The American Heiress

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (June 21, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312658656
ISBN-13: 978-0312658656

Audio CD
Publisher: Macmillan Audio; Unabridged edition (June 21, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1427212295
ISBN-13: 978-1427212290

Summary
Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

My Thoughts

Cora Cash has much to offer a groom so she travels abroad with her mother to find a groom who can give her a title in return. An accident puts in her the hands of Ivo, who's family can benefit from Cora's money. They wed and the scandals begin. Will their marriage survive? Will it be a marriage of convenience or one of love?

At first, I was not a fan of Cora Cash. She seemed like a spoiled young girl who really got on my nerves. She felt she could have whatever she wanted. As she readied herself for the wedding, I began to like her. I found she had a soft side that I was missing in the beginning. Cora seems very naive and sometimes I wondered how she could be so naive with so much going on under her nose. It seemed she was the only one who didn't question where her husband's heart lay. I guess that is why they say love is blind.

There is also a side story which involves Cora's maid, Bertha. Bertha stands by Cora through thick and thin, sometimes giving up her own happiness for her employer. It was nice to see the two stories woven together and see the difference between the two social classes.

The ending was not as I expected it would be but I was okay with it. I saw it going another way. I am wondering if possibly there will be more to this story.

This is a wonderfully detailed book. The descriptions are fantastic! It was a nice escape to 1890's England. If you like a good scandalous, historical read, you will enjoy this book.

I read this book and listened to parts of it. The audiobook was read by Katherine Kellgren who captured the essence of the aristocrat's voices beautifully. I enjoyed her voice and her interpretations of the characters.