Fortune's Children by Arthur T. Vanderbilt 2nd Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Fortune's Children
Book Review: Vanderbilt Voyeurism
Summary: 4 Stars
"Fortune's Children" is an enormously fun read. Arthur Vanderbilt relates how his ancestors accumulated and then depleted an almost unimaginable fortune. In the process they created a lot of majestic homes and even more miserable people.It all starts with the Commodore, a poorly-educated miser with a mean-streak and a wild side. It ends with the battle over baby Gloria, whose genes prepared her for the jeans that brought the family a fresh infusion of cash. In between, a variety of Vanderbilt spendthrifts and misanthropes. There's George, who built the largest private home ever constructed in the US -- Biltmore Estate. By the time he was done, he was out of money, and his heirs couldn't afford to live there. There's Consuelo, bullied into marrying a Duke by a mother with royal-mania. And there's Reggie, a gin-soaked playboy whose greatest accomplishment was looking good in a tux. Oh, the humanity.
The author spends a little too much time on the supporting cast, including Ward McAllister and Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish. They're interesting but take the focus away from the main characters. He also fails to flesh-out a number of family members, including Alfred, who inherited the bulk of the fortune but had the misfortune of booking passage on the Lusitania.
Photos and a family-tree help you keep straight who's who, and all in all, this portrait of the people who personified the best and worst of "The Gilded Age" is most worthwhile. And, more proof that money can buy comfort, but not happiness.
Book Review: What if a miser's grandchildren were spendthrifts?
Summary: 5 Stars
Meet Cornelius Vanderbilt, a.k.a. the Commodore. In a time when there were only 12 millionaires in America, he was worth $50 million. By the time he died, it was double. He was a ruthless miser who owned a monopoly over New York City. When he died, he passed it all down to a son who increased the fortune dramatically. When the son died, well, the grandkids spent it.Donate pennies to charities; build mansions with the rest. This is how the remaining Vanderbilts lived for nearly a century. Would you have believed that 5th Avenue was a residential area? You should, they OWNED it. Richer than any other family in the world, the Vanderbilts had no one to compete against except themselves, constantly building larger mansions, country houses, and yachts. Their picture galleries could fill the Louvre. Their libraries could make any bookworm (and his grandkids) happy until their death. The dollar amounts that appear in every page in this book will make you rethink the real value of $1 million.
But aside from that, they have a story that's extraordinarily well written. Including details only a family member could, Arthur T. Vanderbilt II fashions a history that would make any bank jealous. Included (and to much relief) are pages of pictures and a family tree, both of which I referred back to often. His research is greater than any other I've seen, with a bibliography and notes spanning 80 pages. Quotes smother the pages and give a more than adequate description to every person, house, and ball relative to the family. An incredible story it is, containing 150 years. I commend Mr. Vanderbilt (the author) for taking the challenge, and more importantly, doing it with style.
Book Review: all that and more...
Summary: 4 Stars
Almost more than you want to know about this legendary and notoriously famous clan: the one or two who made the real money, and the others who spent themselves shamelessly broke and even destitute. The Gilded Age is aptly depicted, it's Rise and Downfall and ultimate demise, as far as the Vanderbilts were concerned. Nothing is spared in this Tell-All tale from within the clan itself: Arthur Vanderbilt, a mere lawyer in the modern day (1989) ... an uncanny fact: The First Vanderbilt reunion ever, held in 1973, yielded not a single even millionaire among the 120 Vanderbilts who attended.
I loved reading how and why!
Book Review: fabulous read
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up a copy in the gift shop after touring a Vanderbilt home just south of Rhinebeck NY.. I found the story and character development absolutely riveting. An incredible saga of tremendous wealth creation by a driven and daring businessman and an absolutely mind boggling saga of wealth destruction by a short few future generations. The average American still associates the name with immense wealth and it appears that is far from accurate. A family tree would come in handy given the number of characters with the same name. I found the story awe inspiring in its study of one mans drive and as a voyeur I was both intrigued and saddened at the emergence of the serial spenders seen later in the book. A great American success story as well as a great lesson for any family of means.Book Review: great history of the Vanderbilts and New York
Summary: 5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this well written biography. It took the reader through the family, which was interesting enough. It's amazing how they lived. There was also a fine background of New York City through those times. Nicely detailed and I found it mesmerizing. Another terrific book for history buffs.