Interesting, informative historical fiction about Arabella Duvall Huntington. Arabella was the mistress and second wife of the US railroad baron and multimillionaire of the Gilded Age, Collis Huntington. Arabella, or Belle as she is called, was born and grew up in dire poverty in the aftermath of the US Civil War. She began her career in a faro club and then went on to marry on the richest men of her time. The book tells her story in an engrossing, entertaining and easy-to-read manner. Unputdownable, I finished this in less than 48 hours. If you are a fan of Gilded Age New York and the lives and times of the people who lived there during that period, this one is for you. Perfect for those who thrive on biographical historical fiction by Mary Benedict or Allison Pataki. I loved it!!

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books and Shana Abe for the ARC.

What a great read! Belle is such a lovable character, despite her mistress status, I rooted for her the entire way. Smart, beautiful, and capable, a woman who did what she had to do to change the course of not only her story, but her family's as well. Amazing! Her relationship with Collis will probably be up to debate, nevertheless, her story was page-turning all the way to the very last page! I truly love a good historical fiction and enjoyed diving into the late 1800s-early 1900s. I agree that readers of Marie Benedict will love this!

**Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read a lot of history, and I know a lot about the well-known railroad barons like Cornelius Vanderbilt and James J. Hill, but I confess I’d never heard of Colis Huntington nor his wife Arabella. However, I’m a sucker for a rags-to-riches story, especially set during the Gilded Age, so I thought I’d give this book a chance. I’ve yet to read The Second Mrs. Astor, but it has been on my TBR list for some time. After reading An American Beauty, I will definitely go back and read this author’s other works.

The book description is a little misleading as it mentions that Arabella and Colis marry after his wife dies. This is true, but it didn’t happen until the book was about 75% over. There’s much more, so much more that comes before that. Arabella and Colis meet at an illegal saloon where there may have been prostitution as well. It’s never laid out exactly what “Belle” does and doesn’t do with the men that come to the club, which I think was a good choice on the author’s part. Colis is so bewitched with Arabella he finds out where she lives and proposes an affair. Arabella is coached by her mother a little and she knows just what to do. After some weeks of trysting at a local hotel, Huntington announces he has to return to New York and would like Belle to accompany him; she says she will come if her family can come, too.

The family is put up in one house, and Arabella and the saloon keeper, Johnny Worsham, are put up in a 4-story brownstone, acting in public as man and wife. Worsham is being paid dearly for this deceit. He has rooms on one floor and Arabella on another, and appear socially whenever the situation dictates. After two years, Belle discovers she’s pregnant with Colis’ child, and arranges to have Worsham go back to Virginia, much richer than when he came. She then moves out of the neighborhood because of a nosy neighbor who has asked one too many questions over the years.

Arabella also plans for the future by asking Colis for loans to buy property in parts of the city as an investment, intending to pay him back once the lot is developed and profits can be divided. Even though she’s a kept woman, she knows that at any time, she may be tossed aside out of her lover’s sense of duty to his first family. Belle gives birth to the son Colis never had, and now feels in a position to ask for a few more things from Colis: to be seen in public with him, as an “old family friend,” to make further investments in property.

Years pass, and throughout that time, Belle is shunned by polite society, in part because Colis’ wife knows about the affair, and tries to keep Colis close, but it’s a losing battle. At one point the wife demands that Colis and Arabella’s son be sent away, so he’s sent to Texas for a few years to live with Belle’s sister and husband, who are ranchers. Finally, Belle demands the return of her son.

Meanwhile, Belle has met Colis’ adopted daughter and has run-ins with her over the years. Soon she is a teenager with a mother dying of cancer. Finally, the wife meets with Arabella and tells her to take care of Colis. She dies soon after. Within a few months, Colis and Belle are seen around town, once the period of mourning is over, and officially become an item before ultimately marrying and combining their families.

Belle has met a nephew of Colis and feels an irresistible pull towards Edward. All these years with Colis, she held back part of her heart in a cold and calculating way, yet these feelings she has for Edward defy everything she has tried to avoid all these years: true emotional entanglement.

The end of the book kind of waned for me, with years passing and things happening so quickly there was no time to absorb everything. Ultimately, Colis dies, and some years later, when Edward is free of his sour wife, he and Arabella marry and live happily ever after in California.

In the author’s notes, there’s more information, which was helpful since I’d never heard of any of these people, outside of “The 400” of New York society.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Another awesomely written story by Shana Abe! Its loosely based on the life of Arabella Huntington and her raise from poverty to become one of the most influential women of the glided age. I loved how Arabella fought her way from the swamps of Virginia with strength and brilliance and a drive to not only survive life but to also look out and take care of her widowed mother and her siblings. Her early life is a bit of a mystery but I think Abe created a simply fabulous storyline for this bold and intelligent woman and did it so well that I had no problem believing this spin. No matter what the real truth is, Arabella not only caught the attention of one very powerful man but two! Yes she had to remain in the shadows as Collis Huntington's mistress and the child they had kept a secret but she did what she had to! And once Huntington's wife died they did marry but still she had to endure whispers and the Haute ton and their blackmail. Life wasn't as easy as you'd think for her and their are some who would say she was immoral or a gold digger but what would you do to survive? Shana Abe is very good at bringing depth and layers to her characters and with Arabella she showed that although she was flawed human being she tried to do right for not only herself but those she loved and cared for. Women had so few choices back then and this book just goes to show how unfair it could be. Elizabeth Huntington had to deal with her husband cheating on her and falling for the beautiful Arabella and Arabella had to be the other woman. For both I felt sad because while Arabella was made the bad guy Collis went unscathed. Not quite fair if you ask me. Arabella stayed by Collis side till the end even though she had feelings for his Nephew Edward Huntington. She could have jumped ship and maybe had a chance at real love but once again she made sacrifices for those around her. Eventually a few years after Collis death her and Edward did marry. Over all this was a great read but I did miss the romance and passion from some of her other books like The second Mrs. Astor. Until next time Luv's💕💋

Bella rises from rags-to-Gilded-Age-riches in the only way she can: the heartless wagering of her femininity. Bella rescues herself and her family from post-Civil War poverty in Richmond, VA, by "falling in love" with an older railroad tycoon (cliche, much? This is the Gilded Age!). At every turn, Bella uses her feminine wiles to pull herself and her family farther up the wealth ladder. The framing of the narrative helps delve into the psychological framing of why Bella does it-- trauma leaves such scars, and hammers home how close the Gilded Age was to the destruction of the Civil War.

I found this book an interesting read but I didn't really connect with any of the characters. You never get to really 'hear' what is going on inside Belle's mind. She's a bit like a robot doing this then that and so on.
I know this author likes challenging relationships (her first book was about the teenage bride of John Jacob Astor) but she left a lot unexplored here.

Shana Abe - An American Beauty
Arabella Huntington was a woman who knew what she wanted, did what she had to to get it, and gave zero f**** about how other people saw her. Today she would have been a sugar baby - a kept woman, a mistress, a courtesane in the parlance of her era. She could have handily ran a company and been a billionaire. Instead she was a beautiful young woman hiding her spectacles, playing a piano at a faro parlor when railroad tycoon Collis Huntington took notice of her. She agreed to be his mistress in exchange for money and homes for herself and her proverty stricken family. (The character of Sylvia Chamberlain in the television series The Gilded Age is based on Arabella Huntington.)

An American Beauty tells Arabella Huntington's story as a woman who rebuffed - even found ridiculous - society's rules. Arabella never cared to be received by polite society - the original sin of polite society. The novel alternates from the perspectives of the women involved : Arabella, her sisters and mother and Clara, Collis Huntington's daughter. An American Beauty rubs the gilt from The Gilded Age to show poverty, fear, resentment, anger, and the strong will needed to thrive in a time of harsh judgment and social exile. The novel shows Belle in every stage of her life - a young woman desperate to save her family from wretched poverty, a shadow lover to a powerful man, and finally a woman who found peace and happiness.

Riveting historical fiction with a fresh perspective on the time. The writing is well-crafted, the pacing comfortable, superb character development and an intriguing plot. An all-around easy to recommend title for historical fiction lovers.

Knowing truly little about the Huntington family, other than the library and museum in California, it was indeed informative to learn some facts about this family. In An American Beauty by Shana Abe, we learn the story of Arabella Yarrington and the Huntington family which is an interesting and disturbing one. Born into poverty with a mother who allows her youngest daughter to accept a job unsuitable for a young woman, Anabella soon learns what is expected of her as the breadwinner of the family. One evening she saves C.P. Huntington from being caught in a raid. This encounter leads to a relationship which will change Bella’s life forever. C.P. Huntington gives Bella everything she needs and desires to change her life for the better and to keep her family from poverty. But with this arrangement comes problems and issues of a social, financial, and family nature. The arrangement between Bella and C.P. have far-reaching present and future ramifications for both their lives as well as their families. An interesting read.

Readers of historical fiction will devour An American Beauty by Shana Abé. A true rags to riches tale with plenty of twists, the story will leave you breathless and wondering why you hadn't heard of Arabella Huntington until now. For those, like me, who thought they knew every character of The Gilded Age you will be surprised and delighted by this story. It left me amazed and running to my computer to find out more about this intriguing character. Thank you to Shana Abé for bringing us the story of this fascinating woman that I will highly recommend to all readers!

This book was an utter delight to read from the first page. We meet Arabella (Belle) at 17, a fresh face girl who survived the Civil War and works to provide for her family. One night she meets, Collis P Huntington, a man unknowing to Belle who will change the course of her life. Collis is a railroad tycoon and self-made millionaire who is instantly drawn to the beautiful Belle. Though he’s 30 years older than her, and married he comes up with a plan to get her back to New York City, as a well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money, Belle has the determination and grit to begin to amass a fortune. Though her and Collis’ relationship is an open secret to few, she begins her life as his mistress. Belle is a fascinating woman and one I had never heard of before. Her story is remarkable and I had to look up several things as I was reading the book. She was poised and determined in her life and plowed her own path through life. As the book progressed, the story got wilder but I couldn’t stop reading it. Highly recommend this book as Belle’s story is one I won’t soon forget.

First and foremost, HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Kensignton Books for this ARC and the opportunity to rate and review this book. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author and now I think I must immediately go read her first novel “The Second Mrs. Astor”.

This is such a beautifully written, rags to riches, story that follows the life of Aribella Yarrington (Huntington). At 17 years old, she works at an illegal gambling club as a Champagne girl, to bring home whatever money she can to help her family. It’s here she meets Collis Huntington, a very wealthy railroad tycoon. From the start, Collis is taken with Aribella and the two of them (despite their 25+ year age gap) seem to have a genuine connection. Aribella agrees to become Collis’ mistress (and eventually wife), and so begins her rise to become one of the wealthiest women of her time.

This book was captivating and so interesting to read. I had never heard of either Collis or Aribella and was so fascinated by the retelling of their story. All in all a good read. 3.75 stars rounded up.

An American Beauty will be published on April 25, 2023.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I love a good gilded age historical fiction book, especially with female protagonists. I watch The Gilded Age as well, and found out that Belle was the inspiration for the character Sylvia Chamberlin.

As for the book, overall I liked it. Belle and Catherine really did what they could to simply survive and attain better lives for themselves and for their family. Collis is, like many powerful men of that era, an opportunity for them, and also a titan of industry who takes a much younger mistress. While he lifted Belle and her family up, Belle had to live with the consequences of their match, and I admired her for ignoring those that criticized her. Abé writes her as a contemporary of Collis in many ways, and she becomes a formidable adversary in parts of high society.

I enjoyed the descriptive writing about the houses, the artwork, the travel by rail and sea, the descriptions of Yosemite, the high society functions. I thought the pace of the book was slow, but it did pick up about halfway through.

While reading the book, I searched some about the real Arabella Huntington, and to my surprise, there really isn’t a ton of factual information about her. To that end, a lot of the truths about Belle’s life seem to be debated among scholars. Abé acknowledges that as well in the Author’s Note and gives some factual details that I appreciated.

Much thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, this is the historical fiction I want to read! I'd never heard of Arabella Huntington before. If you asked me to name the richest woman in American at that time, I *might* have been able to dredge up an Astor or a Vanderbilt. (If you're curious, when Forbes ran its list last year, it was Julia Koch, who unseated Alice Walton.) But this? A true rags to riches story? Yes, gimme.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I could not put this book down. I read half of it in one day. This book is about Arabella Huntington. (Huntington, WV anyone?) She went from rags to riches after catching a railroad tycoon's eye. He was married mind you. They stayed by each other's side till the wife eventually died and then Collis Huntington died so I mean I guess they were loyal to each other. This is about the gilded age and I love reading about this time period so I was excited when I won a copy from Kensington. Being a mistress you never know when everything can end and she was very bold with everything she did. Luckily she did not seem to care about not being able to go to the famous balls or being apart of the elite 400. She just lived her glamorous life. She gave millions to several charities including starting a cancer fund. This was a fascinating read.

-"It's a good gift to have, the ability to make things thrive."

-"God has surely fashioned a formidable being in you."
"Yes, thank you, I know."

-What a peculiar and heady power it was, to have money. It was as good as lightning at her fingertips, a secret magical wand from a folktale. She could wave her hand and anything she desired materialized.

-"You're in for a great deal of disappointment in life if you always expect people's exteriors to reflect their dispositions."

I love all things Gilded Age and this book did not disappoint! Genuine, likeable characters mixed with those we love to hate made this a great story from start to finish!

A beautifully written history of Arabella Huntington. I went into this not knowing much about American history of the Gilded Age but I felt I was transported there, the writing was amazing and I felt so connected to the characters. I love that it spanned over her life with different snippets of diaries, news and letters which made everything feel even more real (although I know some liberties were taken). I have nothing bad to say about this as this takes you on such a beautiful journey when reading and I would highly recommend.

Inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington (the wealthiest woman in the US at one point), this spans her life from age 17 to 63 (1867-1913).

Rising from extreme poverty in Alabama it’s an amazing saga of one woman’s struggle, strength, resilience, determination and cunning to overcome any obstacles and not just survive but conquer.

Belle is a marvel to behold with a brilliance at odds with her humble origins. No details or spoilers, but I cheered for her, cried with her and empathized with her throughout the book. She made no apologies and regretted no actions as she systematically clawed her way up to not only a better life but a fairytale one for her and her family. She was not perfect nor strove to be, but chose to live her life by her own terms.

Filled with larger-than-life characters (many well-known in history) and gorgeous descriptions of the uber wealthy and their extravagant lifestyles in the Gilded Age, it is a beautifully written and well-crafted saga. I loved this book. Recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing the free early arc of An American Beauty for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I am a history teacher and would like to think of myself as a Gilded Age aficionado, but I never heard of Arabella Huntington. I understand that some liberties were taken as much is not known about her, but what a great read. The author did a really great job of staying true to the time frame and incorporating real life people. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this delightful book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wie der Verlag schon schreibt, handelt es sich hierbei um die wahre Geschichte von Arabella Huntington, die um die vorletzte Jahrhundertwende herum im goldenem amerikanischem Zeitalter zur reichsten Frau des Landes avancieren sollte. Und ich schicke jetzt mal voraus, mir sagte der Name gar nichts, Asche auf mein Haupt, aber ich mag historische Romane, die zu dieser Ära, der „Gilded Age“ spielen, recht gerne und war einfach mal gespannt. Ich schätze mal, in Amerika kennt man die Lady, bzw., den Namen Huntington: Collis Huntington war ein Selfmade-Millionär, der mit der Eisenbahn ein Vermögen gemacht hat, und es gibt wohl -zig Stiftungen, Museen, Straßen etc. seines Namens. Seines und den von Arabella, nehme ich an.
Aber jetzt zu Arabella: auch sie entstammt sehr ärmlichen Verhältnissen, und nach dem Bürgerkrieg ist ihre verwitwete Mutter mit ihren 5 Kindern nach Richmond gezogen und hat dort ein Boardinghouse gekauft. Lief mager bis gar nicht, und wir steigen in den Roman ein, als die Zeiten der Familie so knapp sind, dass der Krämer sie nicht mehr anschreiben lässt. Die Hoffnungen der Familie liegen auf Arabella, die mit ihren knapp 18 Jahren eine Schönheit ist und im lokalen Saloon arbeitet. Ihr Gehaltsscheck unterstützt die Mutter und die Geschwister. Nach einer Razzia in besagter Spielhölle rettet sie einem Kunden vor der Verhaftung – Collis Huntington, der von nun an schwer beeindruckt von ihr ist. 30 Jahre älter als sie, soll er ihr für den Rest seines Lebens verfallen und ich drücke es jetzt mal salopp aus und breche es herunter, er ist für Arabella und ihre gesamte Familie die Fahrkarte in ein besseres Leben. Mit seiner Hilfe starten alle ein neues Leben in New York. Arabella soll lange Jahre die verschwiegene Geliebte sein – denn natürlich hat Collis schon eine Frau und eine Tochter – doch sie schafft es tatsächlich, permanent an seiner Seite zu sein, und am Ende, nachdem die erste Gattin verstirbt, wird sie die offizielle zweite Mrs Huntington.
Was diese Story, bzw. diese Lebensgeschichte so besonders macht, ist tatsächlich der Charakter von Arabella. Sie ist kein dummes hübsches Naivchen, sondern smart und mit eisenhartem Willen. Was sich Arabella vornimmt, das wird passieren. Auch sehr langfristige Projekte werden verwirklicht – irgendwann will sie in der New Yorker High Society ankommen, und das wird passieren. Klar ist: ihr Millionär ist hilfreich, aber Arabella überlegt auch, wie sie selbst investieren kann und clever weiterverkauft. Das hat mir imponiert. Die Dame hatte ehrgeizige Pläne, und wie gesagt, sie wusste sie zu verwirklichen.
Mit Collis verband sie zeitlebens – zumindest impliziert das dieser Roman – eine tiefe Freundschaft und sie kommunizierten auf vielen Ebenen auf Augenhöhe. Von ihrer Seite aus war das zwar keine romantische Liebe, wer hätte das auch gedacht, aber die beiden scheinen sich wirklich geschätzt und geachtet zu haben und waren ein Power-Team. Also ja, das hat mir durchaus gefallen.
Blöd dann halt nur, wenn einem dann wirklich die romantische Liebe über den Weg läuft und man dieser nicht nachgeben kann…..wir sehen, nur eitel Sonnenschein war das Leben nicht.
Ja, soviel mal zum Inhalt.
Mein Leseeindruck: Das war wunderbar flüssig und elegant geschrieben, und auch sehr bildhaft. Die Autorin kennt sich in der Epoche und auch in den beschriebenen Städten sehr gut aus, und hat mich mitgenommen auf eine Zeitreise in Amerikas glamouröse Zeit von sagen wir 1880 – 1930. Die Charaktere waren allesamt sehr gut beschrieben, es gab hier ja durchaus auch noch einiges an Nebenschauplätzen und - charakteren, die alle wunderbar authentisch dargestellt wurden. Insgesamt ein stimmiges Gesellschaftsportrait, das mich fasziniert hat.
Allerdings muss ich sagen, es war mir manchmal schon fast zu viel an Nebenschauplätzen und ausufernden Beschreibungen, sodass es sich manchmal etwas gezogen hat. Manche Passagen fand ich etwas zäh. Die Leben und Befindlichkeiten der vielen Familienmitglieder fand ich ein wenig zu ausufernd beschrieben, beispielweise. Da wäre ich doch lieber bei Arabella geblieben 😉.
Und noch ein paar Sätze zu ihr: das ist mal eine Protagonistin, die einerseits ein sehr spannendes Leben geführt hat und den amerikanischen Traum verwirklicht hat, aber sie polarisiert natürlich. Ich fand viele Dinge an ihr extrem cool, aber vieles hat mich auch ein wenig abgestoßen. Ist Geld wirklich alles? Wieviel wäre ich bereit zu opfern, um meine Träume zu verwirklichen? (Meine persönliche Antwort: augenscheinlich sehr viel weniger als Arabella….okay, ich frage mich nie wieder, warum ich noch keine Millionärin bin 😉).
Also, ein sehr interessantes Buch, gut geschrieben, mit ein paar Längen zwischendurch, aber nichtsdestotrotz eine definitive Leseempfehlung meinerseits!
Herzlichen Dank an den Verlag und an Netgalley für das Rezensionsexemplar!