Vanderbilt himself was awkward with language, and consequently neither wrote or spoke publicly much during his life, so there is no introspection in this book. Alva and Consuelo used their great fortunes to help change the status of women, serve the poor and refugees during WWII (Consuelo). Gloria Vanderbilt is an American artist, author, actor, socialite, heiress, and fashion designer. He was genius at business(largely transportation) and finance but he would never have achieved what he did without his intuitive, flawless understanding of water, weather and boats. A businessman who gets all sanctimonious about playing by the rules, having first ascertained the game is rigged to his advantage. Highly. Vanderbilt's long lifetime spanned from George Washington's presidency to the Centennial. 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 may hang in there until I get to that part because I still want to understand that aspect - but all the Gilded Age society stuff is SO dull! I really knew nothing about that place, excpet that it was where Winston Churchill had been born. He personified the change in American business from sole proprietorships to huge corporate ownership. The author opens the book with the courtroom drama of Vanderbilt’s children fighting over the Will. Two outstanding women. I will keep my review short and sweet, unlike the book. Vanderbilt was born to Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880-1925), a railroad heir, and his second wife, Gloria Laura Mercedes Morgan (1904-1965), who was 19 years old when she gave birth. He started out operating a sailboat ferry across New York Harbor from his native Staten Island to Manhattan. 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. I have enjoyed reading this excellent in-depth biography. Hamilton wanted government directly involved in the nation’s economy. We’d love your help. Her great-great-great-grandfather was business magnate and family dynasty founder Cornelius Vanderbilt. This is the fascinating dual biography of a daughter and mother, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt, wealthy socialite and heiress, the epitome of the wealth and burden, the emptiness and dazzling glitter, the gold of the Gilded Age. Her father soon started to spend the family fortune, enthusiastically supported by Consuelo's mother, Alva, who was determined to take the family to the top of New York societyforcing a heartbroken Consuelo into a marriage she did not want with the underfunded Duke of Marlborough. I am familiar with the Vanderbilt family because of a trip to the Biltmore Estate in NC as a girl. Rather than have the law deal with people that cheated him, he would drive them out of business. Before railroad transportation most businesses consisted of small shops and farms. After working as a steamship captain, Vanderbilt went into business for himself in the late 1820s, and eventually became one of the coun… Read this after a visit to the Newport mansions, including the Vanderbilt mansion. While it was fascinating, I had to set it down about every hundred pages to keep from being overwhelmed. This was a 3.5 Star book for me. I was surprised to hear the Vanderbilt name in conjunction with the British aristocrats. The coffee-table book The World of Gloria Vanderbilt—offering up images from her life—was released in 2010. The Commodore, the founding father who amassed this wealth, produced a large family but left. I lost interest when Alva and her daughter Consuelo joined the suffrage movement, Alva in America and Consuelo in England. The early 19th Century time was a fascinating time for American business. Though she continued to appear periodically onstage and on television into the 1960s, Vanderbilt gradually focused on her art and on writing. 2.5 stars. He owned so many steamboats on so many different routes, that he was given the nickname "Commodore," which stuck, even after he got into railroads in a big way starting at age 70. It's interesting to follow the rise of someone who has imparted a famous name to history, like Astor, Rockefeller, and Carnegie, to see all the people he crossed paths with, and how much of his legacy remains in the northeast. Tackling fiction, Vanderbilt also wrote several novels, including The Memory Book of Starr Faithfull (1994). by Knopf, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Paperback $12.19 $ 12. As we walked through, one of the docents pointed to a rather large picture and said that is the 9th Duke of Marlborough (the family that lives there) and Consuelo Vanderbilt. The author does a game job of presenting things, and while I appreciate the stunning amount of research that must have gone into this thing, as a book it just reads way too detailed. This is a very good book, but like Vanderbilt's life, extremely long. It's really a 4.5 for me, but he deserves a rating above 4 stars overall, so I rounded up to help. Especially when the docent explained that it was an arranged and unhappy marriage. And while he aged, perhaps gracefully, to be the preeminent American businessman of his age (dying with as much as 10% of all American monetary value!!) Consuelo Vanderbilt was an American socialite who became the Duchess of Marlborough through her marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough. He believed in Jacksonian laissez-faire which meant government would keep it’s hands off as businessmen ran the economy. Nevertheless, her research is astounding and there are so many cool facts in the book, especially those concerning Edith Wharton and Winston Churchill, that I had to give the book 4 stars. Even I, with my love of all things regarding this time period, couldn't really get through this dry book. I picked this up because I saw it mentioned on Million Dollar American Princesses (you're welcome, Britain) and it's really fascinating. Outstanding biography. Frustrating because it shows how few options were available to women and how eager Consuelo was to effectively prostitute her daughter in the name of a good marriage that would add to the family's prestige. In the giftshop I found this book and decided to learn more about Counselo and how she ended up at Blenheim. The reason I wanted to read it was because I am interested in the contradiction of Alva - she was important to the suffrage movement, yet she forced and arranged marriage on her daughter. She was born in Manhattan, to the railroad mogul Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt, as his only heiress. It feels like a high society woman is talking about all the gossip of her friends and I really don’t care about that stuff - so it isn’t for me. I read this after visiting Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island, and standing in Consuelo's bedroom there and hearing the audio tour give a summary of her youth and forced marriage to the Duke of Marlborough. However, the parts outside of Society, which were so intricately described by the author, were so boring because of the extreme amount of detail and Consuelo's bland charity work, indistinct from that of any other Society woman. It draws on many. This dual biography focuses on the lives of Alva and Consuelo Vanderbilt, a mother and daughter famous for their wealth, ties to British royalty, and work for the women's suffrage movement. Overall I found the information in this book really fascinating, and any fan of Downton Abbey or with a general interest in the Edwardians should definitely read this book. She then goes on to present herself as one of the leading lights in women's suffrage. It focused on Vanderbilt’s search for love, drawn in part from the diary she had kept since childhood. The Vanderbilt family amassed a fortune in the transportation industry, beginning with the first regular Staten Island ferry service to Manhattan and eventually progressing to steamship technology and later railroads. She then goes on to present herself as one of the. This interesting and compelling book told not only the story of this powerful man but also the history of America during one of the most sweeping and memorable times in our history. “He did have his beliefs, chiefly in his own genius.”, “If he had learned anything from his parents, he learned that business was a matter of relationships.”, Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography (2010), National Book Award for Non-Fiction (2009), Pulitzer Winners: Biographies & Autobiographies, NOVEMBER 2016 - The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, NOVEMBER 2016 - SPOILER THREAD - The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, Bill Gates Picks 5 Good Books for a Lousy Year. ‘The poor little rich girl’ and grand dame of society, Gloria Laura Vanderbilt passed away at the age of 95 on Monday from stomach cancer. The rights to shipping had dated back to the Revolutionary times when a family controlled water way rights and continued to do so up and until the mid 19th Century. 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. He was a smart and cunning man. Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt, the pinnacles of American Society and wealth and prime examples of the ends people go to in order to achieve "status," led interesting lives outside of their famous Marlborough endeavour. Both the Duke and Consuelo were in love with other people. When Consuelo Vanderbilt's grandfather died, he was the richest man in America. Overall, though, it was a well-researched book with a lot of interesting detail. One of these tales is printed in. These appear to be true but the author's research has proven them bogus. Recommended if you have a lot of interest in the subject matter, otherwise I'd suggest you read through Cornelius Vanderbilt's surprisingly detailed Wikipedia page and save yourself a bunch of hours. Her prose is compelling and easy to follow but overall it was a bit messy and all over the place. The rights to shipping had dated back to the Revolutionary times when a family controlled water way rights and continued to do so up and until the mid 19th Century. The Vanderbilt family amassed a fortune in the transportation industry, beginning with the first regular Staten Island ferry service to Manhattan and eventually progressing to steamship technology and later … Later Consuelo did marry a Frenchman and they had a happy marriage. Vanderbilt personified the Jacksonian virtues of laissez-faire free market competition, and gradually bested the post-colonial upper-crust merchant oligarchs who looked down on him as a vulgar party-crasher. Cornelius rose to become one of the wealthiest men in the United States by the time of his death. The Commodore, the founding father who amassed this wealth, produced a large family but left the bulk of his wealth to son William Henry. I really knew nothing about that place, excpet that it was where Winston Churchill had been born. Now that I finally finished this thing up what do I think? Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt, the pinnacles of American Society and wealth and prime examples of the ends people go to in order to achieve "status," led interesting lives outside of their famous Marlborough endeavour. There were parts I found fascinating, but other parts lost me a bit. Filled with fascinating insights into the lives of Vanderbilt and his contemporaries, as well as America's social, political, and economic climate, The First Tycoon is a fitting tribute to a remarkable life and a must-read for anyone interested in the making of American business. It took me over three weeks to make it even to page 207, and that's not even halfway through. The author does a game job of presenting things, and while I appreciate the stunning amount of research that must have gone into this thing, as a book it just reads way too detailed. So on a trip to England this summer my family stopped by at Blenheim Palace. Thumbs down - could not finish - too tedious - not written well, This is a story of an entrepreneur, designer of ships, and businessman who used competition in a virtually unregulated capitalist economy to oust competitors (he called opponents) for his own benefit but which did benefit consumers by lowering prices while forcing out competitors in the steamboat industry. 1-16 of 36 results for Books: "gloria vanderbilt biography" Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. One shipper spent his life attempting to break this monopoly. This is the last book that needs to be written on Vanderbilt for many years--possibly ever. Though Stiles's admiration for the man who inspired the phrase "robber baron" shines throughout this extraordinary rags-to-riches story, he harbors no illusions about his vindictive and bad-tempered subject. Personal relationships and feelings seemed to pale in comparison to the amount of pages spent on the time period. Vanderbilt later worked at an advertising agency and a public relations firm. Vanderbilt invented the modern corporation and created a dynasty that lasted. One simple example of the author's meticulous approach: throughout the book the author recounts well-known Vanderbilt anecdotes. Much of the backing information an quotes is totally irrelevant, and I'm actually really quite interested in the lives of these women. Highly recommended. Through frugality and good management he acquired a fleet of ferries and coastal sailboats. He started his research late in 2001, and during the time he was working on it, he met and married … The scholarship is astounding, highly detailed and complete. I knew I wanted to read this the minute I read the NYT Review, and it completely met my expectations. Sometimes it seemed the author just threw names out like we were supposed to know them or recall them from 50 pages ago, and like, no. I bought this book years ago, because I loved the cover and I had been to Newport and wanted to know more about the Gilded Age. Amy Osborne Vanderbilt (July 22, 1908 – December 27, 1974) was an American authority on etiquette. I skipped entire pages of this part. This is a story of an entrepreneur, designer of ships, and businessman who used competition in a virtually unregulated capitalist economy to oust competitors (he called opponents) for his own benefit but which did benefit consumers by lowering prices while forcing out competitors in the steamboat industry. The scholarship is astounding, highly detailed and complete. Hated the punctuation and sentence structure. I literally couldn't remember anyone. This book won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2009. The son of an impoverished farmer and boatman, Vanderbilt quit school at age 11 to work on the waterfront. This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is one of the best biographies I've read. Stiles's exhaustive research has resulted in a massive, carefully edited book, and critics were surprised by the author's ability to keep most of them engaged from beginning to end. Could have been WAY shorter. They could have spent their lives in their gilded cages surrounded by opulence and ostentation and never venture of of the cage. Consuelo was forced/pushed by her mother to marry the 9th Duke of Marlborough of Blenheim Palace. Considered one of the robber barons of the gilded age, Vanderbilt made friends and enemies on his rise to the top of the financial and transportation business. However, he was not one to get involved in political parties or government positions. I wish she had stuck to chronological order and followed a theme. by Harper Perennial, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age (P.S.). However, they chose to use their great wealth in the service of others. I probably wont finish this - it is really boring to me. Be the first to ask a question about Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt. This is a very, very, very exhaustive and detailed tome on Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Enlightening because of the path she eventually choose and the contribution she made to women's rights. Through frugality and good management he acquired a fleet of ferries and coastal sailboats. He was a hard guy, tough on his family, but had a personal side which the author illuminates. Stiles is quick to set the record straight when the past has condemned Vanderbilt unfairly, but he details his unscrupulous business dealings and troubled relationships with equal aplomb. He started out operating a sailboat ferry across New York Harbor from his native Staten Island to Manhattan. The reason I wanted to read it was because I am interested in the contradiction of Alva - she was important to the suffrage movement, yet she forced and arranged marriage on her daughter. [1] The book, later retitled Amy Vanderbilt's Etiquette , has been updated and is still in circulation. his life didn't have the progression of Rockefeller or Carnegie who transformed from businessman to philanthropist during their long lives. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Needless to say, the marriage was not a success. There's plenty of non-fiction books out there that are really educational but also well-written and entertaining, I'd stick to those. I never read biographical books and I probably should not have started with this one. I have enjoyed reading this excellent in-depth biography. We'd like to know what you think about it - write a review about Beginners: The Curious Power of Lifelong Learning book by Tom Vanderbilt and you'll earn 50c in Boomerang Bucks loyalty dollars (you must be a Boomerang Books Account Holder - it's free to sign up and there are … It feels like a high society woman is talking about all the gossip of her friends and I really dont care about that stuff - so it isnt for me. The book details the difficult task of overturning a century’s worth of doing business. I enjoyed the book a lot. Both became involved in the suffrage movement, though Alva's involvement was much more than Consuelo's. This was a fascinating look at the two lives and the era in. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. And while he aged, perhaps gracefully, to be the preeminent American businessman of his age (dying with as much as 10% of all American monetary value!!) While it was fascinating, I had to set it down about every hundred pages to keep from being overwhelmed. Well-reasoned and researched, this great biography is essential to understanding how the American economy came into being re: Wall Street and large corporations. I did it! I literally couldn't remember anyone. He got out of the steamboat industry and transferred to the railroad during the Civil War consolidating RR lines making an empire. Tycoon is an appropriate title as Vanderbilt was sneaky and ruthless in building his empire. A very well researched book about Consuelo Vanderbilt and her mother Alva. Get it as soon as Thu, Oct 1. If you are an architecture buff you will love the detail. This might be odd, considering I majored in finance in college. In addition to her roster of accomplishments, Vanderbilt was the mother of famed news anchor and television host Anderson Cooper, to whom she was quite close. The primary means for shipping goods to far-away places was the use of rivers and oceans through shipping. Alva Vanderbilt had the first great divorce settlement in American history (at 39) and then forced her daughter into marriage with a feckless Duke to maintain her social position. Listen, it took me like a year to read this. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published While the original research and its presentation are certainly worthy of the National Book Award, for me, and perhaps many other general readers, more than half the book was a slog. I personally think Stiles does a horrible job in explaining the financial deals, so I explain what I gather below. I think it's still hampered by the fact that the subject, Cornelius Vanderbilt, just didn't do very many interesting things. 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