The Husband Hunters. Social Climbing in London and New York by Anne de Courcy

 

"The American girl comes along, prettier than her English sister, full of snap, dash and go, sprightly, dashing and audacious, and she is a revelation to the Englishman.' Chauncey Depew wrote about why Englishmen chose American wives. Shy, quiet English girls who had been brought up to take second place to their brothers often found it impossible to compete with their confident, energetic American counterparts, beautifully dressed in Worth and much better-educated. These girls cut a swathe through British society, but often their main attraction was, of course, their money.

Anne de Courcy analyses this phenomenon, and how it changed British society, while taking the reader on a whirlwind tour of the marriages between the dollar-princesses and their marriages. These riveting tales include the 'Jennie effect', the marrying Wilsons and the tragic story of Consuelo Vanderbilt. These fascinating women certainly give the tales of the celebrities of today a run for their money!

Unfortunately, many of these 'castle for coronet' romances ended in misery and despair. Consuelo, for example, forced by her mother to marry the Duke of Marlborough, was never happy with him, and waited a long time to divorce him and marry another man. Princess Diana's great-grandmother, beautiful and cultured Frances (Fanny) Work married handsome, dark-hairedJames Boothby Burke Roche, heir presumptive to the barony of Fermoy, only to discover that he was a gambler and a philander. After only six years of marriage, she had had enough, and returned home to America, raising the children there.

This is a great read for history-lovers.

I read this book for the Rose City Reader's '22 for 2022 Book Challenge. Unfortunately, I have only read about five books for this challenge, so I will have to get a move on with reading my old books!