Society as I Have Found It

De: Ward McAllister

Narrado por: Bronson Pinchot

Ward McAllister lived in the mid-to-late nineteenth-century USA. This audiobook encompasses his commentary on the parties held by the elite in the USA and Europe during that time.

Well-connected and well-traveled, McAllister describes the habits, trends, and wealth of the upper classes of society. As the author testifies, it was a time of transformative, unprecedented extravagance through the emergence of new technology and new prosperity.

The location of the social gathering in which McAllister attended during this time isn’t limited to the USA, but encompasses much of Europe as well.

Public Domain (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Save your money….

If you are interested in dining & drinking in the “Gilded Age” - you may find this interesting. But….if your curiosity was influenced by the mention of this book in the HBO series….. don’t bother.

Not salacious

This book being a scandal is hilarious. He doesn’t name drop the women he speaks of. Majority of this book is about entertaining and serving French food. lol.

How to serve wine to impress

I loved the language and tips on selecting, storing and serving wines. The reader was very pleasant and I felt I was lisyening to the author.

Don't bother

I bought this book based on the "Gilded Age." Mistake. The first chapters, as far as I was able to listen, were awful. The barbaric treatment of animals as sport is what did me in - Maybe your constitution is stronger than mine. I realize it's a function of the time, but it isn't a time I care to revisit. I'll stick with the glossy visions of the "Gilded Age" on MAX.

I don't think I've written a review before, but maybe with this one I can save someone wasting good money.

Mary.

Just awful

Not at all what I was expecting. Boring. I’m glad I didn’t pay for it.

Great listen with interesting perspective

Ok, I will be honest. I got this book because in The Gilded Age this book was so scandalous. By today’s standards, it’s very tame, but still a very interesting listen to get a truly inside glimpse of the inner workings of the time.

Mr. Pinchot is a fantastic orator!

Loved this book. Great insight into the customs of the past, and the people who were involved.