The Astors
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.37 (640 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1911445421 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 116 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-12-22 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Born in Vermont, USA she became a well-known journalist in the 1930s with her columns appearing on both sides of the Atlantic. During the Second World War she covered the Italian campaign, the liberation of Paris, and the Allied invasion of Germany. Today’s generation of Astors, still wealthy, lead influential but less flamboyant lives than their predecessors — as modest businessmen, horse breeders, playboys, philanthropists, novelists. There was Caroline Astor, who gave balls costing as much as $200,000. At his death in 1848, he was the richest man in America — he ruled over an empire and had founded a dynasty. The Astors; whose immense fortune came from furs, ships, and real estate; whose mansions bejewelled Fifth Avenue, Newport, and England; who became leaders — first in America, then in Britain — of polite society; whose births and deaths, private feuds and public scandals,
Interesting Family book could have been better I gave it a three star, I felt the quality of the writing could be better. I kept getting lost, not sure who the author was talking about. The chapters where long and sometimes talked about more than one person and I wasn't even sure who or even what century the author was talking about. I also felt that some of it was boring, dry, information that wasn't important.The reason for the four stars is I finished the book. I really didn't know who the Astors where when I started reading, I did love the beginning of the book about John Jacob coming to America and how hard he worked . Lynda B. said Laughably Bad and Ridiculously Snobbish. Generally speaking, I enjoy history when told in a story-telling style - particularly when the story includes interesting or little known anecdotes. But, as it IS history it should also be completely factual. It is one thing if the author is writing in a "tongue in cheek" style, but entirely another when the author includes a high number of details that could not possibly be known. Reading lines such as "she should have been beaten everyday but obviously wasn't" made me take another look at exactly when this book was published (the 70's), not 19Laughably Bad and Ridiculously Snobbish Generally speaking, I enjoy history when told in a story-telling style - particularly when the story includes interesting or little known anecdotes. But, as it IS history it should also be completely factual. It is one thing if the author is writing in a "tongue in cheek" style, but entirely another when the author includes a high number of details that could not possibly be known. Reading lines such as "she should have been beaten everyday but obviously wasn't" made me take another look at exactly when this book was published (the 70's), not 1930 as I was expecting. Finally, . 0 as I was expecting. Finally, . Steven Peterson said An iconic American family--warts and all. This is a terrific biography of a family--the Astors. Both the American and English branch are profiled. The era explored ranges from the 1700s--and the birth of John Jacob Astor--to the present. The vast fortune available to the family early after the first Astor began creating an empire (furs, real estate, shipping.) dissipated over time due to the increasing numbers in the family and the decline of the core businesses of the Astor empire (e.g., getting out of real estate in the New York area).As tor was an immigrant, coming to the US from the old world. He began by bringing