"American Gilt" didn't offer interesting characters nor an interesting plot. The characters were all rather one-note and their relationships with each other felt underdeveloped and rushed. The plot was without any surprises and just meandered on.

The writing was fine though and it was a quick read.

Meet Sarah Swan Whiting - a well-to-do debutante who has been trained and educated for the sole purpose of marrying well into Society. Naive and beautiful, she has many suitors but believes in marriage for love. When she meets wealthy Oliver Belmont, she knows immediately that he is The One.

But Oliver enjoys the gentleman of leisure lifestyle and his parents do not approve either of Sarah nor of his chosen lifestyle... Will he make the right choice of husband for Sarah?

Based on the true account of the Belmont-Whiting Scandal of 1883, this novel totally transported me to a glittering age of balls and parties at the turn of the 20th century. I could simply not put this book down.

I cannot wait to read the sequel.

It is in Newport, RI that Sara Swan Whitting first sees Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont as she is entering a party. She is a new debutante and can have most any admirer she wants but she wants Oliver from the first. He is being sent to sea with the Navy. He hates it and gets his parents to get him out of the Navy. Sara travels with her mother to Paris and sees Oliver again. It is the Gilded age and Sara must be careful of her reputation. Oliver wants to marry her but his parents are wanting him to have an occupation and be settled before thinking of marriage. His mother does not think Sara is good enough for him and put what ever roadblock his parents can think of to separate them. Read to see the whole story and what happens to these young people.

I'm torn on this one. I love historical fiction so this did not disappoint. I love a good scandal... this starts to get you there, but it's one of three so no scandal yet. I love this time period and you are thrown right into the intimate lives of the upper crust.
It seems to have everything I love, so what's my beef? I think it comes down to this being too drawn out. Theres too many discussions about nothing that go nowhere, too many thinks included that just aren't important. Don't get me wrong, I love that it's not superficial and you do get these intimate glimpses, but toward the end I was just bored with it all. I knew the characters, I knew who I liked and didn't I knew what I hoped would happen but getting there got to be a little painful.
I started this hoping to read the series and more than half way into this book it was still foremost in my mind. But after slogging through the last 75ish pages my resolve has definitely waned. That means I will miss out on the scandal and I think I may be okay with that.

this book was fun to read, I liked the characters and the story line was very good. Real world situations made it believable. At times it felt a little stiff to me. It was well worth a read if you like a little bit of mystery and crime and a lot of romance.