acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
This was an enjoyable read that I would give 3.5 stars to. There were certain parts that lagged a bit, but overall I thought it held my attention well. This book tells the story of Allene Tew, the titular American Princess. Married many times and into increasing wealth and prestige, Allene truly did have a remarkable life. This book read less like a straight biography of Allene and more like a general history moving through the time periods she lived through, which is something I actually liked. One thing I didn't like was a few less than historical assertions I noticed throughout. Can we please leave behind the idea that the Victorians thought that table legs were too sexual? The style of this book reminded me of another I read recently, Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans. Overall I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes social histories and is interested in the time period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, War, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide and Xenophobia
Minor: Pregnancy
milasimperium's review against another edition
4.0
Super interesting, very well written, and very historically accurate.
The mild fat-shaming of Juliana is a bit much though.
The mild fat-shaming of Juliana is a bit much though.
stinsylinson's review
4.0
A Fascinating Life
Reading this book, you can't help but marvel at the fortitude of Allene. She overcame so many obstacles and survived life with a positive attitude by choosing to only look forward, not back. She was so much more than I was expecting as was this book. It didn't just look at her life, but was also a brief history of America during so!e of the country's most pivotal decades.
Reading this book, you can't help but marvel at the fortitude of Allene. She overcame so many obstacles and survived life with a positive attitude by choosing to only look forward, not back. She was so much more than I was expecting as was this book. It didn't just look at her life, but was also a brief history of America during so!e of the country's most pivotal decades.
ame_why's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this was going to be a really interesting biography based on the book's description. It sounded like a rags to riches success story, where a young country girl eventually becomes a real life princess. However, I was disappointed right from the start. Not only is the book more about everyone except Allene Tew, but it's essentially a story about how many different times this woman got married and divorced and inherited her fortune. She became wealthy because people around her died, not because she did anything of value. She was a social climber, nothing more. As far as the title suggesting that she was a princess, that marriage only lasted a short while and took up no more than a couple minutes in the book. It was over before it was worth mentioning. And then she went on to marry two other people and live out her life being rich, but otherwise unremarkable.
teriboop's review against another edition
3.0
The title of this book would be more appropriate as "The Many Loves of Allene Tew." This book is more about the people that surrounded Allene than it is about herself. Through most of the book, Allene is a secondary character. Allene Tew was a young woman from the late 19th century who came from a pioneering family and married into a higher social status. Although her first husband was from a wealthy family, he was not highly regarded and less so once he married the young woman from the country. Her husband Tod Hostetter was the first in a long line of husbands. Each marriage seemed to edit her social status, not always for the better and she eventually wed a Dutch prince and a German count. She suffered some tragedies in life but also found sources of great love and strength.
I wanted to like this book but I felt that Tew was a very one-dimensional character. I never felt that we truly got to know her. Most of the book was dedicated to the men in her life, giving the reader great details of their rise and fall in society. The book also seemed to be more of a history lesson on life during the periods that Tew lived. This information was at times very elementary and even repetitive. The reader learned more than once that John Jacob Astor died on the Titanic.
Although this was a non-fiction book, I think it would have been more enjoyable as a historical fiction story and the author could have envisioned Tew's character and thoughts. The way the book came across was more of "here's the facts." Tew did this and then did this based on newspaper articles and genealogical records. I do wonder how much of the flatness of the story and the elementary discourse was due to the translation from Dutch to English.
All in all, the information was interesting but the overall story just seemed to drag on with the minutia of detail on everyone and everything except Allene Tew. Perhaps the story is more interesting in its native language, but I suspect it comes across the same. This would be a good book for someone not familiar with the Gilded Age through World War I.
I received this book gratis through Goodreads Giveaways.
I wanted to like this book but I felt that Tew was a very one-dimensional character. I never felt that we truly got to know her. Most of the book was dedicated to the men in her life, giving the reader great details of their rise and fall in society. The book also seemed to be more of a history lesson on life during the periods that Tew lived. This information was at times very elementary and even repetitive. The reader learned more than once that John Jacob Astor died on the Titanic.
Although this was a non-fiction book, I think it would have been more enjoyable as a historical fiction story and the author could have envisioned Tew's character and thoughts. The way the book came across was more of "here's the facts." Tew did this and then did this based on newspaper articles and genealogical records. I do wonder how much of the flatness of the story and the elementary discourse was due to the translation from Dutch to English.
All in all, the information was interesting but the overall story just seemed to drag on with the minutia of detail on everyone and everything except Allene Tew. Perhaps the story is more interesting in its native language, but I suspect it comes across the same. This would be a good book for someone not familiar with the Gilded Age through World War I.
I received this book gratis through Goodreads Giveaways.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
Visit the locations in the novel
A book about Allene Tew – the very epitome of “American royalty” even though you might think that title still belongs with the Kennedy family. That famous family of course had their own problems which are well documented, but I admit to never having heard of Allene Tew.
The book and story intrigued me however as real figures from history often do, and when their stories are fictionalised, even more so. There’s a good mix of fact and fiction here. I think most of it is actually true (judging by the author notes and extensive research documents at the end.)
She went through quite a few marriages and had a few stories to tell on her way to becoming this American Princess though! The stories get so amazing and fanciful in parts that you have to remind yourself that this is a true story and real person! She moves around the country from Jamestown and then eventually to the big city of New York . Aah New York, that glitzy place with golden promises….
It was all a question of who you married and when, in those days it would seem. Well, at least for the monnied classes. She was no fool however, blindly following her husbands around. She guarded her wealth carefully and plotted her next move with the calmness of a chess player quite frankly.
This is one story however that could have the tagline – Money does not buy happiness. Her story also includes momentous events such as the sinking of the Titanic, the stock market crash of 1929, the world wars and even the Russian revolution.
It’s a story which includes a lot packed into a short life and relatively short book at less than 200 pages! Some of that was interestingly taken up with photos and personal letters. I did think the story suffered in that sense as some sections could have been explained more and the various characters more fleshed out, but the story is good however long in the end.
Fascinating mix of fact and fiction