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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
I picked this up due to the beautiful cover, the setting (1890s New York and England), and the premise (American heiress goes to England to find a titled husband) and it was pretty entertaining but a lot less Serious Literature and a lot more Victoria Holt-ish than I expected!
I didn't really like any of the characters - the heirss in question, Cora Cash (REALLY, that's your name?) is richer than the Vanderbilts and I found her frustrating and annoying. The supporting cast (her mother, her English lord, his asshole friends) were all a bit one-tone.
Not bad, just ... soapy.
I didn't really like any of the characters - the heirss in question, Cora Cash (REALLY, that's your name?) is richer than the Vanderbilts and I found her frustrating and annoying. The supporting cast (her mother, her English lord, his asshole friends) were all a bit one-tone.
Not bad, just ... soapy.
"The America Heiress" is supremely irritating. It is, on the one hand, very promising--a Gilded Age debutante who finds herself in a whirlwind romance with a broke Duke. How will she do in Europe, this spoiled little girl? And a more interesting twist: How will her ladies' maid, an African-American woman, fare?
On the other hand, though, the book is very cliche. We have the meddling mother-in-law, a marriage failed, our heroine's naivete abused by those around her, and so on.
But my biggest issue is that the ending is just such a letdown. Readers will guess rapidly what's going on behind Cora's marriage problems, but the big reveal is saved for nearly the end of the book. And faced with two awful options--will she stay with the Duke, or flee with a childhood friend who claims to love her?--our heroine fails at being heroic. Maybe we should have guessed her choice (she is selfish, stupid, and weak throughout), but I want a heroine who doesn't let me down when it seems she's finally found the right path.
(Now, maybe the author intended us to think the Duke really was a good guy after all. But I don't buy it in the slightest.)
Now here's the ending I'd wanted--the Duke pushes Cora off the cliff, because he doesn't need her anymore, with an heir already in the cradle. Thanks to some legalese Cora's father wrote into their wedding agreement, Cora's parents have some hand in the raising of their grandchild--enough that Bertha can't be dismissed. Eventually, it is Bertha who manages to upend the Duke (perhaps a tragic accident?) and, thanks to the influence of Cora's parents, Bertha becomes nanny/caretaker of the baby--along with her now-husband, Jim.
If you are a Downton Abbey fan, then you’ll want to crack open a copy of The American Heiress, for sure! Daisy Goodwin, who also brought us the delightful Victoria TV series and novel, writes an intriguing tale about Cora Cash, a ridiculously wealthy young American beauty whose mother is set on her marrying into English nobility. Love, money, scandal, and high society with rich descriptions and engaging characters make this historical romance an absolute treat!
Hopefully there will never be a time where I support any of the relationships in this book. I'm giving it 2 stars, because I DID manage to finish it.
I enjoyed this book alright, it just didn't have much substance to it. Here is my full review.
Just a fun soap opera kind of a read for when you’ve got a cold and are wiped out by the holidays and need a lightweight read.