long， Ellen Turner to the Vanderbilts， Barbara Hutton， the Woolworth heiress， Nancy Cunard， Daisy Fellowes and more。 The Author astutely notes， that before the 20th century， a wife's inheritance was the property of her husband， unprotected and vulnerable， the heiresses ended up in perilous situations， involving forced marriages， kidnapping and asylums。 In 1964， "The Married Women's Property Act" 'allowed' women to equally share money and any property with her husband。 Essentially allowing heiresses a 'share' of their wealth once they marry， which opened the door to men who were intent on marrying into wealth。 The Author also shares literary references to books and short stories written about Heiresses， which added in the "Author's words， a 'minor frisson' that made the comprehensive worldly tour of the rich and famous even more interesting。 She cites， Jane Austin， Edith Wharton， "The Age of Innocence"， Henry James， James Baldwin and Dorothy Parker。 I thought the Author provided a detailed balance of the good， bad and the ugly when discusses the heiresses lives。 At times， she was a bit tangential and difficult to follow。。I never quite understood her reference to Meghan Markle and Jeff Bezos？！ Overall。 I found this to be a fascinating， engaging read that I devoured in a few days。I was given an ARC of this book。The release date is 02/15/22。 Many， Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Press for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book。 。。。more
Mary
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I had high expectations for this book， but it did not hit the mark for me。 The information was very detailed， but the narrative was disjointed。 It read like an academic text and would be useful for that purpose。 Full disclosure: this book was given to me for review， but the opinions expressed are my own。
Drea
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I am fascinated with this subject and this book scratched my itch。 Thoroughly researched and well-written， Heiresses describes so many girls and women I had never heard of who lived extraordinarily interesting lives as they were born into a life one can only imagine。 What is always interesting about an heiress is the marriage-making and what ensues after said marriage/marriages as well as how the heiress treats her fortune and what grasp of it she holds。 I thoroughly enjoyed this one and recomme I am fascinated with this subject and this book scratched my itch。 Thoroughly researched and well-written， Heiresses describes so many girls and women I had never heard of who lived extraordinarily interesting lives as they were born into a life one can only imagine。 What is always interesting about an heiress is the marriage-making and what ensues after said marriage/marriages as well as how the heiress treats her fortune and what grasp of it she holds。 I thoroughly enjoyed this one and recommend it to those who are interested in all things over-the-top inherited wealth。 Thanks to St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Laura L
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Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 I really enjoyed this， getting to see how it was that the rich lived， and how in history no matter how rich a woman was she still didn't have the rights she deserved。 The heiresses in this book really showed that money cannot buy happiness， and made me happy that I'm just a normal person。 Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 I really enjoyed this， getting to see how it was that the rich lived， and how in history no matter how rich a woman was she still didn't have the rights she deserved。 The heiresses in this book really showed that money cannot buy happiness， and made me happy that I'm just a normal person。 。。。more
Lacey Stairs
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Heiresses is a dive into stories that have long been buried and overlooked in history。 It is a historical account of heiresses throughout the ages， and explains the purpose， importance， and sometimes utter lack of power， these women had。Infuriating and enlightening， this collection of historical women and their stories illuminate the long standing traditions revolving marriage， match making， manipulation and money。It was an insightful listen （and I enjoyed it as an audio book） and parties enjoyi Heiresses is a dive into stories that have long been buried and overlooked in history。 It is a historical account of heiresses throughout the ages， and explains the purpose， importance， and sometimes utter lack of power， these women had。Infuriating and enlightening， this collection of historical women and their stories illuminate the long standing traditions revolving marriage， match making， manipulation and money。It was an insightful listen （and I enjoyed it as an audio book） and parties enjoying historic back stories， the evolution of women's and LGBTQ+ rights， and the development and changes of sociey itself will find this book very interesting。 。。。more
Carin
，
When you think of heiresses， you generally think of The Gilded Age， when rich young American girls married penniless British aristocracy （much like the parents on Downton Abbey）。 And yes， that’s a huge part of this book。 But I appreciated its much wider scope。Beginning in the 1600s with Mary Davies whose step-mother eagerly married her off young （14 if I remember right） to whichever man could pay the step-mother the most money， a bad precedent was set。 Mary owned most of modern-day London。 I do When you think of heiresses， you generally think of The Gilded Age， when rich young American girls married penniless British aristocracy （much like the parents on Downton Abbey）。 And yes， that’s a huge part of this book。 But I appreciated its much wider scope。Beginning in the 1600s with Mary Davies whose step-mother eagerly married her off young （14 if I remember right） to whichever man could pay the step-mother the most money， a bad precedent was set。 Mary owned most of modern-day London。 I do mean most。 At least 500 acres， which would now be worth billions， and then was worth a similar equivalency as it was just as London was starting to grow rapidly。 Her husband was a lout and abused her。 And it didn’t matter because that was legal and if she left she’d lose everything–all her money， her reputation， and her children。 And those laws didn’t change for centuries。 After Mary， a trend started up of kidnapping heiresses。 And most people didn’t seem to think this was particularly bad！ But if a young single girl was with a man overnight–even if against her will–her reputation was considered ruined unless she married him。 So if you were a poor man of no fortune， this was an option for upward nobility！ Ugh！We move through the centuries with a lot of time necessarily spent in the Gilded Age， and on up through to modern times with Christina Onassis and Gloria Vanderbilt。 Many tragic stories of horrible marriages， abuse， substance use disorders， neglected children， mental instability， and repetition of poor choices and poor outcomes in later generations。 There are a few bright shining stars though， who didn’t let the money go to their heads and actually considered their choices and used their money well。 They make up for what otherwise would just be a litany of misery。 It’s kind of nice to read about rich people doing stupid things with their money on People magazine for 4 pages but it would be unrelenting here， if not for those exceptions， that I don’t know if my attention could have withstood it。 Luckily， we don’t have to know as there are the contrasts。Come for the schadenfreude， stay for a fascinating window into social history across the centuries。 。。。more
Real Tea K-3
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I won't give you the title if you Don't know how to be it 🙏💕 I won't give you the title if you Don't know how to be it 🙏💕 。。。more
JoAn
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Heiresses by Laura Thompson is a history of women who inherited money from their families and how it affected their lives。 Filled with historical data and referencing some remarks/comments that were made by contemporaries of each heiress helped to showcase each heiress' life。 The 17th and 18th century heiresses were little more than tools for men to enrich their own lives without lifting a finger for themselves which is a sad commentary。 I knew of these types of affairs but not to the extent tha Heiresses by Laura Thompson is a history of women who inherited money from their families and how it affected their lives。 Filled with historical data and referencing some remarks/comments that were made by contemporaries of each heiress helped to showcase each heiress' life。 The 17th and 18th century heiresses were little more than tools for men to enrich their own lives without lifting a finger for themselves which is a sad commentary。 I knew of these types of affairs but not to the extent that Ms。 Thompson described in the book。The problem that I had with the book is that Ms。 Thompson would be writing about an heiress from the 17th or 18th century and then jump to comparing a contemporary heiress with the earlier heiress。 I found it confusing and never understood the need for the comparisons。 I also was disappointed that she only highlighted a few of the contemporary heiress lives where she had gone into so much depth on the earlier heiresses。 Although an interesting read， I had difficulty with it holding my attention （especially when it jumped around between early and contemporary heiresses）。 Disappointing but it definitely showcased how money does not buy happiness。I voluntarily reviewed a digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley。 All of the above opinions are my own。 。。。more
Anne
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I found this book on Heiresses from the mid 17th century through the 20th to be an approachable， interesting book filled with solid research and loads of detail。 I was pleasantly surprised that the author went back into the 17th century to begin tracing the history of young women who， in many cases， were handicapped by their inheritances。 Certainly the three women who begin this book did not have good outcomes despite being of marriageable age and in possession of a certain level of fortune。 I a I found this book on Heiresses from the mid 17th century through the 20th to be an approachable， interesting book filled with solid research and loads of detail。 I was pleasantly surprised that the author went back into the 17th century to begin tracing the history of young women who， in many cases， were handicapped by their inheritances。 Certainly the three women who begin this book did not have good outcomes despite being of marriageable age and in possession of a certain level of fortune。 I also thought I knew the stories about many of the American heiresses who wound up marrying British aristocracy in the late 1900s and into the early 20th century， but the author fleshed out their stories as well， providing an interesting look at changing morals， inheritance laws， and how the rich chose to spend that money as history moved into the 20th century。 While many of the stories of these "poor little rich girls" are just that - sad tales about how things could have （or should have） been different for these women of priviledge， it was interesting to see the stories of the few heiresses who did not exhibit a lifetime self-destructive behavior told over and over again。 I therefore particularly appreciated the Epilogue， which focuses on Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts， one of the few heiresses of the 19th century who appears to have had a good head on her shoulders。 A friend of Charles Dickens， she funded a home for "fallen women"， at a time when a lady of quality supposedly should not have even been aware of such things。 She focused on attempting to use her money to alleviate suffering and need in all parts of the world - from building two churches， to African missions， the education of the poor in Britain， to watering fountains and troughs for animals in London。 （I am putting this lady on my short-list for interesting people in history to invite to dinner。）My one criticism of the book is that there are a LOT of characters and I sometimes had trouble keeping up with the list， particularly since many in the 20th century had a given name of Lady So-and-So， and then went by a pet name that was completely different。 I think I would have had an easier time keeping track if I had read the book in print， but did enjoy the author's reading of her own work in the audiobook version I reviewed。 I found this a fascinating glimpse into a lifestyle that seems fairy-tale princess in many aspects， but which had a bleak and often sad ending for these women who inherited monetary wealth but not， it would seem， much in the way of personal self-worth or familial love and support。 I am interested in picking up this author's title on the Mitford Sisters （who are mentioned in this book as well） as I suspect she will do a wonderful job bringing them to life as well。 。。。more
Christopher Merck
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I was expecting something a little different from this book - more in the form of a "popular history" book。 Instead， this book is a fairly dry academic read in which the author proposes and argues with a thesis。 I do not disagree with the thesis， but I just was not expecting that type of a read。 If I had had different expectations， perhaps I would have enjoyed it more。 It was hard to focus on the audiobook with the narrative jumping to different places with little to no notice。 The narrator did I was expecting something a little different from this book - more in the form of a "popular history" book。 Instead， this book is a fairly dry academic read in which the author proposes and argues with a thesis。 I do not disagree with the thesis， but I just was not expecting that type of a read。 If I had had different expectations， perhaps I would have enjoyed it more。 It was hard to focus on the audiobook with the narrative jumping to different places with little to no notice。 The narrator did a good job for what she had to work with， though。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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Usually this kind of book is right up my alley。 However， this one just didn’t do it for me。 I found the narrative too casual and gossipy。 The lack of sources was concerning as well。 The organization was jumbled and somewhat rambling。Thanks to St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy。
Judy Lesley
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This book should have been right up my alley。 In fact， as I began reading I felt completely at home because I had at one time been a voracious reader of historical romances， usually from the Victorian period of English history。 I therefore had a comfort zone for understanding the rigidity of English society， the emphasis placed on the family heritage and the importance of keeping the title and the land together and safe。 The women in this book were real life examples of the fictional American he This book should have been right up my alley。 In fact， as I began reading I felt completely at home because I had at one time been a voracious reader of historical romances， usually from the Victorian period of English history。 I therefore had a comfort zone for understanding the rigidity of English society， the emphasis placed on the family heritage and the importance of keeping the title and the land together and safe。 The women in this book were real life examples of the fictional American heiresses I have read about so often when the plot had the Duke of Someplace Hyphenated needing an infusion of cold hard cash to keep the fires in the castle burning。 Where is a Duke to look for money？ At the gaming tables？ No， too uncertain。 Among the American super rich， of course。 I thought this was going to be fun。 Instead， this turned out to be a fizzle。Once the book moves into the mid-1860s the focus is put on specific well recognized women and keeps coming back to them in each portion to tell the story of how they coped， or didn't cope， with certain aspects of life with all their wealth。 For me the book fell down because I didn't feel enough guidance from the author to let me know what the purpose of each divided segment was for。 I was distracted by too many things in the book that I thought of as problems。 I honestly don't know who I would recommend this book to。Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for an e-galley of this book。 。。。more
Megan Farve
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