I loved Rosen's previous book, PARK AVENUE SUMMER, so I was really excited to pick this one up! While I enjoyed the former a bit more, THE SOCIAL GRACES was still an interesting take on women in high society, and the trials and tribulations they went through to maintain control of all they could at that time -- their social standing and the power they wielded therein.

This was such a good book! Renee Rosen thoroughly researches everything she writes about, and it clearly shows in The Social Graces. I learned so much about the feud between Mrs. Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor and all the crazy parties they used to throw to show they were the "best of the best" in Manhattan. I was also lucky enough to virtually watch an author event with Renee through Gathering Volumes bookstore, and she is just amazing! I will always read anything she writes!

Historical fiction about real people is always a favorite and this one about two women I knew very little about hooked me right from the start. It’s gossipy, but also historically accurate. It is lavish and extravagant. It’s old New York and fancy, late-night balls with butlers and maids. But, it’s also full of friendships, family, and forgiveness.

Caroline Astor was the QUEEN of society in the late 1800s. Her husband was rich and had “old” money. She followed society’s rules to a “T” and expected her daughters to do the same. She had THE party of the summer, her annual clambake, and everyone begged and pleaded to be on her guest list because if you were, that meant you were “in”.

Alva Vanderbilt married money. But, it was new money and railroad money. Old society frowned upon them. Money should be inherited not earned as Caroline Astor believed. But, they were still millionaire rich. Alva was lonely and wanted to be part of Caroline Astor’s society as she knew that was the only way she could get noticed, but to no avail, the invites never came. Even after she saved Caroline’s daughter’s life.

So, let the feuds begin. Caroline despised Alva’s new way of dressing with bold colors. Alva wanted to try new parties and each lady tried to outdo the other. The extreme wealth and extravagance that was spent to host these balls blew my mind. I also was shocked that most of them started so late into the evening and went until the next morning.

Rosen’s attention to detail when it came to the details of the balls, the homes that Alva and Caroline lived in, and the relationships between their spouses and children sucked you right into their lives. I never expected to love these women as much as I did. Their lives are so different from ours, but oh to be a fly on the wall at one of their balls. Luckily, you can be through this book! Rosen takes you right there as if you were being ushered into the hall in your finest hat and gown.

Caroline and Alva are the kind of women you want to hate but can’t. They love their families fiercely and don’t know any other way to live than to live with wealth and privilege. As Caroline gets older and is struck by several tragedies in a row, you see her soften and willing to see the world in a new way. Alva also has to deal with harsh circumstances in her life and her desires become less about throwing the best party, but changing how society views women.

“Life was so fleeting, so fragile, and in the grand scheme of things, what difference did it make if someone used the wrong fork, or served the wrong wine? In the end – did any of this matter? Maybe William had been right all along – society was frivolous. And yet, she was so conditioned by it, she didn’t know how to be any other way.” - Caroline Astor in THE SOCIAL GRACES by Renée Rosen.

I was absolutely clueless about the connection between the Waldorf Hotel and the Astoria Hotel until reading this book. We now know it as the Waldorf Astoria in NYC and the story behind the building of these hotels is quite hilarious. What people did to annoy each other was astounding…and extremely expensive.

If you love historical fiction that dishes on real-life people and events, pick this one up. I breezed through this one and wished there was more to read about these fascinating women. In Rosen’s author note, even she admits it was hard to find the humanity in Caroline and Alva so that we as readers would like and sympathize with them. Well, she did it. I couldn’t put this one down.

Gimme all the NYC settings and high society in the Gilded Age, please! This book was so much fun to devour and truly eye-opening to a “world” that seems so far away from me. It was fascinating from start to finish

This story alternates chapters between the feuding Mrs. Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor’s POV’s and their battle to outdo one another in society. Was their feud at times obnoxious? Oh yes, but that’s what made this book what it was, and the author did a fantastic job of not making it all annoying and instead what I’d imagine to be true to life, especially how she added in elements of their tragic lives as well.

A sizzling read that’s perfect to curl up with on a long weekend or at the beach, this is the perfect read for those who enjoy exactly what this book has to offer. Scandal, NYC society, and a lighter pick in the HF genre. It’s a breeze and true pleasure to read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the gifted e-copy!

This novel is set in New York and Newport during the Gilded Age, in which the trappings and requirements of high society dictated behavior and mores. Caroline Astor was thought of as the Queen or Grand Dame of the high society, caught between following the unwritten rules and keeping up with the times. Alva Vanderbilt challenged Caroline’s position, while wanting to be part of the group. As the years pass, and the traditions and restrictions start to feel particularly stringent for women, things begin to loosen, between Alva and Caroline as well. I liked the historical aspects describing society at the time, but it was hard to like these two women, falling for the trappings of wealth and a bygone era. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A tale of Caroline Astor and Alva Venderbilt and their competition to 'rule' society in NYC and Newport. These two women approach their positions differently. Mrs. Astor is concerned about family and following the rules. Mrs. Vanderbilt is never satisfied as she reaches the top of society. What these two women learn is the heart of this story.
Renee Rosen makes their story believable. She did significant research into their lives; melding their stories. Read this story of life in the Gilded Age.

As a lover of historical fiction, I am used to the fact that most of the books in the genre are fairly heavy reads so I was pleasantly surprised to read The Social Graces. It is a fun and lighter historical fiction story that would be perfect for your summer reading. Thank you so much to @berittalksbooks, @netgalley, @berkleypub #partner for the #gifted copy! #berkleybuddyreads #berkleywritesstrongwomen

The Social Graces tells a fictional account of the infamous feud between two of the most influential women of The Gilded Age; The Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt. The combination of wealth, scandal, and high society is absolutely addicting!

The Gilded Age and the Vanderbilts are some of my favorite topics to read about so I was immediately drawn into the story of Alva Vanderbilt and how she tried to make a place for herself in New York society. The amount of wealth and influence the Vanderbilts and Astors had was ridiculous, but I just couldn’t get enough of it. There is just something fun about rich people behaving badly and causing a lot of drama. While I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, it did remind me a lot of a guilty pleasure Gilded Age version of a reality TV show.

It read so easily and the short chapters made it a quick read. I really look forward to reading Renee Rosen’s other books.

‘We may not be sitting behind mahogany desks or holding positions on the boards of big corporations, but we do exercise a different kind of currency. Social currency. It’s our form of gold.’ Renee Rosen- Social Graces

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gilded Gold Stars!

Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor were two women that I have really enjoyed getting to know. Rosen did such a flawless job of using historical facts and weaving in details of the time period to create 3 dimensional characters that were completely believable. The social hierarchy was very interesting to see and the opulence was jaw dropping.

Took me longer than normal time to read this because I kept googling the people and places mentioned. I’ve visited Newport and walked Cliff Walk… looking forward to revisiting and doing the mansion tour. Will be so much more enjoyable after learning about the history of the people that walked their halls. 5 stars.

Having read several books by Renee Rosen I was looking forward to another interesting foray with another time period of America. While i found this book quite interesting and informative about the lives of old money vs new money families in the early 1900's of society, I found it a bit unsettling to read at times. The pure decadence and over indulgence of High Society of the times was at times hard to accept although I know it to be true. Once again Rosen has unveiled a period of American history not widely know or written about. The book is well written and does hold ones attention.

I really enjoyed The Social Graces! The time-frame is not one I normally choose to read, but this one piqued my interest and held it the entire time. I wanted to know more about Caroline and her daughters; I wanted to be friends with Alva. I was drawn into the characters and their stories. The mark of a good historical fiction to me is the desire to want to know more when I finish the book, and this one definitely met the mark.

I absolutely adored this book about the Gilded Age. I fell completely in love with the characters and the story. I couldn't believe the lavishness of the Society people and the way of life that they indulged in. I found myself constantly setting the book aside and looking up pictures of their homes, what happened to their family lines, where they lived, etc. I found the whole thing fascinating and would love to read another book by this author.

I enjoyed this fictionalized look at New York society from that time period. I didn't do a ton of research to find out how close to history the story was, but I imagine it was pretty close. It's always kind of funny to look back and realize that the "good old days" weren't necessarily any better than now, just different. For someone who enjoys historical fiction, I'd say this is an enjoyable book. Not too deep, but also not too much fluff!

I read Park Avenue Summer by Rosen and was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed it. When her newest book was offered to me, I knew that I had to read it. the idea of more modern historical fiction appealed to me and I don’t personally know much about the Vanderbilts so I was immediately into it.

While this book did have a dip in the middle, I enjoyed it overall.

Caroline Astor comes from old money is the queen of Society. Alva Vanderbilt is nouveau riche and wants nothing more than to be welcomed into Society. This story tells the tale of how modern day high society came about as well as the uprising of the Vanderbilts.

I really enjoyed the first and last thirds of this story. The first third intrigued me and I was fascinated by Alva and how she had pulled her way up out of poverty and into one of the richest families of the time. It was also fascinating to read about the rivalry between old money and new money in society.

The middle third, however, was so boring and I almost put the book down because of it. Once Alva worked her way kind of sort of into society, nothing happened. I know that it’s historical fiction and so you can’t make up stuff that didn’t happen to make a story interesting, but I think maybe less time could’ve been spent on those middle years.

Alva’s life as she got older was intriguing. I learned a lot about her that I admired and had no idea. For example, she was very passionate about the women’s sufferage movement and was known to contribute a lot to it. I am now curious about the rest of the Vanderbilts, since this really only focused on Alva, but I probably won’t go looking too far into it. In case you are curious though, Alva is not Anderson Cooper’s grandmother. She would’ve been his great aunt and the story didn’t touch on his side of the family other that vague mention of his parents in passing.

Honestly, if the middle of this story had been a bit shorter or faster paced, I would’ve given the book 4 stars. But I can’t give a book a fourth star if I debated setting it down at about 60%. The story was very interesting and if you are intrigued by the subject matter then I do recommend picking this one up. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Park Avenue Summer but it was still very well written. If you are someone who can push through a slower middle, I definitely recommend picking this one up.

Renee Rosen is an author who has been on my radar for years but one of her books just hasn’t found it’s way onto my nightstand yet! Last spring I was part of the cover reveal for this one and ever since then I have been dying to read this one. That cover is absolutely stunning and I love a well done historical fiction novel.

The historical fiction genre is flooded with books set in WWII and the Tudor period so a book like this one stands out as unique simply for the time period it’s set in. Plus the lush backdrop of the uber rich promises something entirely different and feels like a decadent read. I haven’t read a lot of books on the Vanderbilts or the Astors but I of course know the family names and some of their history.

I was eager to check this one out because I hoped to read something that was fairly historically accurate about families that I know some history about but that might dive in deeper to their lives. Plus I won’t say no to a high society gossip read! I sat down to read this one, that was slightly on the longer side (400 ish pages) and was transported. I read it in a couple of days and enjoyed all the Gilded Age had to offer in this one!

Summary
The author of Park Avenue Summer throws back the curtain on one of the most remarkable feuds in history: Mrs. Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor’s notorious battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age.

In the glittering world of Manhattan’s upper crust, where wives turn a blind eye to husbands’ infidelities, and women have few rights and even less independence, society is everything. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor—the Mrs. Astor.

But times are changing.

Alva Vanderbilt has recently married into one of America’s richest families. But what good is money when society refuses to acknowledge you? Alva, who knows what it is to have nothing, will do whatever it takes to have everything.

Sweeping three decades and based on true events, this is a gripping novel about two fascinating, complicated women going head to head, behaving badly, and discovering what’s truly at stake. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
Rosen has an absolutely wonderful story telling style! It beautiful without being over the top or flowery. Her writing felt genuine and intelligent. I loved how well researched the characters and the history was. I don’t know how much was fictionalized, but many of the historical elements meshed with what I know of the era and families. The characters felt fully realized and historically preserved and I loved reading about all the rules the women had to follow. I mean I know women have historically had to adhere to strict social rules depending on their status so this book did a great job highlighting those rules and constraints. I adored the descriptions of the gowns and society events as well! All the descriptions in this book felt accurate and opulent in the way that I expected from a book of this period.

This book is told through Caroline and Alva but what I really liked about this one was that the Society had it’s own clear voice in the narrative. I thought that was a unique perspective to add into this novel. Often in historical fiction, we get one or two POVs and through them we can explore ‘society’ and it’s various constraints but in this one the author gives the Society it’s own voice in the story which was unique for me and I really liked it and thought it added a lot to the story. I often found myself wondering what it would be like to live in a lifestyle or society like that. It sounded positively exhausting. All the opulence and riches, while a nice bonus, didn’t buy happiness and the author does a great job highlighting that in this book.

The author did a ton of research and this book spans over a good chunk of time. Her research skills and the way she incorporated all her knowledge and research into the novel really made it sparkle like a diamond at a society party! I have been in a reading slump lately and this book pulled me out of it and gave me all the feelings. It was well written, entertaining, and just wonderful. I will definitely be reading more by Rosen in the future. If you love historical fiction, you NEED this one on your radar!

Book Info and Rating
Format 400 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2021 by Berkley

ISBN9781984802811 (ISBN10: 198480281X)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: historical fiction

This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2021. I absolutely love reading about The Gilded Age and I devour anything to do with it. One of my favorite trips here in the US was to Newport in Rhode Island to see The Breakers, a holiday home mansion of the Vanderbilts.

This book perfectly pitted Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor against each other in a blend of fact and fiction. Alva was looked down upon by society queen Caroline and was desperate to break into that social circle. Caroline saw herself as ‘old money’ and the Vanderbilts and others who had made their money more recently as ‘new money’, and not worthy of associating with. The formality and rigidity of social mores were depicted well, I thought.

I loved the insight we got into how these people lived, it was fascinating. I thought that the historical characters were fleshed out in a way that made them very human. The immense wealth of this class at the time was amazing to read about too.

Overall, if you’re any way interested in this era or learning more about old New York, or historical fiction in general I’d definitely recommend this one.

Definitely one of the better historical fictions I have read in awhile.

Frankly, sometimes I get bored with historical fiction stories. Getting caught up in the history can take away from the pace of the story and make it a bit dull. I was captivated from the first chapter of THE SOCIAL GRACES. This recounts the true social anarchy between Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt. Two names anyone that is not a history buff (like me) will recognize!
If you love the extravagance, clothes, money and social scandal of the gilded age, then this is the book for you.
The book covers a long period of time from when Alva attempts to join NY society as a young bride all the way to the later years of Mrs. Astor's life as she loses her hold on society.
I enjoyed the modern relatable element Renee Rosen wove through these characters. In her detailed imagining, these women realize that all the pompousness of society really doesn't lead to happiness. Both matriarchs fought the age old tale of their children trying to marry for love over status. And this made them question what really matters and what type of legacy and society do they want to leave for future women.

I adored this story and cannot wait to discuss it with Renee and W+W book club on May 13th.

Rounding this up to 3 stars....

I haven't read a book like this in a long time. One where there is really no point to it. I was expecting more scandal as we dove deeper into the "New York Elite" in the late 1800's. The Astors and the Vanderbilts...but there was barely a touch of scandal. It was party after party. She built a big house so I'm going to build a BIGGER house. All "Keeping up with the Joneses." It got old. The character development felt flat. We really didn't know these characters too well, which is so unfortunately because the premise was promising!

You might like this book if you like historical fiction stories set in NYC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

THE SOCIAL GRACES was not an enjoyable read for me. Rosen mentions in her author’s note that she struggled to bring out the humanity in these women. I don’t think she succeeded. I’m not sure that’s her fault, though. Gilded Age New York was an utterly selfish, hedonistic time and place, with few redeeming qualities. I do believe the author’s choice to focus on Alva and Caroline’s rivalry only emphasized the negative aspects of their personalities. Perhaps a story told from a different angle would have captured more of their good sides.

This one is a pass from me.

Is there a more intriguing period in historical fiction than the gilded age? Maybe for some, but this will always be my favorite. When you think about the gilded age and the age of society, who else comes to mind but Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt, and Renee Rosen knocks it out of the park with her portrayal of these titans of society. Not only does she do an amazing job of describing the setting and actually bringing the reader into the extravagant balls and dinners, but she actually makes her characters seem human and relatable. Both Caroline and Alva's personal lives, as well as their rivalry with each other, comes alive in The Social Graces, and I absolutely loved it!!

In the late 1800's, the richest women of Manhattan are members of "society." A routined, well established hierarchy of rules and behavior. At the top is Caroline Astor, a refined woman who controls who is in and who is out. New money, Alva Vanderbilt is determined to do whatever it takes to join society and become one of the elite.

Absolutely fascinating, this book was hard to put down. I enjoyed reading both Caroline and Alva's points of view and loved how their worlds and desires overlapped. Towards the end the book skipped a lot of time, which was slightly disorienting, but worked to move the story forward. Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.