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A review by linseaford
The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé
3.0
Thank you so much to Kensington Books for a copy of this book in exchange for a a honest review! All opinions are mine.
Alright y’all, buckle in. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was really well written historical fiction, but I was frustrated throughout a lot of it because of the way it was represented in the subtitle, the cover, and the description. I felt like they marketed it as “A Novel of the Titanic” to maybe spark more interest than the title or subject matter would by itself. In my opinion, I don’t think it needed that, as Madeline’s story stands on it’s own, and unfortunately my feelings about the book suffered because of the way it was portrayed.
This book fictionalizes the early life of Madeline Force and her courtship with, and ultimate marriage to, Colonel JJ Astor (of “richest man alive” Titanic fame). I was expecting the majority of this book to focus on their voyage on the Titanic, but in reality, that was only about 50 of the 300 pages. Putting that aside, the author paints a striking picture of New York City in the gilded age, and the scrutiny that so many young women faced while trying to navigate society in that time. I was particularly fascinated by the way Madeline was viewed as a social climber for marrying into an old money family like the Astors, despite being a well bred and wealthy girl herself. I had a tough time buying into the love story, probably because their age difference is just viewed so differently 100 years later.
Alright y’all, buckle in. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was really well written historical fiction, but I was frustrated throughout a lot of it because of the way it was represented in the subtitle, the cover, and the description. I felt like they marketed it as “A Novel of the Titanic” to maybe spark more interest than the title or subject matter would by itself. In my opinion, I don’t think it needed that, as Madeline’s story stands on it’s own, and unfortunately my feelings about the book suffered because of the way it was portrayed.
This book fictionalizes the early life of Madeline Force and her courtship with, and ultimate marriage to, Colonel JJ Astor (of “richest man alive” Titanic fame). I was expecting the majority of this book to focus on their voyage on the Titanic, but in reality, that was only about 50 of the 300 pages. Putting that aside, the author paints a striking picture of New York City in the gilded age, and the scrutiny that so many young women faced while trying to navigate society in that time. I was particularly fascinated by the way Madeline was viewed as a social climber for marrying into an old money family like the Astors, despite being a well bred and wealthy girl herself. I had a tough time buying into the love story, probably because their age difference is just viewed so differently 100 years later.