It's only three stars because, while I really enjoyed the majority of the book, the format and constant interruptions to the text took away some of the enjoyment. I also didn't technically read the entire thing since I just skimmed the bios and locations at the end. I want a book like this about the women but without the asides. It did make me finally purchase Five Sisters though.

An entertaining, gossipy look at the phenomenon of American heiresses marrying titled British aristocrats, which took place from the 1870s to the early 1900s. Shut out by the old money society of New York epitomized by Caroline Astor's "400," these nouveau riche families sought out social acceptability across the Atlantic instead. They launched their pert, pretty, privileged daughters into a hidebound British society which at first balked at the girls as little more than savages, but soon came to see that the girls' vast fortunes were just what their crumbling estates needed.

The book moves more or less chronologically, showing the phases of this phenomenon, from the "Buccaneers" like Jennie Jerome (mother of Winston Churchill) and Consuelo Yznaga, who led the charge into aristocratic marriages, to the Self-Made Girls like midwestern beauty Jeannie Chamberlain, to the later American Aristocrats, who often had spent more time in England than in America and saw themselves as every bit as worthy as the British aristocrats they married. Threaded through all these eras of "dollar princesses" is the fascination and support of Prince Albert, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), who admired and accepted the American arrivistes, giving them social acceptability and even encouraging matches between the girls and various titled men. The book also delves into lots of fascinating detail about the fashions, entertainments, manners, morals, and etiquette of both the British ruling families and the American families determined to crack into their insular institution. Worth gowns by the dozen, luxurious "cottages" in Newport, portraits done by John Singer Sargent, house parties with Prince Albert -- the book paints a vivid picture of the world in which these women lived.

A fascinating look at what was truly a fairly tawdry trend of the daughters of American robber barons and industrialists being groomed and brought up to be more or less sold off to impecunious dukes, earls, marquesses, and barons. A short-lived but intriguing period of time, and one that had a huge impact on the British aristocracy which is still felt today. Without the marriage of heiress Frances Work to the Baron Fermoy, after all, there would have been no Princess Diana, and no Princes William or George -- future kings, both.

So obviously this is pretty dry but my little Downton Abbey loving heart thoroughly enjoyed it.

"To Marry an English Lord" was meticulously researched. It gave incredibly valuable insight and history into the marriages and social systems of the late 19th century/early 20th century.

I found the particular layout of the book to be incredibly distracting. There was almost too much information on each page and the way they added tidbits on the side made my lose my place often.

I really enjoyed this. It is an interesting look at this period and the people who lived it. It is also a very good example that gossip has always been there and will always be there.

Lots of good info and a really good overview of American Heiresses during the Gilded Age. I loved all the pictures and details and fun little facts scattered throughout. I love learning about this time period and the women that made it what it was.

I thought the layout could have been better as it interrupted the main text a lot and required a lot of flipping back and forth. I also found it really hard to keep track of people - especially because they all have different names depending on if they are married or not, or are being referred to be their title and the book was never consistent in which name they used.

A lot of interesting info on an era I find fascinating, but the format was kind of grating- inserts two pages long placed in the middle of other sentences- so that was not great.

Beginning with why many English Lords were in need of rich wives down to the practice of choosing American wives waning, this book tells a lot of the history both of the English upper class/nobility and of New York high society. I think there is a bit of a bias in favor of the English as the author clearly doesn't think much of New York high society of the late 19th century. If you're interested in seeing some color photos of dresses worn by New York society ladies, the Met Museum has a great photo collection of dresses by Worth.

I read this before I watched "Downtown Abbey", and it's a great look into the trend of American heiresses who wanted nothing except a titled English husband to complete their lives. If you think all Victorians and Edwardians were straight-laced and well-mannered, this book will give you another look at their outrageous excess and privileged lives.