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A Novel of the Vanderbilts
by Therese Anne Fowler
Book Reviewed by:The riveting novel of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her illustrious family as they rule Gilded-Age New York, from the New York Times bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.
Alva Smith, her southern family destitute after the Civil War, married into one of America's great Gilded Age dynasties: the newly wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilts. Ignored by New York's old-money circles and determined to win respect, she designed and built 9 mansions, hosted grand balls, and arranged for her daughter to marry a duke. But Alva also defied convention for women of her time, asserting power within her marriage and becoming a leader in the women's suffrage movement.
With a nod to Jane Austen and Edith Wharton, in A Well-Behaved Woman Therese Anne Fowler paints a glittering world of enormous wealth contrasted against desperate poverty, of social ambition and social scorn, of friendship and betrayal, and an unforgettable story of a remarkable woman. Meet Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, living proof that history is made by those who know the rules - and how to break them.
I can't say that A Well-Behaved Woman is absolutely perfect, but it does come very close. Fowler's writing style is very open, honest and absorbing, so despite its slightly extended length, I became so immediately and fully involved in the story that I practically whizzed through the pages. However, I believe there were some areas (although they were few and far between) that could have been cut out, or cut down, that might have made the narrative more cohesive and consistent. In addition, I had hoped that more of Ava's later years of life would have been included, but the ending, including the afterword and author's note, make up for that –they are just as well written and very important to read, so please don't skip them. These niggles, however, aren't enough for me to lower my rating from a full five stars, and I honestly enjoyed this book and can warmly recommend it to lovers of historical fiction about women...continued
Full Review
(553 words)
(Reviewed by Davida Chazan).
Most of the first half of Therese Anne Fowler's A Well-Behaved Woman focuses on Alva Vanderbilt's efforts to break into New York society, which was ruled by a small group of families during what is known as the Gilded Age (1870s-1900). The doyenne of New York society at the time was Caroline Astor who, aided by Ward McAllister, a Savannah-born self-appointed arbiter of high society, not only codified what was considered proper behavior but also who was acceptable in their high society. Ward McAllister is best remembered today for coining the term "The Four Hundred" when he declared that there were "only 400 people in fashionable New York Society." This made me wonder about the rivalry between Alva and Caroline, and the ...
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