A review by shrrawat
The American Adventuress by C.W. Gortner

3.0

I had only vaguely heard of Jennie Jerome prior to reading C. W. Gortner's book, and honestly, after reading both this and her biography, I am not too impressed with her. It appears that she was, in many ways, a product of her time and circumstances. Gortner tries valiantly to make her appear sympathetic, and he does succeed at times, particularly when describing her efforts during the Boer War. This payoff takes a long time though, and we see much of the spoiled and selfish Jennie for about 200 pages beforehand as she parades about in Paris and New York, spending money like water and rebuking her teachers, and then as Lady Randolph, having affairs with multiple men and leaving her children to be raised by nannies.

That being said, it is obvious that Jennie Jerome was a strong character to have attracted and strongly influenced many prominent men of her time. Gortner does an great job of displaying this streak of independence, even if the results are a bit off-putting at times. But, I appreciate his displaying these flaws as well, rather than trying to cleanse her impact and actions in history.

Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for allowing me to obtain a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.