The American Heiress: A Novel (original 2010; edition 2011)

by Daisy Goodwin

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1,920	120	8,627	(3.4)	81
"Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James. "For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --DAISY GOODWIN IN THE DAILY MAIL"--… (more)

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Member:	Frannycesca
Title:	The American Heiress: A Novel
Authors:	Daisy Goodwin
Info:	St. Martin's Press (2011), Hardcover, 480 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin (2010)

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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 119 (next | show all)

Romance

BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |

An easy read, this is the story of Cora, one of the fabulously rich "noveau riche" of American standards, who marries into a semi-impoverished Dukedom in England. As she makes her way in married life, she begins to realise that there are many different unwritten and unspoken rules she doesnt know and that even the servants can know the score better than her. Meanwhile her maid Bertha - so pale she could *almost* pass as white, learns to adjust to a new society, where her status is judged by her class, rather than her colour.[return][return]Raises some good points about England vs the New World, money v poverty, etc etc (

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nordie | Oct 14, 2023 |

Really enjoyed this book. Good debut. (

)

LisaBergin | Apr 12, 2023 |

A bit more character development was needed, especially for Ivo. Otherwise an interesting look at the Gilded Age and the dollar brides. (

)

bjsikes | Jan 30, 2023 |

The American Heiress: A Novel is a book that one asks oneself, why was this written? The young heiress from America had a riding accident and wound up in the arms of a Duke. The story went downhill from this point. It was not the kind of book that one learns about the history of one country or the other. It was not the kind of story that one feels any kinship towards the characters. The story just drudged on and on. Consequently, the book only received three stars in this review. (

)

lbswiener | Apr 28, 2022 |

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thingScore 100

A shrewd, spirited historical romance with flavors of Edith Wharton, Daphne du Maurier, Jane Austen, Upstairs, Downstairs and a dash of People magazine that charts a bumpy marriage of New World money and Old World tradition.

added by Shortride | editKirkus Reviews (Jun 1, 2011)

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▾Awards and Honors

Awards

British Book Award (Shortlist – Popular Fiction – 2011)

Waverton Good Read Award (Longlist – 2010)

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Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2010

People/Characters

Cora Cash, Duchess of Wareham

Important places

Lulworth Castle, Wareham, England, UK

Manhattan, New York, New York, USA

Park Avenue, New York, New York, USA

Newport, Rhode Island, USA

(show all 8 items)

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For my father Richard Goodwin - my ideal reader

First words

The visiting hour was almost over, so the hummingbird man encountered only the occasional carriage as he pushed his cart along the narrow strip of road between the mansions of Newport and the Atlantic ocean.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

UK Title: My Last Duchess

US Title: The American Heiress

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Original language

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Anglais

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Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

"Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James. "For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --DAISY GOODWIN IN THE DAILY MAIL"--

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Book description

Beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, the wealthiest debutante in America, is spirited away from the glamour and comfort of her Park Avenue mansion and suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, mistress of Lulworth Castle, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. As Cora is soon to discover, nothing in this strange new world is quite as it seems. Her handsome new husband is withdrawn and secretive; the English social scene is stuffed with pitfalls and traps; and there are increasingly dangerous forces at work, people who wish she'd never met Ivo in the first place. THE AMERICAN HEIRESS is a dazzling debut novel from Daisy Goodwin, whose brilliant new voice is reminiscent of Henry James, Edith Wharton, and Kate Morton.

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