Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt - by Amanda MacKenzie Stuart (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Book Synopsis

"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.

From the Back Cover

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.

Review Quotes

"Riveting . . . [An] excellent biography . . . Mackenzie Stuart narrates with an elegance equal to her subject's." -- Francine du Plessix Gray, New York Times Book Review

"Impeccably researched . . . Mackenzie Stuart's history marshals an impressive trove of primary documents." -- The New Yorker

"Mackenzie Stuart has skillfully integrated a great deal of research... and she gives a rich sense of both women." -- Washington Post Book World

"[A] fascinating dual biography." -- Elle

"A saga of transatlantic maneuvers worthy of Henry James or Edith Wharton." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Book lovers, Anglophiles and social historians alike will find much to please them in this fine, well-researched biography." -- Virginian Pilot

"[A] deftly contextualized account." -- Vogue

"An intimate look at two women whose lives reveal changing social patterns. Just fascinating." -- USA Today

"Skilfully and sympathetically told. . . . Brilliant." -- Antonia Fraser, The Times (London)

"A riveting story... Alva and Consuelo emerge as unique and fascinating characters... A very entertaining read." -- Publishers Weekly

"Astute. . . . A lively narrative. . . . Written with impressive verve and confidence." -- Newsday

"Compellingly readable... [Mackenzie Stuart] writes... with the eye of an accomplished historian and with profound sympathy for the central figures." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Fascinating. . . . A thoughtful portrait of two strong, well-educated women who were more than the measure of their extreme wealth." -- Seattle Times

"highly readable, well constructed, novelish biography. . . . a confident and compelling book." -- Contemporary Review