"A Well-Behaved Woman" is an extremely readable historical novel about the life of Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, a grande dame of international society and later a significant participant in the women's suffrage movement.

What's good:

1.) The writing is, thankfully, strong. I've seen historical fiction where the actual prose is a slog one endures just for the mental engagement with the past. That's not the case here, where the writing is lively and drives the reader through the pages without resistance.

2.) The characterization. Our protagonist, Alva, is not a saint or a literary Mary Sue. While there is one exchange where I gritted my teeth a bit (our heroine's solution seems to come out of the blue and dazzle everyone), the rest of the book does show Alva for good and for ill.


What's iffier:

1.) There's a breakthrough moment for the heroine in the text that feels a bit rushed and ultimately inconclusive. I can't be more specific without giving spoilers, so I will just say while the majority of the plot works, there's an element that may feel a bit convenient.

2.) I enjoyed the characters but didn't love any of them, and that's what would take me to 5 stars.

An interesting and beautifully written historic novel with just enough romance for emotional impact.
Therese Anna Fowler has a magical way of weaving famous people and historical facts together to make all her characters come to life in a timeless and engrossing story of the life and times of socialite and social activist, Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont.
As with "Z", her novel about the life of Zelda Fitzgerald, this book is meticulously researched and highly recommended.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
I did not particularly enjoy spending time with these people, but I recognize how important they were to read about. The protagonist is a very strong woman, but I didn't find her particularly likable, which is a disappointment. I've always admired Miss Vanderbilt's works for suffrage and I suppose I can only be so angry at her for being a product of her time and culture. But man,, reading about people this privileged and this entitled he'd up as feminist icons, even in the construct of White feminism, it just felt really tone deaf in 2018 . Read only as a history lesson

Absolutely lovely summer read!! I really enjoyed the historical accuracy and how it left me with enough information, but wanting to learn more!! Great job :)

This is a wonderful story of Alva (Smith) Vanderbilt, and the entire family of Vanderbilt’s, depicting their lives in the late 1800’s moving into the new century. The importance of who you are, who you know, how well you marry and how you portray the proper lifestyle is the basis of this book. The object of marrying for love was evidently not as important as the lineage and status of your family. She was a remarkable woman, smart, headstrong, determined, and not afraid of the consequences, she held her head high thru tough times. The book is written very well, the research is excellent.
I learned so much, not necessarily historical or political information but so much about social graces, etiquette, and the expectations, or rather the limitations put upon women of this era. I had read other books in this timeframe but this is the first one that depicted the Vanderbilt’s, their accomplishments, their wealth and their lifestyle. Alva was instrumental in the many benefits New York received from this family. It was apparent money sometimes can’t buy you status, but good deeds will prevail. The author describes the scenes so well, you can envision the dresses, the horse carriages, balls, dancing, walking in the gardens, visiting London, and even “Alva”, the yacht. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
I was given the opportunity to receive this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets 5*****’s.

A strong entry of historical fiction about a strong young woman who had to marry to care for her family. Alva married a Vanderbilt and progressed through the nuances of society. Raising her children and taking on various causes including suffrage were her interests. This was an interesting and well researched story at a life I knew little about. Now I want to read Z about Zelda Fitzgerald.


Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

This is a quick and generally enjoyable read that falls flat in several key areas. The book lingers too long on Alva's younger years and completely leaves out her most notable achievements later in life. This is a good "beach read."

I have enjoyed Therese Anne Fowler's previous books, and also loved this look at Gilded Age New York. A wonderful read!

Loved this book by Fowler about the Vanderbilts as they ruled gilded-age New York. I was familiar with George Washington Vanderbilt and the Biltmore Estate but this was my first introduction to his brother, William and William's wife, Alva. I really felt the conflict throughout this book and was very satisfied with the ending. I found myself rooting for Alva Vanderbilt the whole time. It was tough to be a well-behaved woman and often it still is.

I've read a lot of novels about and biographies of Alva Vanderbilt, so this was sort of a rehash of what I already knew. It was an okay read for people unfamiliar with the story.

This was a fantastic historical fiction based on real people and real events. There is a lot of fact in this fiction. The book follows the Vanderbilt family in the late 19th Century. We get to follow Ava from a young girl when she meets William K. Vanderbilt, marries him, and is thrown into the fierce and competitive upper crust society of New York City. We view things through Ava’s perspective and the author presents her with a soft sympathetic portrayal. We watch as Ava, who is known as Mrs. Vanderbilt, fights for acceptance with the snobby elite of the time. The story gets better as we continue to follow Ava and the Vanderbilt family through the years.
This book takes place during the famed Gilded Age. It is a fascinating portrayal of the famous upper crust during their heyday. I loved the descriptive writing and the portrayal of this sensitive, stubborn and sassy woman. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of that time period.
If you like historical fiction, historical drama or the Gilded Age in general, I think you would enjoy this novel.

This one took a while to get into. Once there, well worth the read, but for me - or perhaps my current state of mind - this started out frustrating and a bit of a chore. I'm finding historic fiction, "gilded age" fiction a challenge of late. It may be time for me to take a break from that genre - no reflection on this author or her work. I'm a huge fan of Fowler's early works, and hope she'll return to current times for her next work.

In a time when women only found their place through mariage, in a time when marriageable men were fewer due to the American Civil war, in a time when society ruled your thoughts and actions, in a time when women had no say, Alva Smith blossomed to become Alva Vanderbilt.
After the fabulous story of Zelda Fitzgerald, Therese Fowler uncover the mysterious personality of the trailblazer Alva Vanderbilt.

In 1875 the Vanderbilt are already extremely rich but shunned by New York high society and Manhattan’s Knickerbockers, they are craving social recognition.
Here comes Alva Smith, born from a privilege Southern family, raised in privilege till the untimely death of her mother, with powerful connections and a family going to ruin. The ingenious Alva strikes a deal to marry William Vanderbilt under the assumption that she will open New York high Society to the Vanderbilt. With her smarts and the help of Ward McAllister she does.

Through mariage, through motherhood, through her perfect taste, through her desires, Alva Vanderbilt changes the rules. She becomes the first woman in high society to file for divorce, hence becoming an outcast, just to remarry for love and regain her status back. Marries her daughter for a title in a time when English Lords and Earls were looking for money in exchange for a title. In a world where it was quite unheard of, Alva become a woman with a voice as a Women’s right activist, as Women’s suffrage rights trailblazer and funds Political Equality Association to push for what became the 19th amendment to the constitution.
One cannot name Alva Vanderbilt and not acknowledge the magnificent ‘Cottages’ she designed and built in Rhodes Island and in New York.

It is a fascinating account of the rich and famous and how to bent a judgmental society, as a woman in a time when women couldn’t be influential. Famous name like Astor, Rockefeller, Carnegie lace Alva’s life to paint New York guilded era.
The whole story was very well researched, the date were accurate, the writing is enticing and the whole book reads like a novella.

Historical fiction is my favorite kind of book and I cannot wait to hear which interesting, complex, determined, influential woman, Therese Fowler is going to chose next. Her books are fantastic !

With many Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Therese Fowler for this ARC of A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilt

I really liked this book. I liked reading about Alva Vanderbilt and how life was like in the 1800s, especially for a woman. There were things that were spoken about that I would think about before recommending it to someone, but it was an interesting book about those times. I read it pretty quickly for me and to me that means I was very intrigued at what I was reading and I was. I would recommend to some, but for others, because of some content, I couldn’t. Just because I know they wouldn’t want to read that type of details in their reading. Not because, I believe, it is extremely explicit, but because it does go into some detail and not all likes or wants to read that type of content in what they read. But other than that, it was a intriguing and interesting book. ... I appreciate and thank Net Galley and the publishers, St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read it.
#NetGalley #Awell-behavedWoman

Curious to learn more about the history of the Vanderbilt family thought the voice and vision of one of the earliest "outsider" women to marry into the family, I opened this historical fiction novel expecting a story of "rags to riches" in the Gilded Age of New York society. While that is certainly the backstory for the evolving life of Alva Smith Vanderbilt, it is only one of many sides of both the woman, the family and her story. Beyond the drive for wealth and stature, there are many layers to peel back on this "well-behaved woman" whose inner drive for equality drove decisions throughout her life. Feminism, suffrage and a centuries precursor to "Me Too" are all just-below-the surface themes, along with the Vanderbilt's earliest impact on transforming New York City into the international cultural mecca at the turn of the 20th century. A great read and a powerful story about a fiercely strong and influential woman who was so much more than her married name would imply. Make sure you read the author's notes at the end - an epilogue that is the exclamation point to her story!
**Thank you to St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, compelling read. Maybe not quite as captivating as Z, but I still love a period drama, and this was a fascinating glimpse into the golden era of a golden family.

When I saw this book was about the Vanderbilt family I immediately responded with an "ooooh" and then immediately realized I didn't know anything about their history. I couldn't even name any of their first names. That was remedied when I met Alva. I found her to be sassy, stubborn, and unconventional, in all the best ways. I enjoyed how the novel seemingly grew and expanded along with Alva's story, the gray seeping into her original black-and-while motivations, but all the while, she stood on her morals and principals. She was very practical, but also possessed great self respect and compassion for others. After reading and upon googling Alva, it made me further appreciate Alva's character and the author's intentions to depict a more complex Alva than is usually portrayed and perceived. This novel will appeal to many, those who enjoy strong female characters, those who enjoy historical fiction, those who enjoy biographical sketches, those drawn to the gilded-age -- I could go on. That's all to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Alva.

A rich and thoughtful portrait of an overlooked (albeit wealth!) woman and her role in a changing society. A novel sure to provoke lots of discussion in book groups.

I could not get into this book. I found the story choppy and the characters one dimensional. Very hard to follow and the story seemed to go no where. Very disappointed as I love historical fiction and the Gilded Age.

What a wonderful book! As I’ve akways been intrigued by the Vanderbilt’s, this grabbed my attention instantly and held my attention throughout every page!