Can money really buy you happiness? Alva believes so , as she catches the heart of William Vanderbilt during the fascinating gilded age. Sassy, outspoken and a girl who definitely knows what she wants, she is well ahead of her time. An interesting historical read, 3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

Growing up privileged with her sisters, then living hand to mouth by the time she reached a marriageable age, Alva Smith knew her best chance at regaining social standing was to marry well. If you think there is a fraction of romantic sensibilities at play, you would be mistaken. Alva is single minded in her determination and solely focused on reaching the top of New York society in the late 1800s.

I didn't know a great deal about the Vanderbilts beyond their railroad fortune and the gorgeous Biltmore estate in North Carolina so thought I would take a punt on Alva. I'm glad I did. I haven't read a story of an individual so focused on ambition – not just for herself but on behalf of her family – and it was an all consuming read. I couldn't put it down. Her life took her down many paths but she was able to guide her destiny and expand the reach of the family as a whole in ways quite remarkable for this time. Forward thinking was not the norm in the Gilded-Age of America (New York, especially) so Alva was certainly a rebel, of sorts.

I enjoyed the characters who resided on the pages of A Well-Behaved Woman. The Vanderbilt family took form under Alva's cool, assessing gaze and the reader benefits from her observations. It was such a stunning time and the wealth they enjoyed was second to none. I am so pleased Alva's personal life took the turn it did and the ending brought a feeling of joy and fulfillment. Excellent stuff and a worthwhile read for those liking a feminist angle to their novels.

This book is so incredibly detailed that you'd expect to be reading a biography about the well-behaved woman in question, rather than diving into a fiction book. The novel is a chunker, with a lot of content packed into its 400+ pages, and yet it often struggles to become enveloping as a story. Whilst the idea of the book is hugely interesting- exploring women at the turn of the century and the social airs and graces they have to perform as members of the American aristocracy- you never fully become immersed in the world. Rather, you read as a bystander. I found this book to just be okay, though it ticked a lot of boxes for me in the premise. Unfortunately, it just didn't deliver on the overall content of the story.

“Miss Smith is a fine, well-behaved woman, there is no doubt in it – no, none at all.”

This novel about Alva Vanderbilt Belmont (nee Smith) is at its essence about the strategic building of the Vanderbilt name by a woman with foresight and social skill. Yes, the Vanderbilts had money but what they didn’t yet have was social clout.

The first 20% of the book focuses on the need for Alva to marry William K Vanderbilt in order to save her family from being poor rich girls. The next 30% is then about the building of the family name and the ways and means to climb that ladder. None of this is as interesting, in my opinion, as the second half of the novel. As Alva's own ladies' maid Mary says:

“You’ll forgive me for saying so, but you getting to the top of society isn’t exactly as important as all people being free.”

The reader's sentiments exactly. And I imagine the sentiments of the writer here, for so pithily identifying the problem with Alva and why we don't care so much for the social climb and aptly putting that thought in Mary's mouth.

All crucial background to the rest of the story and it's a very well-researched tale, but it didn't engender much sympathy from me to that point, I have to admit.

It's then that the story really gets going. The remainder of the book focuses on Alva's relationships as they are tested and we get a glimpse of her feminist principles. Her work regarding limiting the gender pay gap and pushing for woman to have the vote and more rights generally in society means we can then envision her more as the hero of the tale.

“This is important: no person's good opinion of you matters more than your own.”

So true. If only Alva had been led by this principle earlier in her life.

The Author’s Note at the finish contained what I felt was some of the most important and inspiring material of the novel and again demonstrated a deep understanding of the research underpinning the text.

Incidentally, having read Swan Song earlier in the year about the downfall of Truman Capote in New York Society, I was very much reminded of Ward McAllister. An almost identical story. It serves as a reminder that the higher we rise often the harder we fall.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Two Roads, John Murray Press and Therese Anne Fowler for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have given this 4.5* and rounded it to 5 on this site.

This is the story of a remarkable woman, Alva Vanderbilt, who married into the famous, extremely rich, American dynasty. She as born into privilege but her family had fallen onto hard times, so she sought a rich man to marry with the encouragement of her friend, Consuelo, who also married very well. Alva named her daughter after her friend, but the friend ultimately betrayed her. She denied her daughter the chance to marry her first love and encouraged her to marry into the British aristocracy, as many American heiresses did at that time. We see Alva eventually find love and go on to do good works, particularly in the emancipation of women and the Suffragette movement. This is a sympathetic, fictionalised version of Alva's life which criticises the hedonistic, uncaring lifestyle of these rich Americans, but paints Alva as a good woman trying to do her best for her family and to pay something back to the poor and downtrodden. This may be a biased picture but it depicts the attitudes and morals of the time quite well.

This book was a story about Alva Smith. Her family was very rich and powerful, but they've lost everything. Her best friend Consuela manipulates her with William Vanderbilt and we see her changing life.
I really liked this historical fiction book about this strong woman who had to marry to look after her family. It's a good look into society of those times.
I would recommend to historical fiction lovers who also enjoy the social aspect of the times.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

A Well Behaved Woman is the fascinating story of Alva Smith. Alva's family were once grand and wealthy, and now they have nothing. Alva allows herself to be manoeuvred into the path of William Vanderbilt by her best friend Consuela. The Vanderbilts are new money, and not acceptable to high society. Alva's family name has cachet, and so each family gains something from the union.
Alva becomes a Vanderbilt, and is instantly surrounded by wealth. It saves her family. She sets about gaining an entree into the best occasions for her new family. She also develops a keen interest in architecture, and is determined not to be a pliant wife. She is not in love with William, nor he with her. She does not enjoy William's attempts at marital relations.
Alva is determined to make the best of her life, and speaks her mind more than was traditional at the time. She encourages the Vanderbilts to create a legacy for themselves, and frequently clashes with her more traditional sister-in-law Alice. William, for his part is a rampant philanderer, which Alva finds increasingly difficult to bear. When you have all the money in the world and no love, us it worth it? That Alva finds a way to rise above this agony makes this a triumph for her and the reader.