Also, you’ll notice the Astor and Vanderbilt family trees in the front of the book. Because the families were so large and there are so many duplicate names, I limited the individuals on the trees to those people in this book.
If you’d like to learn more about the Gilded Age, Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt, I highly recommend the following:
American Experience: New York: A Documentary Film by Ric Burns
The Gilded Age in New York, 1870–1910 by Esther Crain
The Vanderbilts and the Gilded Age: Architectural Aspirations, 1879–1901 by John Foreman and Robbe Pierce Stimson
Alva, That Vanderbilt-Belmont Woman by Margaret Hayden Rector
Alva Vanderbilt Belmont: Unlikely Champion of Women’s Rights by Sylvia D. Hoffert
Mrs. Astor’s New York: Money and Social Power in a Gilded Age by Eric Homberger
The Astors: An American Legend by Lucy Kavaler
A Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York by Greg King
Society as I Have Found It by Ward McAllister
The First Four Hundred: Mrs. Astor’s New York in the Gilded Age by Jerry E. Patterson
The Vanderbilts by Jerry E. Patterson
What Would Mrs. Astor Do? The Essential Guide to the Manners and Mores of the Gilded Age by Cecelia Tichi
The Glitter and the Gold by Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When it comes to writing a novel, I rely on a host of people for expertise, support and encouragement along the way. So, it is with tremendous gratitude that I thank the following people: Andrea Peskind Katz, Lauren Blank Margolin and Mary O’Malley, for your honest feedback on a very early draft of this novel. You helped steer me in the right direction.
Brenda Klem and Mindy Mailman, for always being there for me. You are my sisters!
Thanks also to my trusted friends and colleagues: Tasha Alexander, Stacey Ballis, Julia and Len Elkun, Andrew Grant, Sara Gruen, Julia Claiborne Johnson, Abbott Kahler, Lisa Kotin, Pamela Klinger-Horn, Jill Miner and Amy Sue Nathan. Also, a big thanks to the members of the Berkley Chicks and the Lyonesses—I’m honored to know such a talented group of women.
I fear I’m running out of ways to say thank you to the amazing Kevan Lyon, my agent who is truly Superwoman! All you need is the cape! There is nothing you can’t do and do well. So here again, Kevan, I say thank you. To my editor, Amanda Bergeron, my very own Maxwell Perkins! You went above and beyond to help me shape this book, and I thank you for your patience and faith in me while I wrote and rewrote. To my Berkley family at Penguin Random House—especially Ivan Held, Claire Zion, Craig Burke, Jeanne-Marie Hudson, Tara O’Connor, Fareeda Bullert, Elisha Katz, Sareer Khader and, of course, Brian Wilson. You have given me a wonderful home in the world of publishing, and I am forever grateful for all your support and hard work.
And lastly, my love and gratitude to my family: Debbie Rosen, Pam Rosen, Jerry Rosen, Andrea Rosen, Joey Perilman, Devon Rosen and John Dul, who read every word—sometimes more than once—and rescued me on Cliff Walk.
READERS GUIDE
THE SOCIAL
GRACES
Renée Rosen
A Conversation with Renée Rosen
Questions for Discussion
Further Reading:
On Renée Rosen’s Bookshelf
A CONVERSATION WITH RENÉE ROSEN
How did you get the idea for The Social Graces?
Coming up with new book ideas is always more difficult for me than you might imagine. After finishing Park Avenue Summer, I was brainstorming on new concepts and my agent mentioned Consuelo Vanderbilt right before my editor suggested doing something in the Gilded Age. After some preliminary research on New York in that time period, it was obvious that the rivalry between Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt had the makings of a really interesting novel.
What were the greatest challenges you found in writing this book?
There were several, but in terms of the greatest challenge, it came down to the characters themselves. Honestly, when I looked at my cast of characters, I realized I had a group of rather unlikable people. On the surface they came across as spoiled, entitled, greedy and superficial. If I wanted to engage the reader, I was going to have to really drill down to find the humanity in these people and find a reason for us to root for them. That in and of itself took many drafts.
How did you go about conducting your research for this book?
I always start with a baseline of reading, and I had a stack of books on the Gilded Age, the Astors and the Vanderbilts (you’ll find a full list at the end of my author’s note), and in addition to that, I watched some videos on the Bradley Martin Ball and the Ric Burns New York series, which was excellent.
From there, I knew I needed some hands-on research, so we went to Newport, where I could visit Marble House and Mrs. Astor’s cottage (though Beechwood was under renovation when we were there). After touring the mansions and taking in Newport, I went to New York and visited Trinity Church and Trinity Cemetery. Unfortunately, the original homes of Caroline and Alva are no longer there. The Empire State Building sits on the site of Caroline Astor’s townhouse, Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s mansion is now Bergdorf Goodman, and the Waldorf-Astoria has since been relocated.
What did you find most surprising about Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt?
Oh, there were so many things! I didn’t know, for example, that Caroline was such a devoted mother. According to the research, she dearly loved her children and doted on them. I was also surprised by how understated she was early on, before the nouveau riche began exerting their influence. As for Alva, I had no idea that she divorced her husband and remarried, especially during a time when that was considered the ultimate taboo for a woman. I was also surprised that she became so active in the women’s suffrage movement.
You’ve written in various time periods from the 1800s through the 1960s. Do you have a favorite time period? And what’s the biggest difference when it comes to writing in the distant past versus the more recent past?
I’d be really hard-pressed to choose a favorite period—I find it fascinating to go back in time, regardless of the era. Typically, I fall in love with the period I’m currently writing about, because for several hours a day, I lose myself in the work, living back in that era.
Regardless of what years or century a book is set in, I’ve found that each time period presents its own challenges. When you’re writing about the 1800s or the early 1900s, you really have to educate yourself on the most basic things and imagine living without the modern conveniences of electricity, plumbing, etc. And the fashions—people really want to know about those fabulous gowns and hats, and you need to get those right. As you move forward on the timeline, you need to make sure you’ve got your facts straight because some of your readers will have been alive during the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. If you misstep on even a little detail, you’ll pull them right out of the story. They’ll lose confidence in you as an author and your so-called authority on the subject.