The American Heiress

A Novel

By: Daisy Goodwin

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

"Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn't?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." (Allison Pearson, New York Times best-selling author of I Don't Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You)

This program includes a bonus chapter of Victoria, the latest novel from author Daisy Goodwin, the creator and writer of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama of the same name.

Be careful what you wish for.

Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the 20th century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

"For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." (Daisy Goodwin in The Daily Mail)

One of Library Journal's Best Historical Fiction Books of 2011

Please note: An alternate (British) title for this novel is My Last Duchess.

©2010 Daisy Goodwin Productions (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Interesting period piece

I read many of the reviews of this novel before I decided to purchase it. Many of them gave a mixed opinion. I'd say that is a good description. The American Heiress definitely represented the wealthy, semi-selfish American heiress who had a rough time adjusting to the titled English society. Her husband is at the opposite end of the spectrum being a semi-self-centered penniless English lord. The author contrasted the two cultures well. She developed the characters well enough so that I wanted things to work out but at the end, I was just glad to see it end. The narrator did a clear job of differentiating the various characters which added to the story. This was a good book and justly deserved a good rating but I didn't quite love it.

Fluff

When you feel the need for something light...... true, I did find myself thinking, Am I really listening to this, but it was just what I needed at the time. Let it roll over you....... and then move on to more serious listening.

Entertaining Story - Difficult to Listen to

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, I would recommend the book, but I would not recommend the audio book. It was an interesting story set in England in the late 1800's. The light romance was refreshing. The reader's voice, however, was a cheese grater. Sorry, Katherine...

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were good and the description of the scenery was well illustrated in words.

Which character – as performed by Katherine Kellgren – was your favorite?

The most entertaining character was Cora , of course. Her growing maturity was believable.

Could you see The American Heiress being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

That is so funny that you would ask this question. I thought about that almost the entire time I was listening. Heres what I came up with:Cora - Emma WatsonMrs. Cash - Celia ImrieIvo - Hugh JackmanTeddy Van Der Leyden - Ron LivingstonBertha - Lupita Nyong’oCharlotte Beauchamp - Rachel WeiszOtto - Alan Cumming

Any additional comments?

If you create another performance reading I would use more than one reader. The American dialects were jumbled with the British accents and some of the well-to-do English voices came out sounding cockney most likely due to the tremendous requirement of changing characters so often.

Fun!

Enjoyable story, it fills the “entertaining saga” void nicely.

I miss Katherine Kellgren, she was a stellar narrator. RIP.

REVIEW BY CAROLE RAE

Yayy my second audiobook of the year. I am so proud of myself because I already accomplished my goal of listening to two audiobooks.

Ooooh Cora. She was a spoiled brat, to begin with because she is the richest girl in Newport. She soon learns that money doesn't mean lick sometimes especially in a tradition-obsessed society. I did like her a lot though. She was young and naive. She has a good heart but she is indeed a rich kid and likes her stuff.

Ivo saves her after an accident and brings her to his Duke home. Things happen and with a little nudging from Cora's dear mama, Ivo proposes and they get married (no spoiler there). However, things are not as they seem and Cora soon realizes that things are a lot more complex and the man she marries has some secrets that everyone seems to know but her.

I liked Teddy, but he was an idiot. I really did have my hopes for him even though I liked Ivo too. Ivo is a complicated man and has secrets. How do you possibly choose?? I think I would end up picking Ivo...he is a Duke ;). Even as the reader you kinda know what it is while poor Cora does not. We learn the secret, but there is more to the tale and I was utterly shocked! It makes sense now that I know.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed all the characters even the "baddies". Oooo those English society folk. They are so cruel sometimes. It was interesting to see a foreigner to enter into the society and stumble her way through it. I do have to tsk Ivo because I feel he should've prepared her more.

I think what made me really enjoy this was the narration. The narrator certainly had a beautiful voice and I was enthralled by it. She brought the story to life and you could barely tell it was her when she would switch voices to different characters. A+ there!

I had two issues with the book was the over-explanation of clothing and hair. Ugh. It drove me a little batty. It did calm down a little bit as the drama kicked up near the end, but I don't need to know THAT much detail about a necklace and a dress. My other issue was the ending. It was left open-ended in a way. What happens to certain characters? Do Cora and her beau get her happily ever after? I think I would've liked a little epilogue.

In the end, I really did enjoy this story. I want to read more by the author and I want to listen to more by the narrator. A couple of issues, but they were easy to look over because I adored the characters and story. I'll give this a 4.

Americans are now rescuing the English .

This story links some what with the popular series of Downton Abbey through the name of Cora for this heiress as was Cora, an American heiress, who rescued the Earl of Grathan. If you like these types of stories, this is worth the listen.

Great listen

A great listen for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I enjoyed the story very much, and the narration was great (and I can be a bit picky about narrators).

Scandalously Good

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Daisy Goodwin’s debut (?!) An American Heiress. It had shades of Edith Wharton and even more so Dominick Dunne. It tells mostly of Cora Cash, the richest American heiress of her generation who all her life has been coached in one art—marrying well. It ends up better than she could of hoped when she chances upon a Duke and quickly becomes Duchess of Wereham. But her reception in England is mixed as she is forced to navigate the unfamiliar rules and contend with a moody husband. We also get glimpses of her title grabbing mother, her good hearted but opportunistic maid, and the American boy she left behind which really completes the circle of the late 1800’s society life. Sure it’s a little formulaic, and it’s gossipy, and the characters come off abrasive in the beginning (not helped by an aggressive over narration by Katharine Kelgren), but the story does develop and before you realize it you are completely sucked into Cora’s cause. I’ve read that the character may have been inspired by Consuelo Vanderbilt. Could you ask for a more perfect commute companion?

Sorry I wasted a credit

This is a story with a lot of unlikable characters and the ones like Teddy, Bertha and Cora who aren't unlikable are merely middling (I didn't come to care about them as much as I should have). Her eventual husband is a d-bag and the end seemed rushed. I don't want to spoil everything, but I was disappointed with Bertha's decision at the end. She was one of the more fleshed-out characters.

As far as the performance, I wanted to tear my eyeballs out listening to Kellegren doing the upper class British accents. The Americans were okay, but her English aristocrat was annoying as nails scraping a chalkboard.

Entertaining!

I enjoyed this novel more than others in recent months. The storytelling was fluid and I found the language pleasing to hear.