The Social Graces brought the gilded age to full living color as the lives of Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt are brought to the pages. Admittedly and slightly embarrassingly, I knew very little detail about these women. Honestly, regarding the Astor family, I was aware that the Astoria Hotel was an Astor owned property at some point and as far as the Vanderbilt family is concerned, I knew about Gloria Vanderbilt and her son Anderson. I had a planned trip to the Vanderbilt Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina in May of 2020, but of course, that was canceled by Covid. I knew I was in store for a lot of Vanderbilt family history while there.

Rosen knows how to knit a story and bring her characters to life. Her details about how the women dressed, what they ate, how they decorated and how they manipulated one another kept the pages turning. In this book, she used a Greek chorus to deliver overall details that worked seamlessly. The most outrageous but true details surrounded the soiree’s the women planned. The flashiest and most decadent themed parties were planned. If you’re anything like me, you’ll look up some of their crazy antics to confirm if they were real…seriously, the truth was crazier than fiction.

The theme of new money versus old money was present throughout the book and sadly, I don’t think that stigma has gone away, even now, hundreds of years later. It’s crazy that money inherited was acceptable, and money that was made through hard work was considered gauche.

This book reads quickly and will give you a lot to think about regarding how far women have come since the suffrage movement, which is also a part of this satisfying and engaging story. Kudos to Rosen for once again bringing powerful, historical women to light through the power of fiction.

I love everything about this book- the author, the time period, the subject matter, the WRITING! Rich, full, and makes you want to know more. Could very easily see this being turned into a movie or mini series. If you are on the hunt for a good historical fiction (remember while it's based on real people, it is indeed a fictional story), this author hits it out of the park every time.

Put in your pre-order now because you're not going to want to miss this one! As a fan of Renee Rosen's work, I was thrilled to get my hands on an early #NetGalley copy of #TheSocialGraces. The book does not disappoint--American history, social and cultural change, family, scandal, intrigue, fashion--Rosen brings it all to life and keeps the pages turning.

Even before women had the right to vote, they were changing the social and economic fabric of America. Set in the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, this is the story of Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt, two women whose social feud was not only legendary, it altered the course of history. Until reading The Social Graces, my knowledge of this era and the women who shaped it was little more than society page headlines. But Rosen strives to help readers understand the women behind the headlines--where they came from, who they loved, what they sacrificed, and why they strove so hard to achieve what they did. In short, Rosen created a narrative that does was great historical fiction is supposed to do--take the characters we thought we knew, and make them human.

These days, we need women's stories more than ever, and this is a book for the moment.

This was so very fun to read! It covers the Gilded Age, from about 1870 to 1900, where everything on the outside was glittering, covering up the corruption underneath. It was a time when the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. The only power women had was who they would accept into their inner circle. It was fascinating to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Social Graces by Renée Rosen. Don't you know. This intriguing story of the feud between Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt explores the Gilded Age with all it's scandals, opulence and glamour. Well researched, Ms. Rosen takes us back to an era where the super rich ruled New York society. The notes at the end of the book are a more detailed in the events that were incorporated into the book. Also includes recommendations for reading more about the Gilded Age. An excellent historical fiction read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I received a free e-ARC of this book from Netgalley.

While I was interested in the time period and used the book to learn more about the Gilded Age, I just couldn't get into the story.

Historical Fiction author, Renee Rosen once again sweeps readers into a very specific time in American life - The Gilded Age of 1876 - 1910 in her new novel, THE SOCIAL GRACES (Berkley). It was a period of rapid economic growth and all that went with it. Mark Twain coined the term "The Gilded Age" because everything was glittering on the surface of society, but there was corruption and suffering underneath. THE SOCIAL GRACES explores the battle between Mrs. Caroline Astor, leader of the old-moneyed Knickerbockers and Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt, nouveau riche and despised by the upper crust. Both were waging a war to control New York Society.

Readers are swept away by the many over-the-top balls in Manhattan and summer in Newport "cottages," the size of museums. The Suffrage movement is only in its infancy so wealthy women, their clothes and jewelry are still the property of their husbands and divorce "never" happens in polite society. That's a main reason why the control to be the top doyenne overseeing "the swells" is so important. It is the one area women control their fates.

THE SOCIAL GRACES explores mother-daughter relationships, as well as those of sisters. Rosen's prose are so light and fluid and the characters pop off the pages. I always enjoy learning about a period of time when I know the research is accurate. Renee has never let readers down with her impeccable ability to capture a time and place, as well as make certain her novels are enjoyable.

I received a free e-ARC of this book from Netgalley.
I almost didn't request this book because the blurb was talking about ladies of society and it frankly, it sounded boring to me. BUT I'm so glad I did because it turned out to be an amazing historical fiction piece told from the POV of a few different ladies in particular and then "Society" as a whole. It really got me thinking about how at that point in history, women didn't have control over very much, but they did have control over the society circles. I found it fascinating how people would spend so much money just to impress others. The idea of balls going until sunrise with buffets at midnight and 6 a.m. was crazy too. Did none of these people work at an actual job? Weren't they exhausted just from being parents? I find it so interesting to think about compared to today.

The Gilded Age was a beautiful time to rise from the gutter and become a millionaire and Rosen's book is all about what happens when old and new money meet in high society. The opulence and extravagance of this age was beautifully presented in this tale of rivalry and alpha women. Both Caroline Astor and Lava Vanderbilt would have made formidable business owners but were born in the wrong era so had to make do with ruling the elite New York society and running their household with firm and sometimes unfair iron will. Renee Rosen worked hard to make the society ladies likable and I found myself sympathizing with their insecurities and anxieties. Basically their lives were pampered and pointless to everyone else but them. They filled their hours with ridiculous social engagements, spending huge amounts of money on irrelevant luxuries while the working classes around them went hungry. Their blinkers were well and truly fastened on at the beginning but I enjoyed how Both Caroline and Alva started to want and see more later in life.
Roses description of the dresses, the balls, the New York streets was detailed and delicious. I loved it all!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review.

The Social Graces is a mischievous and delightful little social comedy that brings its characters to life.  Though I’ve read deeper histories of the Vanderbilt and Astor mini-feud, this one definitely entertained me the most, a true generational saga that’s warm, sweet, funny and tender.

Mrs. Caroline Astor – THE Mrs. Astor, queen of the Four Hundred – rules New York society with a velvet glove in the 1870s.  She sets the pace and tone of the way the upper crust works, and tries to keep things proper while spending millions on balls, dances, outfits and entertainment.  No one – well, at first – knows about her domestic problems.  Her husband, the drunkard William, favors their daughter Charlotte over the other children, and otherwise complains about Caroline’s expenditure but puts on a good public front, not touching Caroline and not being much of a husband.

Enter Alva Vanderbilt.  She’s younger, recently married into that most dreaded social stain of all, “New Money”.  She’s trying to make friends in the aristocracy, but the old money around her turns their nose up at her.  Her marriage to her own William – called Wills – is boring, but Alva sets that fact aside as she seeks out publicity. Unfortunately, she rubs Caroline the wrong way immediately, and a series of social snubs from the Astors ensue.  But Alva will do anything to get her family into proper society, and she knows her money is the key to unlock it.

As the years wend on, Alva makes daring social moves, becomes involved in labor activism, grooms one of her children to move into British royal circles, and becomes the queen of their social circle.  Caroline, meanwhile, is humbled by domestic disasters and multiple losses.  Will Alva and Caroline ever figure out how to respect one another?  Or will they forever be rivals?

It’s the portrayal of day to day living that really sets The Social Graces apart from other novels about Alva Vanderbilt and this time period.  We learn about the proper customs of the ‘polite’ society of the time, and also get to witness the gossipy and even ridiculous behavior of those trying to keep atop the glass mountain that is social success.

Alva is the less sympathetic party here, a social-climber at almost any cost.  That does change by the time her husband has an affair with her best friend and she goes through a hideous public divorce, but she also makes several terrible critical errors when it comes to her daughter’s happiness, resulting in her own divorce. Caroline, though snobby, has to deal with more dead children and an equally bad marriage.  Both women are fascinating, and the generational drama – between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters – absolutely anchors the story.

Rosen does an excellent job examining the life of society women , deconstructing with grace and aplomb what it was like to live in the 1800s and early 1900s. The problems of the lower classes are visited, not really dealt with, which is an unfortunate weakness – but when you focus on upper-class parvenues, it cannot be helped if the narrative doesn’t balance out in that way.  Also, the male characters rarely feel like more than window dressing, but the book works in spite of that.

Of the children, I loved passionate, reckless Charlotte and sweet Emily, though tempestuous Consuelo also made a run for my heart.

The Social Graces will encourage you to find a favorite of your own among the characters with its fun and breezy narrative, and I hope readers enjoy their own journey through Newport and New York society.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent bookstore
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I love historical fiction, and growing up in New York, the names and places were all familiar to me. The book tells the tale of wealthy women of the 1800's, and how they separated themselves from the newly rich. To their thinking they were of higher class and dignity than the newly wealthy. Old money vs. new money! Oh what a competition it was! Climbing the social ladder was made nearly impossible for those who had not been raised wealthy..

Great book that highlights the escapades of New York's richest women who have nothing better to do than entertain society or try to become a member of it. I've always wanted to go back in time and live one day in the Gilded Age to get a look at high-society at its richest among the Vanderbilts and the Astors. Renee Rosen paints the best picture of The Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt as they vie for recognition in a man's world. The Social Graces portrays it all.

Loved, loved, loved this historical novel about the time period when women might not have had much in the way of rights, but socialites still reigned supreme, This novel pits Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor against each other, two women who have more in common than they realize. While it is only loosely based on these women's real lives, it paints a vivid portrait of some of the trials and tribulations they might have faced and I had a great deal of fun reading about them in the process.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of "The Social Graces" by Renée Rosen. I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love historical fiction that really delves into the time period. This book was a good look into the world of the super-rich of the Gilded Age. The Astors and Vanderbilts existed in a realm where there were no limits on what they could do, only what they allowed themselves to do.

Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor are a study in contrasts: a rule-follower and a rule-breaker trying to find common ground. They circled around each other for decades, each trying to be the most powerful woman in New York Society. What's fascinating is how little they ever interacted. They were never friends or even co-conspirators. They were women who existed parallel to each other, though they could never escape the other's influence.

Rosen doe san excellent job conveying the tedium of the social merry-go-round of the era. There were times when I, like the characters, was exhausted by the idea of another ball, another mansion, another unfulfilling marriage. Didn't they ever want more? Or less? As it turns out they did. How they finally found peace is the best part of the story.

All in all, this is an enjoyable read.

Well-written and well-researched, it was hard to relate to these women. I suppose in another time, I would have enjoyed it, but reading it during a pandemic, it just made me sad and angry. I do, however, understand that "society" was all the women of the time had. I guess "hardship" is relative.

4.5 All That Sparkles Stars
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
It was a time when women had few choices...no outside work or having any say in their lives outside of which designer to use for the next frock/gown or who to invite to the next ball. Women's power did not play out in the workplace or with the vote.

No, their power during these restricted times was who they would accept into society and their circles. If you were of a bloodline of wealth and prestigious lineage, then acceptance was the norm. There would be a pecking order but you were guaranteed a place at the table.

But if you married into wealth not from "family money", then you were classified as "New Money", something to look down on. You were not pedigreed, a commoner trying to rise up.

Now, these were times far from ours now...but in reality, many of those rules and "class" differences still come into play today. It isn't right but old "traditions" die hard.

This is a very entertaining and interesting story about the times and relationships that happened during them. The main players are Caroline Astor—Mrs. Astor, of the Old Money and the Upstart, Alva Vanderbilt.

These two women square off and we get to be the fly on the wall. All the ambition, dislike, cruelty, and even heart is revealed. Well done.

Meticulously researched, Renee Rosen transports us to the Gilded Age with all it’s glamour, money, rivalries, love and of course the scandals which result from all the opulence. At the heart of the novel we have a character study by two of the most important women of the time, Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt. We experience all their triumphs and tragedies as they navigate society with all it’s norms and regulations. These strong women inflict their rules on their daughters with devastating results. Towards the end of their lives they see what truly matters as their fight for women’s rights at the turn of the century. Well done as we are taught another history lesson from a talented author. #TheSocialGraces #ReneeRosen #NetGalley

Alva Vanderbilt is determined to break in to New York society, her family has plenty of money but Caroline Astor is determined to hold on to the past and keep the new money out of society. A story of what lengths these women will go to to get what they want.

What a marvelous book. Step back in time to the late 19th century and the world of the rich. Carine Aster is determined to keep the Vanderbilt's and others out of her social circle, but times are changing. Well researched, I loved every minute of this trip back in time.

An interesting fictional biography that attempts to humanize the Astors and Vanderbilts. The American Gilded Age is one that has always fascinated me, and so I enjoyed the book. Rosen has an engaging style and does an excellent job of bringing history to life.

My only regret is that I wish I could have come away liking the two protagonists better. Sadly they didn’t win me over.