The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin
The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin
18 Rating(s)
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The American Heiress
A Novel

Author: Daisy Goodwin

Narrator: Katherine Kellgren

Unabridged: 13 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/21/2011

Synopsis

"Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn't?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." --Allison Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of I Don't Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You

This program includes a bonus chapter of Victoria, the latest novel from author Daisy Goodwin, the creator and writer of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama of the same name.

Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

"For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --Daisy Goodwin in The Daily Mail

One of Library Journal's Best Historical Fiction Books of 2011

About Daisy Goodwin

DAISY GOODWIN is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter. She attended Columbia University's film school as a Harkness scholar after earning a degree in history at Cambridge University, and was Chair of the judging panel of the 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction. She is the screenwriter and executive producer of the PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria. She lives in London.

About Katherine Kellgren

Katherine Kellgren has recorded over 200 audiobooks and won four Audie Awards, three ALA Odyssey Honors, and eight AudioFile Earphones Awards. In 2011, Kellgren was named the  Best Voice in Young Adult & Fantasy, and she won the Audie award for Best Female Narrator in both 2013 and 2014.  Kellgren has also appeared onstage in London, New York and Frankfurt. She has recorded numerous plays and dramatizations of novels for the radio, including winners of the Peabody Award. She is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In naming Kellgren a “Golden Voice,” AudioFile magazine noted that she is a "marvel with accents...she is definitely a narrator to keep an ear out for." She lives in New York City.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Siany on August 11, 2010

I haven't really fully made my mind up about this book. It wasn't a Mills and Boon type of book, it was more filled out than that and was over 400 pages. However if you were to ask me how it was filled out more, I am at a slight loss how to answer. To be honest, a lot of stuff probably could have bee......more

Goodreads review by James on July 17, 2023

I read my first book written by Daisy Goodwin, Victoria, when I learned the tv show was being produced. I wanted to get ahead of the curve on a rich history that's always appealed to me. I added the author to my TBH and decided this month to check out another one: The American Heiress, set in the 18......more

Goodreads review by Ariel on March 21, 2012

I just loved this book. It was so up my alley. Two of my favorite books are Gone With the Wind and Forever Amber and this was sort of a mash up of those. Okay, this was not as a sweeping saga as those two books but it borrowed elements from them. There may have been nothing really new offered here b......more

Goodreads review by Pat on November 18, 2013

Slightly tepid period yarn that falls between the two stools of Romantic and 'Literary' fiction. Clearly inspired by the likes of Wharton, Waugh and Austen (indeed, in thrall to them), the novel simply warms over themes and story lines that were looking decidedly over-used two generations ago. Peopl......more

Goodreads review by Jenny on June 11, 2012

Possibly the soapiest dish of a book I've ever read. If you're feeling Downton Abbey withdrawls this is the book for you :)......more

Quotes

“Dripping with acerbic affectation and perfect British and Newport upper-crust accents, Katherine Kellgren deliciously portrays wealthy, beautiful, naïve Cora Cash…This story is filled with a full cast of unlikeable characters…Kellgren delivers each perfectly and convincingly conveys the worst that lack of character has to offer on both sides of the pond.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Ketherine Kellgren, a truly accomplished voice actress, affects a la-di-da intercontinental accent for the narration of this puree of Edith Wharton, ‘Downtown Abbey' and pulp romance.” —The Washington Post

“This audiobooks is full of historical detail about the lives of the rich and famous at the turn of the last century, from fashion and food to living spaces and manners. I think I listened to the descriptions of Cora's Parisian-made trousseau about five or six times so that I could picture each sumptuous, amazing gown clearly in my mind.” —Star-Telegram

“When I first started buying audiobooks, I always went for ‘bang for the buck' and with 13 hours of listening time to the pleasant voice of Katherine Kellgren, you definitely get your money's worth on this one.” —5 Minutes for Books

“This audio presentation, narrated by Katherine Kellgren, who moves with effortless authenticity from the haughty Mayfair drawl of the Prince of Wales to the self-important, Southern tinged cadences of a rich American society matron, is bound to top the list of super-summer-beach listens.” —BookPage

“Goodwin's attention to period detail and her inclusion of perspectives from many different characters carries the book through 14 hours of listening. Katherine Kellgren assigns distinct voices to every character” —Publishers Weekly

“I think this was a perfect audiobook for this time of year. Each time I listened, especially when driving in my car in this 98 degree heat, it would carry me away to this other world that Daisy Goodwin created.” —Bookin' with Bingo

“The characters are varied and lively and brought to life skillfully by narrator Katherine Kellgren. Those who read Daphne de Maurier and other authors in the genre will enjoy this title. Recommended.” —Library Journal

“From the first plummy tones of Katherine Kellgren's voice, you know you're in for a guilty pleasure…This is ‘Upstairs/Downstairs,' ‘The Age of Innocence' and ‘Downton Abbey' rolled into one.” —The Winston-Salem Journal

“The detailing is beautiful, the great phalanx of historical characters amusing, and the relief of reading a novel that puts enjoyment first so rare and gratifying that I am ready for a sequel.” —Amanda Foreman, author of GEORGIANA, DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Biography

“A shrewd, spirited historical romance with flavors of Edith Wharton, Daphne du Maurier, Jane Austen, Upstairs, Downstairs and a dash of People magazine that charts a bumpy marriage of New World money and Old World tradition.... Goodwin's debut, a knowing, judicious blend of Gilded Age extravagance, below-stairs perspective,...and sophisticated social tableaux, offers reader satisfaction....Superior entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Top-notch writing brings to life the world of wealth on both sides of the Atlantic. This debut's strong character development and sense of place will please fans of historical romance, including book club members.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“This lush look at Edwardian excess and scandal on both sides of the Atlantic...is a propulsive story of love, manners, culture clash, and store-bought class from a time long past that proves altogether fresh.” —Publishers Weekly


“Deliciously classy. A story that gallops along, full of exquisite period detail.” —Kate Mosse, author of LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE

“I was seduced by this book, rather as Cora was seduced by her duke: with great skill and confidence. Intriguing, atmospheric, and extremely stylish, I was still thinking about it long after I had reached the end.” —Penny Vincenzi, author of THE BEST OF TIMES

“Sparkling and thoroughly engaging…a delight. Filled with vitality and peopled by a vigorous supporting cast of characters…the story of a poor little rich girl learning the hard way… makes for a highly enjoyable and intelligent read.” —London Sunday Times

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