Amanda Mackenzie Stuart

It took me a while to get through this book although the content was interesting. The lives described are so different from mine. I had heard the story about the heiress who was "sold" in marriage to a member of the British aristocracy in exchange for a share of her family's wealth. As often happens, the real story is much more complex. I had not realized that Consuelo's mother Alva was a leading suffragette. Alva was bright and determined, surviving divorce to continue to hold a top show more position in society. What a difficult mother she must have been. Consuelo's life after her marriage and subsequent divorce from the Duke of Marlborough was a life well lived. She survived until a ripe old age and enjoyed a second marriage to a man of her choice. She lived in interesting times and witnessed history from the late Victorian era to the early Kennedy years. show less

Outstanding biography. The genre itself is difficult to approach - it's not enough for the reader to be mildly curious about someone's life, you have to be interested for 500 pages. If you have only a passing interest in the lives of the rich in the Gilded Age period - which in many ways Alva and Consuelo embody - don't pick this up. If, however, your idea of bliss is a good few days spent reading about first-wave feminism, architecture and the class system, this book is a must-read. Highly show more readable, detailed enough to be rich and generous in its attempt to give a sense of not only two extraordinary women but also of a whole era, it's a superb account of Consuelo and Alva's lives following both of their paths with equal energy. It's also a story of finding your own path despite family ties - Consuelo suffered from Alva's dominating personality throughout her childhood and teenage years and yet blossomed into a loving and lovely woman with varied, current interests. I was pleasantly surprised to see the author didn't try and demonize Alva who definitely had her flaws (eccentricity and total lack of empathy being two) but was an astonishing character in her own right and I sided with many of her positions (she seemed way ahead of her times and once said that the secret to happiness is not to look back or forward but to live in your time, demonstrating a clarity of thought that's strange for her). I loved best the chapter dealing with both women's involvement with the struggle for female suffrage. Books that open new doors and leave you eager to read about different things (in my case, Winston Churchill and the suffragettes) are the best because they manage to convey marvellous scope. It's a fine balance to keep evoking a way of life that's almost completely extinct now save for the very few (and the author does take pains to explain striking differences) and focus intimately on just two figures who experienced those times but in an incomplete fashion and Stuart manages beautifully. Excellent account and beautiful photographs. Highly recommended. show less

As biographies go this one is very easy to read. It provides the facts of Diana Vreeland's personal and professional life. At times is insightful but never does it dissect the Vreeland's life. I read this book because I was curious about the life of the woman who had such an impact on the life and lifestyle of so many American's. I learned much about Vreeland from this book. It is not going to be the definitive work on this woman's life, but that is not the fault of the author. At this point show more in time there are too many people who knew Vreeland and have much invested in her retention of her reputation as well as theirs. Fifty years from now it will be a different story and make for a much more fascinating book about the life and work of Diana Vreeland. If you want to know more about the biographical facts of Vreeland's life and some of the personnel details as well this book will do the trick. If you want an in-depth study of her life this one isn't going to do that. It is, however, well worth the time it takes to read the book. show less

Diana Vreeland was a larger than life personality, creative, outgoing, inspirational to many and frustrating and difficult and threatening to others and it was fascinating to read about the life and steps she took that brought her to the pinnacle of the fashion world.

I may have come across her name in past readings about the fashion world but before this book I never really knew anything about her or her impact in fashion and pop culture of her time, even on the culture of today’s world. show more The author does a very good job bringing her past to life and creating a sympathetic but not overly romanticized biography, letting us see her weaknesses as well as her strengths to light. The thing I really had trouble with was when the author described all the clothes from photos shoots or that Diana helped influenced but did not provide photographs of these items, it really made the story drag and hard to read in those sections. All of those lists of specific pieces of clothes and styles could have been skipped easily and it would have improved the story greatly.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the topic of Diana Vreeland was fascinating and the look at the changes in fashion and society as a whole through the lens of her life was very interesting and educational. I find history like this to be absorbed easier through such a lens as a single life time, it make it more direct and concrete feeling. show less