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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aimee Crocker is a bad ass for all times. In the Gilded Age, she inherited millions from her father. Her mother spent her time in society and as a philanthropist; Aimee spent it on travel, men, and leading a bizarre decadent life. This is the kind of novel where you might say, "Oh this isn't believable," except it's based on a real woman! And, according to the author's notes, Aimee did so much more than what the author could include.
Spirituality and mysticism and--of course--many marriages play a big role in the Aimee's life. Macallister has taken the bones of the stories the real Aimee told, and created a wild, fun, and engaging story.
Spirituality and mysticism and--of course--many marriages play a big role in the Aimee's life. Macallister has taken the bones of the stories the real Aimee told, and created a wild, fun, and engaging story.
The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister is a story of a real-life person who defied the rules of society and lived a life that she chose.
Amiee Crocker, a real-life heiress, defied the term ideal woman in a manner that was not only outrageous and unbelievable but shocking during the nineteenth century. In the time of Astors and Vanderbilt, Aimee Crocker was a woman who was independent as well as someone with a mind of her.
I didn't know much about Aimee Crocker before reading this book. She definitely is a fascinating character, and I wonder if she really was that frivolous. Of course, having that kind of money might have opened many roads for her. I did enjoy the book, and I am still wondering if this person really did everything that she said. A fascinating character for sure.
Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for this book.
Amiee Crocker, a real-life heiress, defied the term ideal woman in a manner that was not only outrageous and unbelievable but shocking during the nineteenth century. In the time of Astors and Vanderbilt, Aimee Crocker was a woman who was independent as well as someone with a mind of her.
I didn't know much about Aimee Crocker before reading this book. She definitely is a fascinating character, and I wonder if she really was that frivolous. Of course, having that kind of money might have opened many roads for her. I did enjoy the book, and I am still wondering if this person really did everything that she said. A fascinating character for sure.
Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for this book.
The Thirteenth Husband by Greer McCallister
Okay….mixed feelings and thoughts:
* Truth weirder than fiction – yes
* Mother without motherly feelings – yes
* Earthy? Yes
* Naïve? Yes, in the beginning but way too savvy later in life
* Privileged offspring with money – hedonist? More than likely
* Wrote her own autobiography – I believe, so…why read a novelized version?
* Into occult/spiritualist and anything else that came her way? Yes,,and so of the times with spiritualists abounding
* Willing to keep status/face by toeing the line? Not so much
* Did money liberate her? Yes and no
* Did she reconnect with self or her children? Not sure because I gave up on the book at 16% and read about this unusual and interesting woman online and got the gist of the book that was based on her life in this book…till I quit
* Writing and storytelling was wonderful and drew me in but…not enough to make me keep reading
Did I finish the book No
Would I read more books by this author? Yes…enjoyed two previous books by her
NOTE: The author said that she adjusted and adapted, switched things around, and probably found this woman fascinating but, as other reviewers have mentioned…why put time and effort into the life of a woman long gone and perhaps not relevant to the present? I cannot relate to Amy…though I have seen her ilk in other women of the era or even now… I did not finish this book but might revisit it in the future because It was well written and it could be ME and not the Story.
Thank you to NetGalley and SourcebooksLandmark for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3 Stars
Okay….mixed feelings and thoughts:
* Truth weirder than fiction – yes
* Mother without motherly feelings – yes
* Earthy? Yes
* Naïve? Yes, in the beginning but way too savvy later in life
* Privileged offspring with money – hedonist? More than likely
* Wrote her own autobiography – I believe, so…why read a novelized version?
* Into occult/spiritualist and anything else that came her way? Yes,,and so of the times with spiritualists abounding
* Willing to keep status/face by toeing the line? Not so much
* Did money liberate her? Yes and no
* Did she reconnect with self or her children? Not sure because I gave up on the book at 16% and read about this unusual and interesting woman online and got the gist of the book that was based on her life in this book…till I quit
* Writing and storytelling was wonderful and drew me in but…not enough to make me keep reading
Did I finish the book No
Would I read more books by this author? Yes…enjoyed two previous books by her
NOTE: The author said that she adjusted and adapted, switched things around, and probably found this woman fascinating but, as other reviewers have mentioned…why put time and effort into the life of a woman long gone and perhaps not relevant to the present? I cannot relate to Amy…though I have seen her ilk in other women of the era or even now… I did not finish this book but might revisit it in the future because It was well written and it could be ME and not the Story.
Thank you to NetGalley and SourcebooksLandmark for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3 Stars
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Most people have never heard of Amy Crocker or perhaps Amiée Crocker Ashe Gillig Gouraud Miskinoff Galitzine. Who has a running list of husbands like this? It’s pretty bizarre to think about what happens in this almost true story.
Amy was blessed with wealth after her father passed when she was young allowing her to have beautiful homes and travel internationally with the finest hotels and restaurants. She enjoyed society events, parties and fascinating men.
Yet, it came with a price making her mother and sister tremble with her manner of living. It caught the attention of news reporters who wrote about her outlandish lifestyle and adventures. What was surprised me is that it took place in the late 1800s to early 1900s when women had few rights. Amy Crocker was able to live the life she wanted with her feminist, liberal views … to a point.
It was fascinating to read about a relatively unknown historical woman who tried to tune into her future with her dreams and tarot card readers. You can just picture each relationship from the well-researched descriptions. While it’s entertaining, it could also be exhausting. Who gets married that many times? It’s definitely thought provoking. At the end there are Author Notes that can’t be missed along with a Reading Group Guide.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 6, 2024.
Amy was blessed with wealth after her father passed when she was young allowing her to have beautiful homes and travel internationally with the finest hotels and restaurants. She enjoyed society events, parties and fascinating men.
Yet, it came with a price making her mother and sister tremble with her manner of living. It caught the attention of news reporters who wrote about her outlandish lifestyle and adventures. What was surprised me is that it took place in the late 1800s to early 1900s when women had few rights. Amy Crocker was able to live the life she wanted with her feminist, liberal views … to a point.
It was fascinating to read about a relatively unknown historical woman who tried to tune into her future with her dreams and tarot card readers. You can just picture each relationship from the well-researched descriptions. While it’s entertaining, it could also be exhausting. Who gets married that many times? It’s definitely thought provoking. At the end there are Author Notes that can’t be missed along with a Reading Group Guide.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 6, 2024.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There's so many aspects of Aimee Crocker's life that we see in this book that it definitely reads like a novel. However, I was very surprised to learn that Aimee Crocker was a real person, and while she didn't live quite as fantastically as the book lays out, she did have many of the experiences that we read about. I feel that the author fleshes out the story well.
I appreciated the historical context of the novel. We come to the story in 1880, when Aimee is about to find out who her first husband will be. I did find that the social constraints on a wealthy young woman of this time were somewhat loose, but of course, I only know about societal rules from what I've read myself. It sounds as if Aimee's mother pushed her onto Porter, Aimee's first husband, glad to no longer have this burdensome girl that was determined to flaunt all of high society's rules.
There is somewhat of a supernatural aspect to this book. What else is one to expect when Aleister Crowley is a character? While at first glance it may seem out of place in the story, I think everything else that Aimee gets involved in, it really doesn't come at that much of a surprise, and even goes to explain some facets of her earlier life.
I would recommend this book to those that would like to see those who broke free of society's rules, especially for woman. Also, if you like a good historical read about past times in other cultures around the world, I found this book fascinating for that as well.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
I appreciated the historical context of the novel. We come to the story in 1880, when Aimee is about to find out who her first husband will be. I did find that the social constraints on a wealthy young woman of this time were somewhat loose, but of course, I only know about societal rules from what I've read myself. It sounds as if Aimee's mother pushed her onto Porter, Aimee's first husband, glad to no longer have this burdensome girl that was determined to flaunt all of high society's rules.
There is somewhat of a supernatural aspect to this book. What else is one to expect when Aleister Crowley is a character? While at first glance it may seem out of place in the story, I think everything else that Aimee gets involved in, it really doesn't come at that much of a surprise, and even goes to explain some facets of her earlier life.
I would recommend this book to those that would like to see those who broke free of society's rules, especially for woman. Also, if you like a good historical read about past times in other cultures around the world, I found this book fascinating for that as well.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced