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tessisreading2's review
4.0
Biography of two members of the Astor family and, as a side through-line, the history of luxury hotels in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Very little to do with the city of New York. Well-written and readable, but bears more resemblance to the subtitle than the title.
ewg109's review
3.0
The author didn't really bring either cousin to life. In fact, he kind of makes you hate both of them. The section about the hotels was worth reading, though.
misajane79's review
2.0
Book club book
A very wandering book. Never really seemed to focus--rather it was "check out this Astor story, now this one, and check out how much money they spent on parties"
Very, very disappointing. Kept thinking of the better books of the genre, like Alva and Consuelo.
A very wandering book. Never really seemed to focus--rather it was "check out this Astor story, now this one, and check out how much money they spent on parties"
Very, very disappointing. Kept thinking of the better books of the genre, like Alva and Consuelo.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review
informative
fast-paced
3.0
This book focuses on the Astor family, specifically John Jacob Astor IV and William Waldorf Astor. The two were cousins with an indescribable amount of family wealth and status. There was information about other members of the Astor family included in this book, and it fit in well with the narrative and context of this story.
Unfortunately, this book was around 200 pages. If you are looking for a deep dive into the history of the Astor family or these two cousins, there are other books available that really get into it. On the plus side, it was a short read and is helping me reach my goal quickly. The author did leave me with a healthy idea of what kind of people these two were, as well as plenty of information about the hotels they build and other business endeavors. This book was recommended to me because of my interest in the Gilded Age, and I was not disappointed by it. I am not sure where I developed an interest in architecture from, but I have one.
Unfortunately, this book was around 200 pages. If you are looking for a deep dive into the history of the Astor family or these two cousins, there are other books available that really get into it. On the plus side, it was a short read and is helping me reach my goal quickly. The author did leave me with a healthy idea of what kind of people these two were, as well as plenty of information about the hotels they build and other business endeavors. This book was recommended to me because of my interest in the Gilded Age, and I was not disappointed by it. I am not sure where I developed an interest in architecture from, but I have one.
laileanah's review
informative
2.0
Meh, lots of info here but poorly organized and much of it not about the Astors.
Okay I guess
Okay I guess