A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne FowlerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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.
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