Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age (P.S.)

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 920 EAN: 9780060938253 ISBN: 0060938250 Label: Harper Perennial Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 640 Publication Date: 2007-01-01 Publisher: Harper Perennial Release Date: 2007-01-09 Studio: Harper Perennial
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Editorial Reviews: When Consuelo Vanderbilt's grandfather died, he was the richest man in America. Her father soon started to spend the family fortune, enthusiastically supported by Consuelo's mother, Alva, who was determined to take the family to the top of New York society—forcing a heartbroken Consuelo into a marriage she did not want with the underfunded Duke of Marlborough. But the story of Consuelo and Alva is more than a tale of enterprising social ambition, Gilded Age glamour, and the emptiness of wealth. It is a fascinating account of two extraordinary women who struggled to break free from the world into which they were born—a world of materialistic concerns and shallow elitism in which females were voiceless and powerless—and of their lifelong dedication to noble and dangerous causes and the battle for women's rights.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: An interesting read Comment: a great read, full of lot's of details and insights. I learned alot about these women, this class of society and the Gilded Age. Customer Rating: Summary: Better than most fiction! Comment: Long book, but very good. Seems we've always been more than just a little interested in the private lives of the rich and famous in this country. From the description of the bridal lingerie of Consuelo in the newspapers to the reportings of celebrity "antics" today. Nice to know that she, and her mother, were aware of the changing world around them, and made contributions to society. Customer Rating: Summary: Birds in Gilded Cages Comment: A fascinating glimpse into New York and European society at the turn of the century. I kept wanting to shout to Consuelo, "Run! Run as fast as you can away from your control-freak mother!" Customer Rating: Summary: Facinating subject, but not without some problems Comment: In Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt, Amanda Mackenzie Stuart gives her reader a glimpse into the lives of two fascinating women: Alva, the daughter of a less-than-400-family married into the fabulously wealthy Vanderbilt clan and made them into what they became. She was a forcefully dynamic woman who encouraged her children to be independent, yet stifled them. Consuelo, on the other hand, emerges as a more sympathetic character; married to the Duke of Marlborough at age 18, she was forced to give up the man she loved so that her mother's ambitions could be realized. The subject matter is fascinating, but I thought that the book was a little too dense at times; I thought that the author tried to bite off too much at once. Her original intent had been to make this book solely into a biography of Consuelo, but was misguidedly advised to include Alva as well. The result is that the book covers a large period of time and tends to wander a bit. Also, Consuelo's story covers about ¾ of the book, while Alva, who was probably a more interesting woman, is left in the background. There were little things that I didn't like about this book as well. First there were too many French words that were left untranslated. Second the author goes into meticulous and I might even add sleep-inducing detail over every. Single. Little. Thing, which took away from my enjoyment of the book. However, I truly enjoyed the subject matter. And I thought it was well-researched; it turns out that the mag rag Town Topics (an early precursor to the tabloid magazine) had a lot to say about the Vanderbilts, and believe it or not, sometimes their information was actually correct. I thought it was interesting, too, how society doyennes created the idea of a press agency, working the press according to their own agendas. It was kind of a Catch-22, in its own way. Customer Rating: Summary: Consuelo and Alva Comment: Fascinating story well presented. This well-researched book has clarified several misconceptions about the Consuelo and Alva story. More Reviews