Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Thompson returns with her new book about the lives of fortune heiresses and the lavish but not so enviable lives. She tells tales of early English heiresses who had to turn over their estates to their husbands which left wealthy single women vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages or being sent to asylums so the men called "fortune-hunters" could enjoy squander their wealth. Heiresses is really a series of short essays about various heiresses in England and a few American ones. Thompson uses a lot of names, tons of facts, and literary characters for comparison but at times it was so much that it became hard to follow. This is definitely a historical account of wealthy women and I learned some facts that I did not know but it is lacking the fun and salacious tidbits that would have made for a less dry read. I had the audio version read by the author which was interesting and I could tell she has done a massive amount of research on the subject.

Super intriguing glimpse into the lives of heiresses. I have read much about the less..."fortunate" heiresses mentioned here (Patty Hearst, Consuelo Vanderbilt, etc), but knew little about the heiresses who wielded their fortune and status for civil rights and so much more! I really enjoyed reading this.

Laura Thompson is a master storyteller. She recounts the lives of Heiresses from the middle ages through modern times. Each life is a retrospect of choices made because of the Heiress's wealth and the belief girls/women should not be in control of their money, even when they aspire to do so.
An enjoyable and well-written (the language is lyrical) read that poses questions about women, wealth, the lower-borne's fascination with women of means, and the role patriarchal societies play in each life.
I recommend this to anyone who loves history and enamored by wealth.

“Without men, but with money. That was the formula for a new design for living.” 👏🏻👏🏻

“How is she to know her own intrinsic worth, when everybody around her is so distracted by externals? How—especially in matters of love—can she ever be sure that she is wanted for herself?”

I am conflicted. I love the guilded age and British aristocracy. I am just fascinated by that stupid level of wealth, so this book seemed right up my alley. The reality of it, though, is that this book reads more like a research paper. Although I enjoyed all of the name dropping and research that I am sure was put into this book, I found myself a bit bored. The book didn’t flow smoothly.

What I did get out of it, though, was that heiresses were abducted. Abused. Had their children stolen off of their breast. Rape in a marriage wasn’t yet illegal, so they were sexually assaulted in their own homes. To be a woman with wealth in a world run by men who were resentful of that wealth, but at the same time wanted that same wealth desperately, made for a horrible life for these women. I simply cannot imagine living in a time where these things were condoned. Ugh.

I was also gifted the audio version and, narrated by the author, it was done well despite the book being written more like a term paper. Her accent is beautiful and was pleasant to listen to.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

An early edition of this audiobook was provided for review purposes courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I can't thank you enough because I was very intrigued about this book, having listen to "Vanderbilt" audiobook by Anderson Cooper published in 2021, which I found very interesting and enjoyable. I also read an autobiography by Peggy Guggenheim, born to Guggenheim family fortune, and realized that being born to money does not necessarily put one an elevator to a happily ever after.

This audiobook is narrated by the author who has a clear voice and made the subject compelling.
The title says all about the book - it is a non-fiction book about heiresses, which sounds very glamorous and enviable until you delve deeper. Having wealth indeed comes with an excess baggage, some of which are not welcome, including threats of abductions, loveless marriages, loveless family, superficial and hurtful society, and greedy associates. The author focuses on some of the better-known and well documented cases, such as Patty Hearst and Stockholm Syndrome, Barbara Woolworth Hutton the "Poor Little Rich Girl", Consuelo Vanderbilt forced into a marriage for family connections by her own mother, Angela Burdett-Coutts and her charity, (as well as relationship with Charles Dickens which I found fascinating). There are heiresses I didn't know about, such as Mary Davies, Nancy Cunard and Daisy Fellowes, all lived different lives and all makes very interesting story. Because the book covers a vast topic, it doesn't dig too deep in any one story. Rather, it felt like reading novella about each character. I just wished I could have gotten to know more about each person, then again, it would be very difficult to wrap it up in one volume if this is the case. Maybe it is a good starting point to be introduced these heiresses, and if one were to be interested in a particular one, there likely to be an entire book devoted to her. I felt the author did excellent job connecting different stories. It is an ambitious and overall well-written book, and I am glad I was introduced to these ladies.

This book had me hooked at the title and description, however it was too much for me to enjoy. It felt like I was reading the index of a society magazine, or a short biography section in a reference book. This may just be my misunderstanding but I expected a little more of a story behind each of the women, not just their biographies.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Fans of Downton and Gilded Age (me and also me) are in for a real kick in the jaw with this one. The author drops us into specific time periods and gives us (mostly pretty sad) snapshots of heiresses of those times. I got to learn all about heiress kidnapping, husbands putting their sane wives into asylums on the regular, and forced marriages. What a joy to be a woman with all the money and none of the rights! Key takeaways: patriarchy isn’t great and I want Julian Fellowes (better yet, any woman) to turn this non fic into a very much so less romanticized historical drama.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this audiobook early!

Heiresses
The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies
by Laura Thompson
Narrated by Laura Thompson

I received a digital audiobook arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who frequently reads historical fiction especially romance that often features made up heiresses this was a fascinating listen. Learning how things really happened in comparison with the plots and tropes I read was really surprising in that apparently reality was just as out there as what I typically read. Also I had no idea there were so many publicly known LGBTQIA+ relationships going on at the time. Seriously an enlightening read and valuable background reading for any dedicated historical romance fan.
The book does get a little heavy and serious contemplating philosophies of life and death that can be extrapolated from these lives as they were led. Tons of trigger warnings - kidnap, black mail, forced marriage, divorce, suicide, uncaring parents.
The narration and sound quality were excellent. The only downside to this being an audiobook was that I was constantly curious about what everyone mentioned looked like and will have to get my hands on the physical book also. 5/5

I fully admit, this book is far darker than I expected (though I should have). Whenever a great deal of money is a possibility and the only “obstacle” in your way is a woman without rights, it will usually go poorly for the woman in question.

The book begins by looking at a number of famous heiresses, both real and fictional- I loved this choice. It made me stop and think about just how pervasive the trope of the heiress is in fiction, and how many real life heiresses there have been throughout the last few centuries.

While the entire book was fascinating to me, I found the chapter on American heiresses particularly interesting. We see these “dollar duchesses” a lot in historical fiction and period dramas- Cora from Downton, anyone? Thompson gives us a much more intimate look at their lives, their situations, and what they went through both in the US and Europe. I think being read in the wider context of the entire book, these dollar duchesses take on a wholly different tone for me.

Thompson narrated this book herself, and I thought she was a fantastic narrator. You typically only find celebrities narrating their own books, so this is a bit of an oddity, but in the best way. I found she vocally nailed the complexity and gravity of many of the situations she wrote about. I have to wonder if there is something to be said for an author being able to voice their own words, but in any case, I hope she continues to narrate.

This book is the perfect choice for anyone watching HBO’s The Gilded Age, or is (im)patiently waiting for Sanditon and Bridgerton to return!

I was initially very intrigued by this book- I love the idea of taking a glimpse into the lives of Heiresses. I really enjoyed the introduction- the author made some interesting connections about heiresses in popular novels. But ultimately this was a DNF for me. I really struggled to understand the narrator and could not follow along with the narrative. This might have been different on page, but it did not work for my as an audiobook

A collection of mini-biographies of ladies of wealth who flourish (few) or suffer (most) depending on their placement in history and their smarts. Each story highlights the calculating nature of courters and families who wish to dig their claws into heiresses wealth and the limitations of women's rights. A good read for anyone interested in the history of women's rights and suppression.

I listened to the Audio book which was narrated by Laura Thomson the author.
She did a great job and I never got tired of listening to her voice.
What if really liked about the book was how she described each individual as a person with their strong points and weaknesses. Not using the style of the tabloids who just love to get the dirt on everybody.
This book makes you realize that these women are not to be envied for their wealth. Also that over the years some laws have changed to have woman less vulnerable and at the mercy of their husband but it still isn’t a perfect world. Part of the problem is that some just want to be loved for themselves and not for the money this puts them in an awkward situation of uncertainty in any relationship that might develop. I almost gave it a 5 star but due to the large number described and similar first names it sometimes a bit confusing which person we are talking about. This happen more in the later part of the book. Don’t know if reading the book instead of listening would keep your more grounded. In any case I highly recommend this book.

📚ADVANCED READER REVIEW📚⁠
⁠
Reviews are in Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies

Do: read this book if you are interested in the Gilded Age, Gatsby-esque history and facts.

Do NO: read this book if you are craving Downton Abbey level scandal, vice, and dirt,

It is an excellent book to listen to, especially while I am shelving books in the library. I enjoy the phrasing and the tone. I believe that the author has poured much of her time and effort into this worthwhile study and her work shows this effort cleanly and classily.

There were times I zoned... this is and should be marketed as a reference material and if you are looking for a historical podcast style, you will not find it here. I found the authors voice to be calming and not dry in the least for the material presented.

Thank you @macmillanaudio @stmartinpress @netgalley for the advanced copy (which I am only now reviewing)
#AdvancedReaderCopies ⁠
#book #bookstagram #reader #reading #booklover #instabook #booksofinstagram

How do you your think life would change if you won the mega millions? Would you splurge, would it dramatically change you? Would you sell your daughter to a prince like some mothers did to acquire more wealth?
The fascinating lives of heiresses are explored and explained in this well researched book. Did you ever wonder why so many heiresses had so many husbands or why, with all their wealth, they were often depressed?
I enjoyed the way the author compared the lives of literary heiresses to real life heiresses. I particularly enjoyed the author as narrator. She knew exactly when to be snarky and when to be sympathetic.
I highly recommend this book.

This book is not the best book to be listening to unless you are completely focused on just listening to the audiobook and not doing anything else. It sounds like a long literary essay and much easier to be read as a physical book. I was expecting this to be more story-like about heiresses, how they became and how they lived.

I'm torn with this review. There was so much information and facts that spanned years and years that I felt like I was listening to a research paper by a college student, and at times was a tiny bit bored.

With that said, there was a lot of good information and comparisons between an heiress of the 17th century and a modern-day heiress. The things people got away with
in the 17th century makes your skin crawl. The "rules and laws" are much better at protecting fortunes these days but only if the heiress is willing to do the work to protect it and if her mental health is in a good place. Too many
women feel as if they aren't good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc and there are plenty of ruthless people that will take advantage of those feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This wonderful audiobook delves into the history of the Heiresses, stretching across the centuries from the 16th century to the 20th, this was a very well researched book. I know most reviews seem to state they were misled and did not know going into it that it would be a more academic book, but I felt this was made clear by the title and especially in the introduction where the author makes literary references and comparisons. I appreciated the deep dive and how much research went into this, but as a history graduate I may be biased. I enjoyed stepping into this world of the rich and famous and questioning if it really was a privilege for these women to have such large amounts of money or not. I agree with some other reviews saying parts were a bit long winded or a bit unorganized within these chapters but overall I still enjoyed it.

Beginning in 1600's, this title traces the history of heiresses to modern day. The plight, trope, and concept of the heiress is explored as related to culture, literature, politics, and gender. Those who enjoy watching and reading about "Downton Abbey", "The Guilded Age", "The Crown", and Anderson's Cooper's "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of An American Dynasty" will recognize familiar names and history. If you enjoy this type of memoir be prepared to build another to be read list as the title is well-researched and the the author references titles and names that will lead further reading.

Heiresses and us, regular mortals, are two different types of humankind. The first, who was born into money, look at the world in a completely different way. One of the many differences is the danger money brings. Laura Thompson takes the reader way back into the seventeenth century when women were nothing more but property in a hands of their husbands. They were forced into unwanted marriages, some kidnapped, and some ended up in an asylum. But with each century they improved their positions and equality in the world.

My favorite part of the book was the end of nineteen and the beginning of the twentieth century. That's the beginning of feminism and drastic change in the world of "old" and "new" money. The book combines many interesting stories of the heiresses. Many of which are referenced in multiple classical novels by Jane Austin, Edith Wharton, etc. This is a very relaxing and entertaining read with short "biographies" of the world's wealthiest women. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free and advanced copy of the book.

Wealth! A Privilege...or Not!

This was an interesting history of some of the richest women in the world. It was quite sad as how in the early centuries the woman heiress was bartered to the highest bidder by the family, and some were abducted and forced to marry at a very young age..too young.

Many of the young women of means tried to find their own way and make their own decisions, but with dire consequences. Most were controlled by marriage. Even the later century ones did not often fair well. Some spent their fortune and ended up penniless, others married and ended up in loveless marriages or divorces.

There were a lot of different stories of different wealthy women. I had a hard time keeping straight which person was being spoken about because there were so many and some had the same first names. It was a little hard at times but the author did a good job narrating I think If I was reading a print book I might get confused.

There were a few that took up causes or were happy in their wealth but it appears that a good many were not. It is clear that money is not everything and that being a wealthy woman does not guarantee happiness.

I enjoyed learning of these historical woman and if you are interested in historical women I would recommend this book to you. The author did a great job with the narration of the audio book I listened to . I think I like the audio books that are read by the author's they engage me much more in the story.

Thanks to Laura Thompson for writing a great historical account of famous women and doing a wonderful job of narrating it, to Macmillan Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.