"Bestselling historical fiction author Karen Harper turns her attention to the tale of American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, and her 'Wedding of the Century' to the 9th Duke of Marlborough. Although mostly forgotten now, Consuelo was the "Princess Diana" of the Gilded Age. One of several American "Dollar Brides," bartered by their ambitious, wealthy families to debt-ridden English aristocrats in exchange for an ancient title, Consuelo was coerced into marriage to a man she hardly knew by her domineering mother when she was just 18 years old.
The Vanderbilt fortune bought Consuelo a title she never wanted and a husband who either ignored or criticized her every action. Once she had satisfied her other primary duty by providing the Duke with two sons --- "an heir and a spare" ---- she and her husband lived separate lives: she inhabiting the London mansion built with her father's money, and busying herself with her numerous charities; while the Duke lived at Blenheim Palace, his primary estate, with his American mistress, and devoted his energies to restoring Blenheim and currying favor with the royal family.
After ten years of a loveless marriage and thirteen years of separation, Consuelo finally found the courage to begin the arduous process of divorcing her husband to marry the handsome French aviator who had been patiently waiting for her. But the new and happy life that they made for themselves in France was soon threatened by the Nazi's blitzkrieg invasion and occupation during World War II.
A fictional interpretation of a woman searching for meaning during a period of enormous social change and the upheaval of two world wars.
Click HERE to listen to an interview with the author of American Duchess.
Click HERE to read the review from Publishers Weekly.
Click HERE to read the review from Fresh Fiction.com
Click HERE to read the review from the New York Journal of Books.
