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Loading... An American Beauty: A Novel of the Gilded Age Inspired by the True Story of Arabella Huntington Who Became the Richest Woman in the Country (edition 2023)by Shana Abe (Author)
Work InformationAn American Beauty by Shana Abé
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  pdebolt | Jun 13, 2024 |   Arabella lived as her former boss's wife but tongues still wanted about her friendship with Mr. Huntington. Bell was never accepted into New York society but that did not stop.her for becoming the richest woman in America. (  ) Gingersnap000 | May 7, 2024 | A wonderful way to wile away the hours. ( ) briandrewz | Mar 27, 2024 | Well, I put this book WAY on the back burner. I was given a preview copy and, yes, I started it. But I swear…I could not get into it. And it just sat there and sat there. I finally started it back up after months of it staring at me on my must read list. And y’all, it is a pretty dad blame good read. I am so glad I picked it back up! (I almost didn’t!). I would have missed a true gem! I really enjoyed Arabella. She is smart, unique and tough. She does what she has to do to insure her family will be safe and never be hungry again. She was raised very poor. So when she saw a chance to escape, she took it. And this did not come without trials and tribulations, especially in this time period. The narrator, Gail Shalan, is a wonderful asset. I am not sure if I have ever listened to a book narrated by her. I will be on the lookout for more. Need a very good historical fiction about a woman who does not stop…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today! I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. (  ) fredreeca | Nov 8, 2023 | ) wandaly | Aug 7, 2023 | no reviews | add a review
1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham's gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It's not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty. Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis's help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis's seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune. Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife's death. But "The Four Hundred"-the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts-have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society-not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat-an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . . No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.89)
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Wikipedia in English
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Arabella works as a champagne server in Richmond in a seedy establishment when she meets a much older man, Collis Harrington, who is a married multimillionaire with one daughter, Clara. Their affair blossoms and her previous life is left behind when he buys her a house in Manhattan and another for her mother and siblings. She also finds investment in real estate to be a talent yielding enormous profits. This is the Gilded Age with prominent figures like the Astors and Vanderbilts, who shun Arabella as Collis' mistress. When Collis' wife dies, they wed, and their son and Clara are present at the ceremony. She is still an outlier but proves her worth by pursuing her own interests.
The Gilded Age is a very interesting time in America when status was based on wealth and social standing. Also interesting are the young wealthy women of marriageable age taken to Europe to find impoverished men with royal titles who court women to improve their family coffers. (