If I'm quite honest, the pervading thought in my mind after reading this book is that I am thankful that I am not an heiress. As this book shows, they have been notoriously taken advantage of throughout history, and overall were quite a miserable group of people.

This book tells the stories of significant or notable heiresses starting roughly in the 18th century and going until late in the 20th century. There were some absolutely insane stories. Apparently heiress snatching was popular for a time, purely as a sport and not just for the financial gain. Women were tricked (or forced) into marriages, some had countless different husbands/lovers, and really none of them got a 'happily ever after' despite their millions.

While this was a fascinating book, the part that I struggled with was how many heiresses were covered. Because most of them were not well-known outside of this context, and many of them were related to each other in some form or fashion, it quickly became a bit confusing as to who was who. As a reader who read this purely out of interest, I think it would have been better to simplify it to four or five heiresses, and spend more time on them. If you were reading for academic purposes, though, it is great. But packing that much information into a book for someone who is not immersed in this field was a bit overwhelming at times.

Overall, this was very interesting to read, and it really highlighted how much Women's Rights have impacted society over the last century.

I loved this book! Laura Thompson talks about the lives of heiresses in history and fiction in excellent detail. She writes in a conversational and engaging tone balancing fact, humor, awe, and drama.

I thought this audiobook was very well done. While the story itself felt a bit confusing with all the names and jumping around, the narrator did a good job of telling the story. I liked how she actually did American accents when the American heiresses were spoken of, I thought that was a nice touch. There were some long pauses that felt a bit out of place but overall a good read.

I received Heiresses as an audiobook ARC through Netgalley. I had high hopes for this book. I was very intrigued to learn about heiresses from all different time periods. Thinking each chapter would be about a different heiress. And while each chapter did sort of focus on one heiress, there were so many different people and facts presented, it was hard for me to follow and not enjoyable to read. The narrator did a wonderful job and enjoyed the cadence of her voice, just not how the story was put together.

Five Stars. The photograph/cover sets the stage for "The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies." This is a comprehensive, well researched 'tell all' of the lives of the wealthy 'oligarchs' as Ms. Thompson references, dating back to the Edwardian age. In Part II, she moves on to the 19th century and takes a deep dive into the Vanderbilts, who were one of the wealthiest shipping and railroad tycoons. She at times, adds some tidbits of gossip and snarkiness particularly, when detailing the famous feud between the Astors and the Vanderbilts who fought for the 'Crown of New York Society.'
The Author weaves a gilded but, at times, tarnished tale of tthe lives of these million dollar babies from Mary Davies, Catherine Tylney Long, Ellen Turner to the Vanderbilts, Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress, Nancy Cunard, Daisy Fellowes and more. The Author astutely notes, that before the 20th century, a wife's inheritance was the property of her husband, unprotected and vulnerable, the heiresses ended up in perilous situations, involving forced marriages, kidnapping and asylums.

In 1964, "The Married Women's Property Act" 'allowed' women to equally share money and any property with her husband. Essentially allowing heiresses a 'share' of their wealth once they marry, which opened the door to men who were intent on marrying into wealth.

The Author also shares literary references to books and short stories written about Heiresses, which added in the "Author's words, a 'minor frisson' that made the comprehensive worldly tour of the rich and famous even more interesting. She cites, Jane Austin, Edith Wharton, "The Age of Innocence", Henry James, James Baldwin and Dorothy Parker.

I thought the Author provided a detailed balance of the good, bad and the ugly when discusses the heiresses lives. At times, she was a bit tangential and difficult to follow..I never quite understood her reference to Meghan Markle and Jeff Bezos?!

Overall. I found this to be a fascinating, engaging read that I devoured in a few days.

I was given an ARC of this book.The release date is 02/15/22. Many, Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Press for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this, getting to see how it was that the rich lived, and how in history no matter how rich a woman was she still didn't have the rights she deserved. The heiresses in this book really showed that money cannot buy happiness, and made me happy that I'm just a normal person.

Heiresses is a dive into stories that have long been buried and overlooked in history. It is a historical account of heiresses throughout the ages, and explains the purpose, importance, and sometimes utter lack of power, these women had.

Infuriating and enlightening, this collection of historical women and their stories illuminate the long standing traditions revolving marriage, match making, manipulation and money.

It was an insightful listen (and I enjoyed it as an audio book) and parties enjoying historic back stories, the evolution of women's and LGBTQ+ rights, and the development and changes of sociey itself will find this book very interesting.

Heiresses, by Laura Thompson, both fascinates and repels. The history of how wealthy women have been pawns in the hands of unscrupulous men for centuries doesn't surprise me. Thompson gives a thorough history of the tragic lives of heiresses from the late Medieval period in England to the 20th Century. While mostly reviewing the lives of English heiresses, Thompson does include a few notorious American heiresses as well.

Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of how money corrupts and what the few uncorrupted heiresses did to avoid corruption. At times the book sounds like a who's who list of the rich and famous, but not all readers will be acquainted with the names. Listening to who's who lists becomes tedious after a while. I enjoyed the parts of the book with more historical narrative and less who started sleeping with whom.

Ultimately, the book left me feeling depressed and underwhelmed with heiresses in general. They have had (and still have) so much to offer the world, but almost universally waste it on frivolous, selfish pursuits. Or, have their wealth snatched away from them by unscrupulous men before they have a chance to do something good with it.

Finished another one! This book details the lives of well known (and some not-so-well-known) heiresses from England and the United States throughout history. You learn about their fortunes, heiress stealing, child marriages, loveless marriages where women were legally forced to give up their fortunes, and how legislative changes empowered women to live their lives the way they wanted and control their own inheritances. For many of the heiresses, this freedom led to dramatic and destructive endings or the squandering of their family fortunes. I found interesting the origins of Gretna Green being a destination for British couples to marry - newsflash! It has to do with underage heiresses!

The book also details many of the accomplishments of famous heiresses. It's worth a read to learn more about these "poor little rich girls".

Learn more about Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies on Macmillan's site: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202734/heiresses.

I found this book on Heiresses from the mid 17th century through the 20th to be an approachable, interesting book filled with solid research and loads of detail. I was pleasantly surprised that the author went back into the 17th century to begin tracing the history of young women who, in many cases, were handicapped by their inheritances. Certainly the three women who begin this book did not have good outcomes despite being of marriageable age and in possession of a certain level of fortune. I also thought I knew the stories about many of the American heiresses who wound up marrying British aristocracy in the late 1900s and into the early 20th century, but the author fleshed out their stories as well, providing an interesting look at changing morals, inheritance laws, and how the rich chose to spend that money as history moved into the 20th century. While many of the stories of these "poor little rich girls" are just that - sad tales about how things could have (or should have) been different for these women of priviledge, it was interesting to see the stories of the few heiresses who did not exhibit a lifetime self-destructive behavior told over and over again.

I therefore particularly appreciated the Epilogue, which focuses on Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, one of the few heiresses of the 19th century who appears to have had a good head on her shoulders. A friend of Charles Dickens, she funded a home for "fallen women", at a time when a lady of quality supposedly should not have even been aware of such things. She focused on attempting to use her money to alleviate suffering and need in all parts of the world - from building two churches, to African missions, the education of the poor in Britain, to watering fountains and troughs for animals in London. (I am putting this lady on my short-list for interesting people in history to invite to dinner.)

My one criticism of the book is that there are a LOT of characters and I sometimes had trouble keeping up with the list, particularly since many in the 20th century had a given name of Lady So-and-So, and then went by a pet name that was completely different. I think I would have had an easier time keeping track if I had read the book in print, but did enjoy the author's reading of her own work in the audiobook version I reviewed.

I found this a fascinating glimpse into a lifestyle that seems fairy-tale princess in many aspects, but which had a bleak and often sad ending for these women who inherited monetary wealth but not, it would seem, much in the way of personal self-worth or familial love and support. I am interested in picking up this author's title on the Mitford Sisters (who are mentioned in this book as well) as I suspect she will do a wonderful job bringing them to life as well.

I was expecting something a little different from this book - more in the form of a "popular history" book. Instead, this book is a fairly dry academic read in which the author proposes and argues with a thesis. I do not disagree with the thesis, but I just was not expecting that type of a read. If I had had different expectations, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. It was hard to focus on the audiobook with the narrative jumping to different places with little to no notice. The narrator did a good job for what she had to work with, though.

i am an avid audiobook reader and i really enjoyed listening to this book! the narrator was enjoyable and engaging and i thought this was a very comprehensive history of a niche part of history. definitely would recommend!

While this audiobook was not what I expected, I did enjoy Heiresses very much.

I had expected to read a juicy backroom gossip novel but instead got a real good history lesson on the sometimes spoiled heiresses and often reluctant marriages of young teens and ladies.

The narration by the author was very well done as Laura Thompson knew just what was to be accentuated making her stories more believable, and unfortunately for some, more devastating. It amazed me that the "sell-off" of some of these young heiresses was not much more than human trafficking.

Heiresses projects the gilded age, describing the lives of the numerous heiresses, both in Europe and New York. I found it thought-provoking and very much enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley and MacmillanAudio for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this audiobook. For me, it started off a little bit slow, but once I was about a quarter of the way into it, it really started to pick up for me and I couldn't stop listening. I loved learning more about some of the heiresses I had heard of, and learning about many more whose stories I didn't know. The author did a great job bringing these stories to life through the narration and I'd be interested in reading more of her work.

Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies (Hardcover)
by Laura Thompson
The polite of the heiresses is a phenomenal aspect that changes the perspective of money. Wealth inherited has always been a burden. Sons are not always wise on their inheritance. Yet women seem to be cursed with inheritance. The idea of money that you did not have to make made the life of the heiresses very prone to sadness, and remarkable crime and abuse. English heiresses were prone to have kidnappings, and forced weddings. Changing the laws before the practices are totally illumined. The women were not safe if legally protected. Many had been managed by brutal men, whom used them as a money bag, and were not kind or generous in their relationships. Many of these stories have a dark tinge. The history toward the modern age is not much better. Lists of phenomenal wealth taken advantage color the pages with remarkable tales. The voice of the narrator is remarkable, the list of names and remarkable wealth.

This non-fiction features a variety of women and the money that impacted their lives. Starting out with a view of heiresses portrayed in literature, we see the similarities between fiction and real life, as well as the differences. Then we are moved into the real-life stories of some seriously loaded women. It was really interesting to read about how their lives were shaped by the money they inherited. As we move through history, we can see how some situations change for these women, while others stay frustratingly the same.

I thought this was an interesting view into the lives of these women. I liked the way the stories follow a timeline, and I enjoyed reading the individual experiences of these ladies. This was clearly well-researched, and I thought it was a fascinating read. I would recommend this one for readers that enjoy non-fiction about a variety of different people.

Through the years, young ladies who inherit a fortune have been the source of fascination for many. These "million dollar babies" have been rebels, spendthrifts, ambitious, philanthropists, and everything in between. Here are a few of the lives of those women.
This book caught my attention from the start. Reality can be stranger than fiction, and I found that to be especially true here. I’ve only heard of a couple of the heiresses, but they all led fascinating lives. Before the 20th century, most of them became victims of those around them. Their parents tried to control them, and their husbands tried to take everything.
At times, I did get confused with the author’s writing style. While she would begin with one heiress, she would go off on a tangent on another heiress. This made it difficult to remember which chapter was dedicated to which heiress. Still, the subject of the book kept me interested enough to wait until the author returned to the point.
I listened to an Advance Copy of the audiobook. It is read by the author herself, which I found to be very enjoyable. She has a soothing and no-nonsense kind of voice.
Those who are looking for a resource on heiresses and their lives will enjoy this one.

This book was wonderfully informative and did a great job keeping a thread running between the various heiresses as they were discussed. I loved the ending and learned quite a bit. I got confused every once and a while on which heiress was being discussed but the author did a great job of mentioning their names throughout their stories to alleviate this concern. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the troubled lives of the world's elite.

I was expecting a more "fun" story. As other reviewers have said, this seems like a textbook of information.

I agree with other reviewers that this title reads more like a textbook than a salacious, headline-grabbing peek at the inside lives of heiresses. That was what I was under the impression I would be reading, so I believe I misinterpreted the book description a bit. However, if the in-depth history of heiresses, both fictional and not, are of great interest to you, then this will be right up your alley!