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A review by rbruehlman
Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe
4.0
I really enjoyed the first half of this book as it described the beginnings, rise and pinnacle of the Vanderbilt Dynasty. It especially was an interesting deep-dive historically into New York City elite culture, which I had known little about. The book was engaging and easy to read, and the characterizations of each Vanderbilt character really helped you get to know and appreciate each person's role in the so-called dynasty.
However, I felt like the last half of the book, which I suppose was supposed to cover the "fall", felt a bit thin. The book doesn't really explain how the Vanderbilts fell from grace in a linear way, or one that is contextualized with history; it just covers off on a few odd stories of Vanderbilts who met unhappy ends or were spoiled by their wealth and lived less than magnificent lives as a result. It felt a bit jumpy, I suppose, racing from Vanderbilt high society to stories about wash-ups quite quickly in a way that did not feel quite as well-drawn out and explained as their meteoric rise. While I think having that much wealth generationally probably did play a heavy hand in their eventual obsolescence, society also changed, too--no one talks about the Rockefellers or Astors anymore either, do they? "High society" as the Vanderbilts knew it in the 1800s simply ceased to exist for everyone, not just the Vanderbilts, and I wish that aspect had been talked about to provide context too.
All in all, a solid good read, just thought the second half was a bit weaker than the first.
However, I felt like the last half of the book, which I suppose was supposed to cover the "fall", felt a bit thin. The book doesn't really explain how the Vanderbilts fell from grace in a linear way, or one that is contextualized with history; it just covers off on a few odd stories of Vanderbilts who met unhappy ends or were spoiled by their wealth and lived less than magnificent lives as a result. It felt a bit jumpy, I suppose, racing from Vanderbilt high society to stories about wash-ups quite quickly in a way that did not feel quite as well-drawn out and explained as their meteoric rise. While I think having that much wealth generationally probably did play a heavy hand in their eventual obsolescence, society also changed, too--no one talks about the Rockefellers or Astors anymore either, do they? "High society" as the Vanderbilts knew it in the 1800s simply ceased to exist for everyone, not just the Vanderbilts, and I wish that aspect had been talked about to provide context too.
All in all, a solid good read, just thought the second half was a bit weaker than the first.