The Million Dollar Duchesses by Julie Ferry

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Aurum Press (3 May 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1781317879
• ISBN-13: 978-1781317877

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

POWER, SCANDAL, GLAMOUR, FAME

On 6th November 1895, the beautiful and brilliant heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt was wedded to the near-insolvent Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough in a dazzling yet miserable match – it glittered above all others for high society’s marriage brokers who, in this single year, forged a series of spectacular, and lucrative, transatlantic unions.

The bankrupt and ailing British aristocracy was suddenly injected with all the wealth and glamour of America’s newest dynasties. Millions of dollars changed hands as fame, money, power and privilege were all at play.

Brimful of scandal, illicit affairs, spurned loves and unexpected tragedy, The Million Dollar Duchesses reveals the closed-door bargaining which led to these most influential matches and how America’s heiresses shook-up British high society for ever.

Review

As most of my regular readers know I love history, but it has been a while since I read historical  non fiction, probably due to time constraints.  The Million Dollar Duchesses was therefore a pleasure to read,  plus I got to read it in my garden due to the recent good weather.

The Million Dollar Duchesses referred to in the title are the young American heiresses who came to England looking for marriage and a title at the end of the nineteenth century.   To put this in context, between 1873 – 1896  there was a dramatic fall in grain prices which meant a lot of the landed gentry lost a lot of money and could no longer employ labourers and had to sell many of their possessions, like their art collections, to survive.  The British Aristocracy needed money to continue to live in their grand houses and live the life they were accustomed. This is where the American Heiresses came in, they had the money to restore these stately homes and ensure that the Dukes and Lords could continue with their country living.

Julie Ferry has obviously done a lot of research for this book, her footnotes and photographs really add to the enjoyment of this book.  It is full of detail and the chapters follow the stories of many of these women, their origins, their education and subsequently their marriages.  A lot of these women came from ‘new money’ which was frowned upon in American society so came to Europe with their families to further their education and enter the social scene of the British upper classes.  It seems the British upper classes were willing to welcome the new money, probably out of necessity.  What is surprising is that there was money to be made in the business of introducing these young American women to single males of the aristocracy.   Minnie Paget, who was a favourite of Bertie, the Prince of Wales, was at the forefront of this.  She would be paid large sums by the mothers of these girls to introduce them to the right people and get them to the best events.  There are plenty of famous names whose were party to this type of marriage including;Vanderbuilt, Curzon, Cunard, Astor and Churchill.

This is a fascinating read, with its insights into the machinations of the upper classes of both America and England, and just who was and was not accepted into society.  If you didn’t fit you were left out in the cold, especially in America where new money was not acceptable in New York high society.  The sums of money paid on houses, clothes and dowries was huge, and the mothers of these girls were ruthless in their pursuit of a titled husband.  But, as the saying goes, money doesn’t always make you happiness.  Not all the women were willing participants, and had to get use to a completely different life in England and see their money spent on gambling and in some cases mistresses.  I can see why Julie Ferry wanted this book released leading up to the Royal Wedding.  But in this case I think it is safe to say that HRH Prince Harry is not marrying Meghan Markle for her money.

Million Dollar Duchesses is a fairly short read at just over 300 pages, and is quite a light read.  I found it  riveting, with wonderful and colourful historical characters.  I thoroughly enjoyed being a voyeur of the social scene in both America and England; the costume balls, the jewellery, the decorations and the plotting and scheming behind the scenes. A great inside look into the rich and titled.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my review, I hope you enjoyed it and may consider reading the book. I really appreciate all likes, comments and follows as they help my blog grow.