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melindamoor's review against another edition
4.0
“The almighty dollar will buy, you bet
A superior class of coronet;
That’s why I’ve come from over the way, From New York City of U. S. A.”
This was interesting, informative and fun. No wonder it inspired Julian Fellows in creating Downton Abbey.
Full review to come.
A superior class of coronet;
That’s why I’ve come from over the way, From New York City of U. S. A.”
This was interesting, informative and fun. No wonder it inspired Julian Fellows in creating Downton Abbey.
Full review to come.
anniegroover's review against another edition
2.0
Very dissapointing. Reads like a textbook, and the disjointed stories make it hard to remember who is who. I just couldn't finish it after reading about half of it.
jmmoore2003's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars - I enjoyed this book, but the constant interruptions of the flow could have been avoided by placing the little tidbits between chapters instead of in the middle of them.
emmashutup's review against another edition
3.0
This book inspired both Downton Abbey and one of my favorite podcasts, The History Chicks, so I knew I had to pick it up. What I got was a frothy, chatty, detailed account of how American heiresses and down-and-out British nobility formed marital alliances en masse throughout the late 1800s. The many illustrations and gossipy details are fun, and I like the tongue-in-cheek writing style.
I guess I was looking for a little more, though? Maybe it was because this book was published in 1989 and I’m reading in 2022, but I sometimes wished the book would be a little more critical of these sumptuous lifestyles, or at least address the effects these magnates’ ridiculous spending had on the people they overworked and underpaid. I also would have liked a little more time spent on individual stories; I honestly prefer the History Chicks episode on Gilded Age heiresses for this reason. You can only hear “and here’s what they are for dinner” so many times before you start to yawn a little, or at least, I can.
cosmogyral's review against another edition
4.0
Fun gossipy nonfiction, broad rather than deep. The format of short passages worked great for me in audio, but might have annoyed in print.
sandstar08's review against another edition
3.0
The writing in this was actually fantastic: mostly authoritative, but sometimes gossipy or snarky. Felt like listening to an old lady who had loved through the times talk about them with fondness.
But in the e book version, there were too many side entries. I wish it had been edited down to a novella size for clarity and impact.
But in the e book version, there were too many side entries. I wish it had been edited down to a novella size for clarity and impact.
jazzmatazdanger's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting information, but dull writing and the format was onerous.
pdonnellan's review against another edition
3.0
An odd hodge podge of vignettes thrown together. The overall narrative falls flat, but many of the anecdotes about the life of American heiresses in England are interesting.
mmichellemoore's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of great information. I found out about this book while listening to some episodes of The History Chicks podcast on the Gilded Age. The format was a little difficult because of all of the asides and pictures. But on the flip side seeing all the photographs was amazing, I always think of this era as being a long time ago but the documentation of these individuals lives is actually quite extensive.