I thought An American Beauty was a great book to read. I enjoyed this time period and going back in time to the post Civil War era Virginia. Four and a half stars.

I LOVED this book. The story of the woman who eventually became the wealthiest woman in the Gilded Age, this novel is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read in a while. It is beautifully written, rich in detail and characterization, and a darn good tale. It's quite a lengthy book, but one of those I didn't want to end.

Highly recommended.

An American Beauty by Shana Abe was a captivating historical fiction book about a woman who I had never heard about before I read this book. It took place in both Richmond, Virginia and New York City in the years known as The Gilded Age. An American Beauty was inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington.

Arabella had grown up in Richmond and had lived through the devastation of the aftermath of the Civil War. Richmond had felt the effects of the war and had left Arabella and her family very poor and unable to afford much of anything. As a result, when Arabella was seventeen her mother put Arabella in a very compromising situation. Her mother was very instrumental in getting Arabella a job at a gambling establishment owned by Johnny Worshand. Arabella worked nights serving champagne to its clientele and occasionally entertaining them by playing the piano. The wages Arabella earned helped to buy food and necessities for her siblings. The reputation of this establishment was well known. It was hard to believe that a mother would put a daughter in such a compromising situation. Dire times though required hard and difficult decisions.

On one such night, Mr. Collins Huntington, very wealthy railroad baron, paid a visit to the facility that Arabella worked at. He was drawn to Arabella immediately and started to court her and buy her gifts. It was not long before Arabella and Collins were in the throes of having an affair. Even though Collins Huntington was a married man and father he knew he could not live without Arabella in his life. Collins offered to purchase her an apartment in New York City near his apartment that regally sat on Park Avenue. Arabella agreed to move to New York City to be near Collins but only if her whole family was able to go as well. Collins bought Arabella a large enough apartment to accommodate all the members of her family. The other arrangement that Collin took care of was to offer Johnny Worshand an opportunity that he would not be able to turn down. Johnny was to act as Arabella’s husband but when Arabella became pregnant with Collin’s child, Johnny conveniently disappeared and Arabella became a widow. Thus began the love affair between Arabella and Collins Huntington.

Arabella was very astute and smart woman. Her intuition, wisdom and determination to purchase real estate, property, jewelry and art served her well. Even though she was shunned by society’s elite, Arabella did not let herself be affected by their gossip or lack of acceptance. She lived her life on her terms. Arabella came to care for Collins very much even though their relationship had not started out as one based on love for Arabella. She became known as a philanthropist. Arabella gave large donations to many charities, hospitals and universities. Although I had never heard about this incredible woman before reading An American Beauty, I was quite impressed with how she lived her life, overcame the challenges she faced, always thought of the well being of others even at her own expense and disappointment and held her head high throughout all. This was the first book that I had read by Shana Abe. I was very impressed with her writing, research and masterful storytelling. I was able to switch between the audiobook and the digital version easily. The audiobook was narrated by Gail Shalan. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Kensington Books for allowing me to read An American Beauty by Shana Abe through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A truly amazing historical fiction story based on the life of Arabella Huntington.

From poverty to being one of the richest women in America during her time and her journey to achieve that is truly fascinating.

What is even better is her philanthropy and what she left to aid in so much. Looking forward to reading more by this author!

An American Beauty by Shana Abe was a book that swept me away. In a season of life where I am craving to be swept away and struggling to do so, this was the book I needed. My eldest got braces this morning and I got to spend 90 minutes in a sunny waiting room reading this immersive story.

This historical fiction novel is inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington–“a woman whose great beauty was surpassed only by her exceptional business acumen, grit, and artistic eye, and who defied the constraints of her era to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.”

If you enjoy character driven, highly-readable stories, this is a great one to put on your list. The story begins in 1867, Virginia and we follow Arabella (Bella) story from there. The settings are richly detailed and the characters fascinating, even when they are ones you don’t love. The author’s note is a must-read as well. Thank you to @netgalley for the chance to read this wonderful work. (Pub date April 25, 2023) I will definitely be picking up Abe’s other novel The Second Mrs Astor. @kensingtonbooks @btc_books

What an amazing book! This book goes beyond 5*. It is the first book by this author that I have read and I was so captivated by it, I found it hard to put down. I didn’t know until I had finished that it was based on a true story which makes it more amazing. The characters, the location description, and the emotion were so well written. This story is about a mistress and her lover and yet there was no sex in this book. I found this wonderful and know a lot of other authors would have added a lot of sex scenes but for me, the lack of sex made the story more about the relationships and struggles and the overall story more riveting. I will look forward to reading more by this author. I received an ARC from Netgalley and freely give my review.

Title: An American Beauty
Author: Shana Abe
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty.

Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune.

Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . .

The first 20% of this was a bit slow, and I almost put it down, but it did pick up. Arabella is an interesting character: she’s very distant and manipulative, and sometimes comes across as cold. She even felt distant towards her family to me, except towards her son. I had to admire all that she accomplished, but using people came as second nature to her, so she’s not the type of person I like. I did like how the author managed to not give away her complete history until towards the end of the book.

Shana Abe is a bestselling author. An American Beauty is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.)

In this autobiographical novel Shannon Abbay has caught Arabella Huntington‘s independent spirit and need to do things her own way. At a time when women were marrying for safety and comfort Arabella took on the lover and with seed money from him went to New York and made a name for herself even though she started out dreaming of sleeping in a bed as opposed to the attic she seamlessly transferred to the lap of luxury and was in the upper echelons with the Astor family and the Rockefellers this is a great book in another reason why I love Shannon Abbay’s historical fiction she is the kind of author who you want her books to belong because that is more for you to consume she has written some really great books this one included a total five star read. I received this book from NetGalley in Kensington books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I loved The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé, so I knew that I would enjoy her new book as well!
I absolutely love learning about women who never would’ve been brought up in your average history class, and Arabella Huntington is such a fascinating person. She definitely lived life on her own terms, and had to learn how to navigate the judgmental society she lived in.
As you read about Arabella’s troubled beginnings and her journey to the upper echelons of society, the book explores the reality of marrying for money rather than love, and how even though your monetary problems go away, you still may not be truly happy.
I absolutely adore Shana Abé’s writing. You can vividly imagine everything she writes about, from clothes to food to places and emotions. This book is extremely description heavy and I found it to be very slow-paced, especially compared to The Second Mrs. Astor. Personally, I prefer faster paced stories that are more plot driven, so I felt like some of the chapters from different perspectives weren’t necessary. Ultimately, I still enjoyed it and wanted to continue to learn about Arabella and how she came to be one of the richest women in the country, as well as a prominent philanthropist.
If you love historical fiction, the Gilded Age, and beautiful, intricate writing, then I definitely recommend this book! It will be available on April 25, 2023!

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for this advanced copy!

My honest review is freely provided in return for the kindness by NetGalley and the author/publisher in providing me with this book.

An American Beauty is a fascinating journey about Arabella Huntington. Her life was hardly an easy path, and only with her intelligence and beauty did she change it. Shana Abe does a good job of creating the atmosphere for the story.

Bella apologized to no one for what she made of herself. Collis Huntington found true happiness with her, and eventually Bella found true love with his nephew. Gaining insight into the Huntington legacy, her story is not what one would expect which makes it so interesting.

4.5 stars rounded up.

After reading the description for this one, I built some expectations for this book. I expected to learn about Arabella, Belle, and find out how she went from poor to rich. I expected her to have built something to garner this wealth, but that was not the case. The story is about being in the right place at the right time and unfortunately it was just disappointing for me. I just expected more, and this let me down.

Now, I will say that the writing style was fantastic. Had I had different expectations for this book I might have really enjoyed it. I loved the different points of view, though at times some of them felt unnecessary and confusing. But what kept my interest, and honestly the sole reason I finished the book, was just how well the writing was done.

I will not be posting this review to my main source of review sharing, and only on netgalley and goodreads.

I appreciate the publisher and netgalley for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful written, intricately detailed, sweeping historical novel that will sure be a book club favourite and a must-read for historical fiction readers. The incredible story of Arabella Huntington, a young girl who's beauty and determination pull herself and her family out of poverty. After a meeting at Arabella's work in a gambling parlor self-made millionaire Collis Huntington is taken by Arabella, 30 years his junior. The married railroad tycoon becomes so infatuated with Arabella that he moves her and her family to New York City to continue their affair. Arabella's gift for investing and Collis' money lead to Arabella taken New York society by storm and growing her own fortune. Told through the eyes of Arabella, her mother, and Collis' daughter the novel is much more than a historical romance, but a story of a extraordinary woman who rebranded herself and made her own life, but at what cost? Shana Abe's storytelling is exquisite, detailed and beautifully written with emotion and detail. I have never heard of Arabella's story but found it fascinating to read about her life and how she created her own world and didn't follow society's rules. Reading about Collis' railroad fortune made me think of the game 'Ticket to Ride". Book clubs will love the gilded-age story, and historical fiction fans will fall head-over-heels for Abe's latest novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the digital ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love biographical historical fiction. Its probably my favorite genre of all. So I was eager to read this book about someone I had never previously heard of, Arabella Huntington. Arabella was from an impoverished family. Her father was dead and her mother struggled to make ends meet by running their home as a boarding house. She was basically given by her mother to a man who ran a gambling bar where the women were prostituted to clients. One day she meets Collis Huntington, a man much older than her and a self made millionaire who created a railroad empire. He is a married man but is taken with her and makes her his mistress which in turn, helps her entire family out of their poverty. I truly found this novel brilliantly written and the story was interesting. But the book's description implies that Arabella became an important philanthropist but other than seeing her help her family and become interested in collecting art, we don't really get to see that side of her which I found a bit disappointing. I appreciate her journey from a dire position in life to a life of luxury but honestly wasn't sure why she got to this point other than being beautiful and in the right time and place. The book also tells some of the story from Collis's daughter Clara's point of view. I found her story and point of view far more engaging. They were the highlights of this book in my opinion. I did really respect how Arabella built her relationship with Clara. It was an ugly situation and she did a good job of handling all that entailed.

I need more historical fiction like this. I loved being swept up in the life of Arabella Huntington.

An American Beauty by Shana Abe

1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty.

Collis Huntington, railroad baron, and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune.

Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . .

Out on April 25.

The pure research that went in to this book is astonishing. Based on a true story of Arabella Huntington a rather rich woman that fought her way to respectability during the Gilded Age. Arabella Duval Yarrington is only a teenager when the Civil War ends, she lives in a decimated Richmond, Virginia with her mother Catherine and her four siblings. Arabella works nights at a gambling parlor, she wears a low cut purple gown and serves champagne. Arabella is seventeen when she meets Collis Huntington in Richmond, he’s a much older railroad baron and a multimillionaire. They have an affair, Arabella and her family move to New York, Collis buys her a house in Manhattan and he lives not far away on Park Avenue with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Clara. The reader understands the strength and forethought to survive that Arabella portrays even if you don't agree with her approach. Without being present in post Civil War south the reader can't really understand the conditions or what it took to survive. Arabella is the embodiment of survival, strength and compassion. The book is captivating and straightforward with a great development of the characters. I would recommend this book.
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

An American Beauty by Shana Abe is not your average historical fiction novel. It's a captivating tale of resilience, determination, and love that transports you back to the lavish and complex world of 19th-century America. The book follows the inspiring journey of Arabella Duvall Yarrington, also known as Belle, who rose from working in a gambling parlor at age 17 to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America during the Gilded Age.

But this is not just a rags-to-riches story. The way in which the author interweaves Belle's story with the stories of her mother and young Clara, the daughter of Collins Huntington, is nothing short of masterful. The result is a richly drawn narrative that explores the complexities of gender, class, and society in a way that feels both authentic and modern.

What sets An American Beauty apart from other historical fiction novels is its portrayal of the treatment of women during this time period. The societal expectations placed upon them, the limitations imposed upon their freedoms and opportunities, and the blatant sexism they faced in all areas of their lives are all explored in great detail. It is inspiring to see Belle, Catherine, and Clara, despite all the odds stacked against them, refuse to be held down by these constraints and instead fight for the lives they want. This book is not just a page-turner; it's a call to action.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it seems like it would be tough to root for a mistress, I was a huge fan of Arabella and how she was able to get the life she wanted, while also setting her family up for success as well. I loved that she was not only beautiful, but also smart, cunning and had good business sense as well. I did think it could have been a tad shorter, I found myself ready for it to wrap up by the end, but would still highly recommend especially if you love a good period piece or a novel about a strong woman.

Thank you to Shana Abe, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of An American Beauty!
I’ll be honest here, I was hooked by the description but it did not deliver for me. I was disappointed in the lack of depth that I felt for the FMC, especially given her less than exemplary choice of being a long term mistress. I kept wishing that somehow I would get to the point where I thought to myself, “I really don’t love that she’s a mistress, but she is truly just trying to survive and take care of her family,” but I just didn’t. (Think of the depth of feeling that Fantine pulls when becoming a prostitute in Les Mes, not ideal circumstance or choice even, but as an audience we are left feeling like we can’t fully judge or blame her). And then, once she finally ends up marrying Mr. Huntington, she decides she has love at first sight with his nephew? I just couldn’t buy in with the lack of depth to the characters. Even if the true history technically follows these specific dates of marriage, etc, I just think the storytelling could have been more engaging and compelling.

An American Beauty is inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington, who became the wealthiest self-made woman in America.

1867, Richmond, Virginia. Arabella Duvall Yarrington (Belle in short), at seventeen, works at gambling parlor. With her personality and charm, she catches an eye of Collins Huntington, railroad baron. After they get acquainted, arrangements are made for her to live in NYC. And those are quite peculiar arrangements. She is a savvy woman and knows that she can’t rely just on those arrangements. Thus, she makes her own measures. She sees an opportunity in location and pieces of land.

Belle’s story in small pieces is intertwined with the story of her mother and young Clara, daughter of Collins Huntington. With marvelous prose, their backstories are smoothly woven in.

This story lightly weaves Belle’s own story of investing. It’s more about her mysterious backstory and how she navigated in high society, where it strongly paints a picture of a woman who forged her own path. A woman who stood her own and didn’t care about fitting with the Four Hundred. She was who she was and cared about her extraordinary life journey, rather than fitting with the high society of New York.

The whole storytelling is breathtaking. It has well-developed characters, a silky smooth flow, and is engaging from the start to the end.

Interesting historical fiction about Arabella- Belle- who rose from obscurity to fame and (literally) fortune through her relationship with Collis Huntington. Belle was known to be his mistress and the mother of his son Archer but even after they married, she was shunned by "polite" Gilded Age society, Those people missed a bet - Belle was a shrewd investor and a good woman who stood by Collis and stood up for herself. Abe's played a little loose with some of the facts (unavoidable in the genre) but she's also written a fine portrait of a woman we might not otherwise know. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.