Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt : The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age
Author(s): Amanda Mackenzie Stuart
“A dual life story that reads as pleasurably as the best fiction but with all the intelligence of a first-rate biography. . . . completely absorbing.”—Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
The granddaughter of the richest man in America, Consuelo Vanderbilt was the prize catch of New York Society. But her socially ambitious mother, Alva, was adamant that her daughter should make a grand marriage, and the underfunded Duke of Marlborough was just the thing—even though Consuelo loved someone else.
The story of these two women is not simply one of empty wealth, Gilded Age glamour, and of enterprising social ambition. Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt is also a fascinating account of how two women struggled to break free from the deeply materialistic, stifling world into which they were born, taking up the fight for female equality. In this brilliant and engrossing book, Amanda Mackenzie Stuart suggests that behind the most famous transatlantic marriage lies an extraordinary tale of the quest for female power.
Review(s):
“Riveting . . . [An] excellent biography . . . Mackenzie Stuart narrates with an elegance equal to her subject’s.”
“Impeccably researched . . . Mackenzie Stuart’s history marshals an impressive trove of primary documents.”
“Mackenzie Stuart has skillfully integrated a great deal of research... and she gives a rich sense of both women.”
“[A] fascinating dual biography.”
“A saga of transatlantic maneuvers worthy of Henry James or Edith Wharton.”
“Book lovers, Anglophiles and social historians alike will find much to please them in this fine, well-researched biography.”
“[A] deftly contextualized account.”
“An intimate look at two women whose lives reveal changing social patterns. Just fascinating.”
“Skilfully and sympathetically told. . . . Brilliant.”
“A riveting story... Alva and Consuelo emerge as unique and fascinating characters... A very entertaining read.”
ISBN: 9780060938253