“Who could resist a peek at how life once had been?” Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt is sprawling novel entertainment and a must read for those who want to experience the Gilded Age if only for a few hours. I know I can never resist a chance to visit the golden age of Old New York and the aristocratic lifestyles of that shining bygone era and this work seemed to have been waiting for me. I had the supreme pleasure of listening to the audio version of this title and the narrator was my delightful companion for many late work nights and pulled me into worlds of affluence, extravagant opulence and deep into my secret indulgences of learning about all that glitters in history. In this work you will learn about: the humble beginnings of the Vanderbilts in the early 19th century, their rise in New York society and many generations of familial squabbles, obsessions to best one another with excessive spending, elaborate marriages, deaths and performances in the public eye and theater of various court rooms. Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt also has some unexpected humor tossed in and I laughed and chuckled quite a few times throughout the nights. Depending on how you look at this narrative it can be taken as a cautionary examination of the dangers of power and riches and also an entertaining narrative that takes those willing on an elegant carriage ride into history to visit fortune makers and fortune hunters. The only negatives I found with this title were the overabundance of storylines of the family and society members. You would be perfectly content in one family member’s chapter to be pulled directly into another, moving years ahead or dropping back in branches of the massive Vanderbilt family tree or across Fifth Avenue’s lists of social elite with no warning and it may take some time to get back to the storyline you were originally enjoying or understand any possible connection. There were also the pages of figures, stock numbers and bulk of numeral details that may appeal to some readers or listeners but slightly confuse or bore others. A few odd tangents on liaisons, diary entries and letter segments also seemed as filler and again it took some time to get back to the narrative and timeline of events. Finally the narration, although delightful and easy to listen to, there were times I had to either turn down the volume or turn it up because the narrator was very committed to recreating voices and making each member of the Vanderbilt family, New York society or other voice stand out. I won’t lie, the created voices of Alva, Gertrude and Consuelo Vanderbilt did get grating and slightly annoying, but eventually the tones and dedicated animation of the narrator seemed to settle down. Negatives aside, I greatly enjoyed Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt and found exactly what I was hoping to find. It all depends on what the reader is interested in; do you enjoy true stories that contain greed, wealth and family dynamics? Or are you looking for nonfiction that reads as an entrancing novel? If you answered yes, Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt is waiting for you. -purchased and listened to Audible version -EGP/August 2015 Comments are closed.
|
Currently Reading:
Also listening to:
Disclaimers
In accordance with FTC Guidelines, I disclose how I obtained every title for review at As The Final Page Turns (whether that be by ARC, purchased (on nook, kindle or specially ordered hardbacks) Audible version or simply borrowed at my local library). Please note: titles reviewed that are ARCS (Advanced Reader Copies) are free review copies of books that are given by publishers (these ARCS can be found at NetGalley or Edelweiss). Categories
All
28th of January 2023) NOTES/COMBINATIONS and Stones CURRENTLY ON THE HUNT FOR: Naughty Licorice/Star Anise Cardamom Cardamom Cake with Roses Smoky Honey & Leather Leather and Florals Pomegranate Colder Tuberose scents Smoked Florals with Cinnamon and Honey Graham Cracker and Incense Double strand of Rose Quartz or Moonstones or Black Tourmaline Chainmaille Jewellery Houses of Fragrance and Interest on the Horizon (shops that contain such temptations): LurkerAndStrange Good Spirit Wolf Rapt In Maille ToadStoolSoaps DSH Perfume Baphomet&Co Harvest Moon Haven Granny Hootenanny's Shop
|