I really loved this look at the Vanderbilt family. Alva is such a good character in the middle of it all, climbing from near poverty to the highest echelon of society. She foils the rest of the Vanderbilts so well while highlighting the importance of money and reputation for women.

Having visited Marble House, The Breakers, and Belcourt many times it was fascinating to read about Alva Vanderbilt. It reinforced the concept that “money can’t buy you everything “ so clearly. All the money in the world did not make Alva happy...extremely comfortable but unloved and incomplete. She was truly ahead of her time in so many ways. She was a master manipulator, with William, society, the Vanderbilts, and her own children. She was so attuned to society’s obtuse rules and worked to find a way to achieve her wishes. She and William were such polar opposites- Alva was so intelligent and hard working, loyal, with so much insight into the future, while he seemed so lazy and content to spend time with his horses, and her best friend.
Enjoyed reading about the faux pas with the Astor’s and the gentleman who helped her scheme to be accepted by the “in crowd” of the time, and her later rejection of him. Also enjoyed reading the end when she found true happiness.
This book left me wondering what would have happened to the Vanderbilt’s if Alva didn’t have the foresight to build in NYC and Newport. She was their leader in so many ways.
Loved this very interesting read of a fascinating woman that I had never before heard of. I am inspired to read more about her life. Many thanks to Therese Anne Fowler, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this great read.

I couldn't put this book down. I loved Therese Anne Fowler's book about Zelda Fitzgerald and was excited to read this book too. Even though this is historical fiction is felt so relevant for current times. Sad and amazing that a hundred years later we are still fighting for women's rights.

Alva Vanderbilt was destined to marry nobility. Her mother had expected nothing less of her daughters, but after her death and as the family spirals into ruin Alva finds she must find a suitable husband to support her family fast. Alva's best friend helps her to pick out William Vanderbilt and Alva starts down a path she and especially her mother could never have imagined.

Alva's life is a fairytale of balls and riches. She helps bring the Vanderbilt name to the forefront of the upper class. They may not be knickerbockers, but what if she can make a new class just for them. As Alva's husband William gallivants around the world she raises their family, run their homes and becomes a bit of an architect for designing and building multiple homes.

This fairytale ends when Alva's best friend confesses that she's been having an affair with Alva's husband for years. Alva decides to do what no woman in her class has done before, divorce her husband.

The divorce brings ruin to Alva's social status until she falls in love and marries again. This time Alva decides to use her status for the woman's movement and to help women be able to vote.

I loved this book so much. It reads a little bit like Gossip Girl of the 1800's. There are grand events, exotic travel and deceit.

A riveting read of one of the most prominent Vanderbilt, during the Gilded Age. Alva Vanderbilt Belmont used her position in society - once she acquired it - to become a leader in the women's suffrage movement. She lived in the late 1800's to early 1900 and used her standing to make sure her family acquired their rightful place in society. During a time when one did not marry for love but for social standing, the author gives a detailed view of the families and how they lived in this opulent time.

Originally the Vanderbilts had the wealth but not the social standing and Therese Anne Fowler writes how Alva acquired this for her family and the rest is history. Alva was a strong woman in an age where woman were to be seen and not heard. It's a fascinating read of women's position in society and marriage during the Gilded Age in New York.

A WELL BEHAVED WOMAN by Therese Anne Fowler
Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont was anything but a well- behaved woman. Left near penniless as she approached marriageable age in the 1870’s, she set her aim for a wealthy man. William Vanderbilt, a younger son in the ultra-wealthy but socially ignored family, caught her eye, as she caught his. This fictionalized account of her life as a philanthropist, sufferage activist, society hostess and intelligent, opinionated woman is a bit too long, but is vastly entertaining.
Alva, her sisters, her children, her husbands, the Vanderbilts, the Astors and others of upper crust New York society are clearly, and unsparingly, drawn. The day to day life of Gilded Age society is the backdrop and conformingly repressive constraint her friends and “frenemies” endured. Told with clear eyed sympathy, the novel follows Alva from age 17 to her death in 1933.
Book groups will enjoy discussing the differences between women today and the women who found themselves painted, pampered, polished, packaged and utterly controlled by their fathers and husbands.
4 ½ of 5 stars

A Well-Behaved Woman is a brilliant novel detailing the life of Alva Vanderbilt. While fictional, Fowler brings the reader in to the lives of society women, specifically the Vanderbilts, during the gilded age in New York. Fowler deftly illustrates the intricacies of navigating upper class society and the lengths at which women will go to in order to uphold or improve their standing. Alva Vanderbilt, is one of these women, if not the best at doing just this. She is able to extricate herself from her lower to middle class standing to become one of the most powerful women in New York. She also pushes the limits of society along the way.

I really enjoyed this one. It took a while for me to get into it but, about half way thru I was fully invested. I wanted to know what Alva was going to do next. Having lived in NC for most of my life and having visited the Biltmore Wstate in Asheville, I was especially interested. I love that Alva is portrayed, accurately I might add, as a tough, intelligent, and hard working woman. Any lover of historical fiction or a strong willed woman will love this novel. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

I really enjoyed this book. I have a deep fascination with the Vanderbilt family. I love the time period and the history behind them.

My Thoughts: I generally prefer my historical fiction a little more on the gritty side, but I thoroughly enjoyed taking a trek through late nineteen century high-society with Alva Vanderbilt. This woman was a kick! It seems few women of her day had any illusions about marrying for love, and that was especially true for Alva whose family had the pedigree, but had lost their money. If Alva didn’t marry well her family would be left destitute. So, Alva made sure William Vanderbilt and his entire family knew that she was just want they needed to pave their way into the side of society that no amount of their new money could buy. It took some time, but Alva worked magic, securing the Vanderbilts the recognition they craved. Along the way Alva made friends and enemies alike, as she began to see what SHE wanted most from life. I liked Alva best when she fought for herself, claiming as much power as a woman could more than a century ago.

I’m sure Therese Anne Fowler did not intend A Well-Behaved Woman to be a funny book, but many times I found myself chuckling. Between the social concerns that seem ridiculous today, the extreme snobbery, the upper-class obsessed press, and the clueless men I found myself laughing out loud over and over.

“You know, William Whitney’s got a fine breeding operation under way at his Stony Ford farm. I’ve been meaning to pay a visit, get some advice on starting my own farm. Maybe I’ll drive out today”
“Today?” Alva said.
“Why not?” he gestured toward the baby. “I took the day off for this. I’ve nothing better to do.”

He took the day off because Alva was giving birth! A Well-Behaved Woman worked best for me when it stuck to Alva: her plots, her schemes, her heart. Occasionally, the story veered a little too deep into the lives of some of the secondary characters and the social causes of the day. Each time it drifted from Alva, I found myself wanting to skim. Luckily, most of the time Alva, well-behaved or not, remained the star. Grade: B

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Thoroughly enjoyed, and posted on my Facebook author page about it’s release. Considered the audio for my San Francisco Chronicle column, but because of the timing, just before Election Day, I went with Rebecca Traister’s Good and Mad.

I’ve always been a history nerd and with it comes my love for historical fiction, but I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t know much about America’s Gilded Age and the families who ruled it like royalties – the Astors and Rockefellers, and, of course, the Vanderbilts. So, naturally, when I saw this book available on NetGalley, I immediately requested it wanting to know more.
And this one didn’t disappoint.
Written in the third person and in the style of an Edith Wharton novel, A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts is a well-researched, informative and entertaining fictional biography focused mainly on Alva Belmont and her years as a Vanderbilt.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Alva Smith – who later on became Alva Vanderbilt when she married W.K. Vanderbilt in 1875, then Alva Belmont when she married Oliver Hazard Belmont in 1896 – was a fascinating woman. She’s a contradiction: head strong and confident, driven, ambitious, and a forward thinker even in today’s standards, but at the same time she’s insecure and so full of doubts and fears about herself, her family and their place in society.
Alva is a tough woman in a time when society expects women to stay in the background, arm candies to their rich and powerful husbands. It was just so easy to like her, though, by all means, she did do a whole lot of things with questionable reasons (pushing, almost to the point of forcing, her daughter Consuelo to marry the Duke of Marlborough for one). But that’s just one of the things that make Alva, Alva.
A lot of Fowler’s main character’s concerns may not be relevant to us now (Societal standing be damned) but some of Alva’s struggles like not letting her philandering first husband and his overbearing family (especially her sister-in-law) walk all over her still hits home. Truly, I cannot imagine myself living in her time. Put in her place, I might just punch someone, cause a big scandal and live as a pariah my whole life! My personal thoughts aside, I appreciate how Fowler was able to humanize this deeply interesting woman who lived more than a hundred years ago for a modern-day reader like me. She felt closer – reachable – and it was this that made this book enjoyable for me.
The book, the way it was written, may not work for everyone though. The dialogues may sound too formal, some parts moving too slow at points, but I think these are all justified given Fowler wrote this novel emulating the style of writing particular to that period. One thing I wished this one had more though was Alva’s involvement with the Suffragette Movement. While the end of the book and the long (but informative) author’s note tackled it, I still wanted more and couldn’t help thinking how much more interesting it would be to read about Alva’s part in the movement in story form.
That said, A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts is still an engrossing read. I enjoyed this one a whole lot, learning as I read. I definitely recommend it to readers of historical fiction.

Rating: 4 stars (4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars)

I loved this book! The early chapters were like stepping back into the Gilded-Age, and experiencing how the Robber Barons lived in New York City, and Newport, Rhode Island. This book of historical fiction follows Alva Smith, an almost penniless woman of good breeding, into the world of the uber rich as she marries William Vanderbilt in 1875. Early in her marriage she comes up with a plan to help the nouveau riche Vanderbilts gain entrance into the old money New York social circle, which has been publicly snubbing the whole family since The Commodore gained his wealth.

The book follows Alva from the late 1800’s well into the 1900’s and illustrates the great social upheavals that went on during that era, with Alva at the forefront of the women’s suffrage movement in England and the United States in the early 1900's.

Alva lived from 1853 – 1933. She divorced William Vanderbilt in 1896, and married Oliver Belmont a few years later. Early in her marriage to Vanderbilt she became known for her visionary work as a builder (in a partnership with architect Richard Hunt). She oversaw the design, and many of the minute features of the building of the ‘Petit Chateau’ at 600 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The residence was completed in 1886. It was a marvel of the time. It’s estimated that the Costume Ball Open House that the Vanderbilts hosted for 100 guests cost 3 million dollars. That costume ball finally gave the Vanderbilts entrée into in New York Society. Alva went on to build quite a few other impressive houses in Newport, and Long Island in partnership with Richard Hunt. As an interesting historical side note, the Petit Chateau was demolished in 1926, and was eventually replaced by the 666 5th Avenue Building which is currently owned by the Kushner’s family corporation and has been in the news so much recently.

Alva and William Vanderbilt had three children. Their daughter, Consuelo went on to marry England’s most eligible duke. But the marriage did not go well so Alva and Oliver Belmont spent much of the time in their later years in England. After Oliver’s unexpected death, Alva devoted even more time to her daughter, and grandchildren in England.

Without delving further into the details of Alva’s really interesting life, just let me say that I enjoyed this book immensely. It taught me some history, which I always love. The author has a deft hand in expressing what I would imagine to be the accurate human feelings and reactions as circumstances unfolded around Alva. Though Alva ended up with buckets of money, her life was not without its troubles, trials, and mistakes. It’s how Alva and those around her chose to work through the situations that make this book all the more fascinating.

I highly recommend this book to readers who are interested in learning more about New York City and high society in the late 1800’s, and a bit about the rest of the world in the early 1900’s. This was an entertaining and educational work of historical fiction.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; St Martin’s Press; and the author, Therese Anne Fowler; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kirkus Reviews called this one “mesmerizing.” That’s not the word I would choose, but I did enjoy this book a lot. Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont was a fascinating woman who lived her own advice, “First marry for money, then marry for love.” In the end, she truly found her own path.


William K. Vanderbilt
First marry for money: Alva was desperate and William was willing. His family needed the social cache her family name brought. Both of them got what they wanted. Sort of. William is well aware of his wife’s worth (she did, after all, find the ways to bring the Vanderbilt family into high society), but he is so self-absorbed that he didn’t think to do the things that would truly make Alva happy. Instead he showers her with jewelry and then is off again to do his own thing. William was far more interested in boats and horses than in his family or the family business. He comes off as a grown up little boy.


The Fifth Avenue house
In Fowler’s hands, Alva vacillates between kowtowing to society standards and standing firm for her beliefs. She convinces her father-in-law to foot the bill for magnificent mansions for all of his children on the pretense that it will benefit society at large as these will be works of art. Yeah, right. But she also insists on working closely with the architect, shocking society matrons by being so closely involved. I vacillated between really liking Alva and really believing she was all about the Benjamins. This is the bulk of the story and Fowler really makes the Gilded Age, and the gilded cage, come alive.

Then marry for love: Alva harbors the hots for one of William’s friends for decades; her back and forth got a little old, sometimes. But she’s far too virtuous and far too aware of what’s at stake, especially for her children if there were to be a scandal, to ever act on it. Until at last she is a free woman. As the wife of Oliver Belmont, Alva finally gets to be loved and to be understood for who she is. She cuts loose and does what she wants, society be damned. You can’t help but be happy for her.


Alva Vanderbilt
Find her own path; In her later years, Alva became a very active suffragette. She’d long championed women’s rights and, at last, she could be part of a group advocating for women. Unfortunately, there’s not much of that in this book. Fowler has, instead chosen to make the book about Alva’s life with the men in it. She does include an afterward that brings readers up to speed with Alva’s life on her own.

Two last things:
This is one of my favorite book covers in a while. It’s perfect for the story. It’s the little things, sometimes.

Gratuitous picture of Hugh Grant
Also, Is it wrong that I thought of the Wade brothers from Two Weeks’ Notice when Fowler was writing about William and his brother, Corneil, William being the Hugh Grant character of the Vanderbilt family? I mean, Corneil was serious about the work and maintaining the family business, William was the social one, more interested in the ladies and fun. To be fair to Grant's character, George Wade, George spent more time in the office than William apparently did.

I love historical fiction, especially about women. I had heard of Alva Vanderbilt, but I knew very little about her. Fowler gives us an Alva who marries into one of the richest families in America, bringing with her the cachet of her family name. After fighting her way to the top of the social stratosphere, Alva finds out her husband has cheated on her throughout their loveless marriage. She divorces him which was unheard of for someone of her set at the time. She went on to marry a longtime friend and the love of her life. Freed from the Vanderbilt name, she went on to campaign for women's suffrage. This book does what I think the best historical fiction does: It made me want to learn more about its subject. Alva was a force to be reckoned with. "A Well-Behaved Woman" gives the reader a close look at the Gilded Age and a strong, progressive woman.

4.5 stars

A Week Behaved Woman is a eloquent historical fiction novel about Alva Vanderbilt. A woman ahead of her time in being a feminist, her love of architecture and charities. The Vanderbilt's already had money, but with Alva in the family they would rise to the greatness that the world and society would know them for.
I enjoyed reading this novel and I could feel like I was brought back into that time as I read it. The author did a fabulous job with the characters and the story.

A Well-Behaved Woman kept my interest from the very beginning. It gave me a glimpse into the inner circle and workings of the upper level of New York society during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This book made the characters and time come to life. I found myself thinking about how society has changed (or not changed) since then. It sent me to the internet, always the sign of a good book in my opinion, to refresh my memory and find out more about the Astors, Vanderbilts, and various mansions and "cottages" mentioned.

I found this to be a compelling read. I love learning about strong women and how they made a difference in the lives of others. Alva Vanderbilt had a lot of money and influence at her disposal. I like that she used it for some good: helping the poor, helping advance causes of women, fighting for the vote. She lived in a different time, with big class distinctions and big money and high society in New York. Fascinating to read about her life and times.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald is one of my favorite books, and I'll read anything Fowler writes.

While the writing was strong throughout, I did wish Alva was more spicy--less interested in furnishing her new home, for example, and just a bit less well-behaved. But this book sent me straight to Google for more information about Alva and the Vanderbilts -- I toured The Breakers last year in Newport but skipped Marble House in favor of drinks with friends -- and brought a particular moment of history to life.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This book is about Alva a woman who lived in Civil War times and after the war she became married to a Vanderbilt. She sacrificed a lot to become the strong person she was.

It took me a long time to read this book as it didn't hold my interest.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler

Publication Date: 10/16/18

A Well-Behaved Woman is biographical historical fiction that follows the life of Alva Smith Vanderbilt. From the same author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, Therese Anne Fowler adds color to the life of another influential and strong woman. The novel opens with Alva's family on the brink of financial collapse, with her mother already deceased, her father very ill, and the family fortune struggling following the Civil War. She joins her friend Consuelo Yznaga at the Greenbrier Resort where she's introduced to William Vanderbilt. A woman focused on securing her and her families' future, she woos William, not because she loves him, but because it's a financially smart decision.

Having spent a weekend at the Greenbrier last year, I loved reading those parts of the story. The Greenbrier is a Southern institution rich in history, where many a young lady came out into society and many marriages were brokered!

Following Alva's marriage to William, she focuses her attention on social climbing up the ranks of New York (and European) society. The imagery of the Guilded age glitters throughout the novel, as does Alva's ambition. I admired Alva's ability to push back against social pressures and the status quo, particularly as it related to her interest in architecture. Learning about the social rules and seeing very famous names in print, was all incredibly interesting. I do wish there had been more time devoted to Alva as a suffragette. It felt more as though it was a quick add on towards the end of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it felt a bit choppy to me. It covers a huge amount of time in a long and interesting life, but only touches on some of the most influential things that she did, like fighting for women's right to vote. The novel spends too much time pining on love or the lack thereof, and not nearly enough on the human rights aspect.

As the author herself explains at the end of the book, Alva Vanderbuilt is often portrayed as a woman merely motivated by the desire to be a prominent and wealthy member of society. However, due to Fowler’s extensive research, I believe that Alva’s true motives have been explained, and in a mostly enjoyable way.

“A Well-Behaved Woman,” told exclusively from Alva’s perspective, allows the reader to immerse themselves in post-Civil War New York, where young ladies are tasked with a singular goal: to marry well. However, Alva’s situation is more dire: due to her father’s illness and poor financial planning, she and her three sisters are doomed to be left destitute upon his death. That is, unless she is able to ensnare the heart of an heir.

With the help of her friend Consuelo Yznaga, Alva catches the eye of W. K. Vanderbuilt, and the rest is history, though not a very happy one for Alva.

Fowler’s writing is engaging and well researched, and her dialogues seems to be true to the time period... that is to say, I found no glaring anachronisms.

Alva is a very interesting character, one that I found myself yearning to learn about at the book went on. I would not describe this book as a page turner, but it is definitely an enjoyable read, especially for someone interested in well-written historical fiction with a single third-person point of view.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Therese Anne Fowler for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.