American Lady
The Life of Susan Mary Alsop

Interesting to read about such a smart and elegant woman of such a different time. I would have liked to understand her motivations more deeply, though. I am still wondering about her relationship with Duff Cooper. It seemed so odd.......more

AMERICAN LADY is a concise biography of a remarkable woman, Susan Mary Alsop (1918-2004), a descendant of one of the Founding Fathers (John Jay), born in Europe, raised in Argentina, who later became a New York debutante, and by the time she was in her mid-20s, was married to an asthmatic U.S. diplo......more

Ever since I met her briefly in the early 1970s, I have been fascinated by the life of Susan Mary Alsop. Who wouldn't be interested in a woman whose living room, according to Henry Kissinger, had more agreements reached in it than were reached in the White House. A descendent of both John Jay and Ja......more

Susan Mary Jay Patten Alsop was a fascinating woman of the 20th Century--intelligent, charming, rich, and able to converse with those in power in the U.S. and Europe. She is prototypical of a certain kind of woman, born before the notion of being liberated, but living a glamorous life privy to the s......more

I know a lot of people who’ve read this found it lightweight and inconsequential , and so it is in some ways, but for all that, it is a fascinating read about one of the women behind the thrones of the movers and shakers of mid-20th century Europe and the US. I am directing a production of David Aub......more