American Duchess

I love learning about different aspects of history, whether they be important events or just about different people through time. I knew absolutely nothing about Consuelo Vanderbilt going into my reading of this book so it was exciting to be introduced to this tiny tidbit of American/English history.

Consuelo is the daughter of an overbearing mother and a very, very rich father. Her mother is determined that her daughter will marry well and to that end she takes her on a tour of Europe in search of a title. She finds her one in the Duke of Marlborough who needs a wife with money to save his family’s estate, Blenheim Palace – the only castle not owned by the Crown.

Consuelo does not want to marry the Duke as she believes herself to be show more in love with another man but her mother is determined. So therefore the marriage goes forward and soon Consuelo finds herself as the ninth Duchess of Marlborough. She moves into Blenheim and soon brings some American thinking to the staid English estate. In time she becomes known for her kindness.

The book explores the life of Consuelo as she changes from innocent young heiress to a woman running from the German invasion of France in WWII and beyond. It’s not like I can spoil plot as Consuelo’s life if part of the historical record but I suspect that many are like me and don’t know much about her.

This was an easy reading book that I read in one long afternoon. I was really rooting for Consuelo because I really had a hard time with her mother. Talk about a social climber – whew! There was a lot of time and material to cover and at times I felt it went a bit too quickly but Ms. Harper did keep the book focused on Consuelo throughout. It is definitely her story. I would like to learn more about her after reading this as I feel there is more to know. Consuelo did write an autobiography and I think it would be quite interesting to read.

The period after WWI did find a number of titled Englishmen seeking rich wives to help rebuild/maintain estates that had been in their families for generations. England had been decimated by the war and many of the old families were hurting for money. The US was humming along and there was a lot of money to be found. It’s interesting to learn about this period in history. show less

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. It leads to learning more about the subject matter and characters after a fictional introduction. This books offers some interesting information about the practice of arranging marriages between British royalty and American wealth, in this case Consuelo Vanderbilt and the Duke of Marlborough. Blenheim Palace is often in the current news, and the descriptions of its interior were fascinating. I found the characters, however, to be one-dimensional and uninteresting with the exception of Winston Churchill's witticisms. Consuelo's infatuations, particularly with Jacques Balsan, read like a romance novel.

My thanks to Library Thing and the publisher for this ARC.

Historical fiction that offers a glimpse into the world of the rich and famous during America's Gilded Age, and continuing through the first half of the 20th century. An easy, quick read that requires no heavy lifting.

AMERICAN DUCHESS tells the story of Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877-1964) - one of a number of rich American heiresses in the later 19th century that married impoverished British aristocrats in desperate need of funds to maintain their historic homes and lifestyles. For Consuelo, the target of her mother's ambition and determination was Charles Spencer-Churchill (1871-1934), 9th Duke of Marlborough and owner of the impressive Blenheim Palace. And so Consuelo, despite her personal feelings, dutifully trades cash for the title show more and prestige of Duchess.

She soon produces the required heir and spare, but her marriage is never a happy one. Author Karen Harper provides lots of details, including:

• Consuelo's longstanding resentment toward her domineering mother.

• Her parents' trouble marriage.

• Her difficult adjustment as a VERY young bride to widespread anti-American sentiments among the British upper class.

• Her mingling with British royalty.

• Her friendship with her husband's cousin, Winston Churchill.

• The good works Consuelo becomes known for.

• Her work during World War II.

But, while there's plenty of drama, I just never found myself emotionally involved with anyone. Even though the characters are distinctively drawn, they always seemed remote and many quite unlikeable. Perhaps their lifestyles simply seem too foreign and over-the-top to me.

I also thought the book ended a bit abruptly -- in the middle of World War II, with an Epilogue dated 1943. Even though Consuelo lived another 20 years.

Overall, I ended the book feeling Consuelo certainly led an interesting life. And, after reading this novel, those who share my interest in this time period will certainly get a taste of the money, power, social life, and influence these people had. But without that interest, I'd probably not have stuck with this one. show less

I read this book in huge gulps, and as I neared the end I thought nononono…..I want more! Consuelo Vanderbilt was basically sold for the title of Duchess of Marlborough, to a man she neither knew or loved.
Harper created characters that popped with life and welcomes the reader into their lives.

American Duchess by Karen Harper is the story of Consuelo Vanderbilt whose mother arranged her 1895 marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough. This was one of the most aristocratic families in England, connected to Royalty and the owners of the famous Blenheim Palace.

This was not a love match as Consuelo thought she had already found the love of her life but her mother rolled over her objections like a steamroller and she found herself walking down the aisle toward Sunny, Duke of Marlborough. It never developed into love either although she went on to produce the expected heir and spare. They were together for 10 years and then lived separately for another 13. After her separation, she fell in love with a rich Frenchman. The Duke finally show more agreed to a divorce and after a long life of rules and restrictions she married her French love. Finally finding her freedom.

Although the subject matter of the book as interesting, it was light in tone and I felt went on a little too long. There wasn’t a lot of character development as the author concentrated more on the romance aspect. And I felt the conditions of her marriage were skimmed over so we didn’t really get a clear picture of why Consuelo was so unhappy. She did develop a close friendship with Winston Churchill, who was a cousin to the Duke.

I was looking forward to this story about a rich American beauty’s life but American Duchess left me wanting more. show less

It is hard for us, in this day and age, to reconcile ourselves to the idea of a forced marriage. Most of us choose to marry for love and even those people who I know who have had arranged marriages have had a more modern version where they were allowed to decline if the prospect was too horrible to contemplate. But it's really not that long ago that marriage was a business transaction and not a love match, especially in the upper classes, as Karen Harper shows in her latest historical fiction novel about Consuelo Vanderbilt, American Duchess.

In 1895, at only 18 and in love with another man, Consuelo is forced by her overbearing, social climbing mother into marriage with the ninth Duke of Marlborough, her money for his title and palace show more estate. One of the Gilded Age's "Dollar Brides," Consuelo was perhaps the most famous among the American heiresses who left America for England and the chance to marry into a cash strapped aristocracy. Trapped in a loveless marriage with a cold fish husband, Consuelo turned towards doing good for those less fortunate than she was, earning the sobriquet of Angel of Woodstock for her ministering in the village near Blenheim Palace. Her life continued to be glittering on the surface even as she stretched her philanthropic muscles and poured herself into her two beloved sons. Being the Duchess of Marlborough, especially with her financial means, brings her into contact with many of the famous, the glamorous, and the royal of her time although she regarded her life as like to being in a gilded cage. And it is only later in life that she finds the freedom and love that she searched for for so long.

The book is narrated in the first person by Consuelo herself and opens with the day of her wedding, the wedding of the century, before moving backwards two years to show just how she ended up on the verge of this unwanted marriage and then forwards into her life as Duchess of Marlborough and beyond. Early on in the story, Consuelo is immature, alternately defiant and compliant, while her mother is firmly dictatorial and her father is a complete milksop. Husband Sunny is unemotional and a hidebound traditionalist but not really as present in the novel as one might expect, and certainly not portrayed as horrible a person as our narrator asserts that he is. In fact, none of the characters is completely fleshed out and they feel a little one dimensional as a result. Even Consuelo as the narrator has no flaws nor does she share the little human details that would have made her character realistic and fully realized, making this read more as a superficial biography, removed from the subject, than as a personal account, which a first person narrative historical fiction should surely have mimicked. Consuelo's story has all the makings of a fascinating one, an activist, an heiress, and American Duchess whose life spanned both world wars and who found her own happiness later in life but this skims lightly across the surface of this complicated woman. The writing is simple and easy to read and although it is not a full portrait of Consuelo (oddly ending on a romance novel note of happily ever after and in the midst of WWII despite the fact that Consuelo lives another 20 odd years), it is a light and fast read perfect for those with a fascination with the English aristocracy, those who like to see how the other half lives, and historical fiction fans looking for an easy beach read. show less

This is the tale of Consuelo Vanderbilt, her 'The Wedding of the Century' to the Duke of Marlborough, and her quest to find meaning behind 'the glitter and the gold.' Consuelo finds the inner strength to make the best of a life she did not choose.

A fictionalized biography of Consuelo starting in 1895 when she wed the Duke against her wishes. Her mother was overbearing and wanted Consuelo to have the title and the prestige. Consuelo slowly starts to become independent in thinking and action, which was not easy for women at that time in history. She had an eventful life and found causes that she got involved with. It was an interesting story that I enjoyed.