The American Heiress By Daisy Goodwin & a Giveaway

Years ago I toured the Vanderbilt mansion in Newport, RI. I was blown away. Seriously. I’ve never seen anything more impressive and beautiful in my life. The American Heiress begins in Newport where the family home “dwarfs” the Vanderbilt’s summer mansion, The Breakers. The story is set during the Gilded age (1890). Cora Cash is an Heiress to the largest fortune in the United States and has her heart set on Marring Teddy Van Der Leyden, whose family wealth is much less than hers. Teddy cares for Cora, but wants to travel to Paris to paint. Leaving her to deal with her overbearing mother, Mrs. Cash who wants to “keep up with the Jones” by having Cora marry someone with a title. After a bizarre accident, Cora leaves with her mother to England.

Cora comes across as a very strong young woman who is not about to marry someone just to please her mother. She is very much her own woman. It is in this spirit, Cora takes off riding into the English woods where she has a nasty fall and wakes up in the home of the very handsome and single Duke of Wareham. Shortly there after, to Mrs. Cash’s excitement the Duke proposes to Cora. Mrs. Cash is thrilled to be getting exactly what she wanted, but Cora too is thrilled because she is marring for love.

When Cora becomes the Duchess of Wareham she believes she’ll need to learn a thing or two about royal etiquette, but she is up for the task. What Cora soon realizes is the new life she has married into is filled with secrets and deception. Once the dishonesty comes to light she is no longer sure her marriage had been for love and must decide her own future.

Daisy Goodwin’s writing is as beautiful as the cover of The American Heiress. She describes everything in stunning detail. While I was reading I felt like I was there in the 1890s. It was interesting to read how the super wealthy were in the lime light, as our celebrities are today. I really enjoyed reading The American Heiress.

I would read it for awhile and would enjoy it, but not till the end did I feel like the story really grabbed me where I wanted to know what happens next. I enjoyed the numerous characters and how we got glimpses into some of their thoughts, but never enough to really know what was going on in secret. I would add there were a number of things that could easily have been kept out of the story which would have shortened the length of the story without losing content. I will tell you for me I really wasn’t sure how the book was going to end. There really seemed like two possible outcomes and truthfully I wasn’t really sure which one I was hoping for! I very much enjoyed The American Heiress and recommended it.

I’m very excited to offer someone a chance to win a copy! That’s right I have one copy of The American Heiress to giveaway to one lucky follower! All you need to do is be A Novel Review follower and post a comment below with your email address. The giveaway closes September 29 at midnight EST and is for US/Canada residents. The winner will be picked by random.com and the winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email with their address. Good luck!!!