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Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best History & Biography (2023)The number one New York Times bestselling authors of Vanderbilt return with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.
The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.
From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.
The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.
In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography, featuring black-and-white and color photographs, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering a window onto the making of America itself.
The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.
From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.
The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.
In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography, featuring black-and-white and color photographs, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering a window onto the making of America itself.
322 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2023
About the author
Anderson Cooper
11 books941 followersAnderson Hays Cooper is an Emmy Award winning American journalist, author, and television personality. He currently works as the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories.
Cooper is the younger son of the writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and the artist, designer, writer, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II of the prominent Vanderbilt Family of New York.
Cooper is the younger son of the writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and the artist, designer, writer, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II of the prominent Vanderbilt Family of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,133 reviews
November 15, 2023
Do you know about the Astor family?
You probably have heard the name and perhaps something about the Titanic guy but do you know how the Astors got their money?
Astor: The Rise and Fall of An American Fortune came onto my radar when I came across the article: The 41 Fall Books We’re Most Excited to ReadThe 41 Fall Books We’re Most Excited to Read.
In the audiobook, Anderson Cooper narrates this fascinating true story, detailing one family’s story of achieving The American Dream.
Who really paid the price for their success? And what happened to the Astor fortune?
Buckle up as Cooper and Howe cover the remarkable highs and stunning tragedies of this famous family.
*Thank, Harper Books, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
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You probably have heard the name and perhaps something about the Titanic guy but do you know how the Astors got their money?
Astor: The Rise and Fall of An American Fortune came onto my radar when I came across the article: The 41 Fall Books We’re Most Excited to ReadThe 41 Fall Books We’re Most Excited to Read.
In the audiobook, Anderson Cooper narrates this fascinating true story, detailing one family’s story of achieving The American Dream.
Who really paid the price for their success? And what happened to the Astor fortune?
Buckle up as Cooper and Howe cover the remarkable highs and stunning tragedies of this famous family.
*Thank, Harper Books, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
November 6, 2023
If you want backstairs gossip about the 1 percent -- exactly what jewels THE Mrs. Astor wore to which ball, which artifacts Will Astor bought for his medieval castle, which guests joined Vincent Astor on his yacht to Galapagos -- you'll love this book of trivia by a scion of the Astors' Gilded Age archrivals, the Vanderbilts.
Yes, there's some redeeming value to the book: The chapter on how the first John Jacob Astor built his fortune -- first from trapping and selling furs, followed by canny real estate investing and then squeezing every penny out of his tenants -- is in fact an important piece of historical research. (You'll also learn how to skin a beaver pelt.) Another chapter, on life inside the worst of New York City's 19th-century tenements, is also eye-opening.
On the other hand, author Anderson Cooper fritters away one entire chapter rehashing every movie version of the sinking of the Titanic. Another chapter is devoted to the gay bar at the Astor Hotel in Times Square. Well, I guess author Anderson Cooper is trying to show the full diversity of this family of ultra-rich, socially awkward misanthropes?
Within the frivolous pages, there's a real story trying to be told: A story of how the super-rich think they can get away with anything because of their money. I hope another writer will actually tell that story.
Yes, there's some redeeming value to the book: The chapter on how the first John Jacob Astor built his fortune -- first from trapping and selling furs, followed by canny real estate investing and then squeezing every penny out of his tenants -- is in fact an important piece of historical research. (You'll also learn how to skin a beaver pelt.) Another chapter, on life inside the worst of New York City's 19th-century tenements, is also eye-opening.
On the other hand, author Anderson Cooper fritters away one entire chapter rehashing every movie version of the sinking of the Titanic. Another chapter is devoted to the gay bar at the Astor Hotel in Times Square. Well, I guess author Anderson Cooper is trying to show the full diversity of this family of ultra-rich, socially awkward misanthropes?
Within the frivolous pages, there's a real story trying to be told: A story of how the super-rich think they can get away with anything because of their money. I hope another writer will actually tell that story.
June 21, 2024
Journalist Anderson Cooper, scion of the (once) fabulously wealthy Vanderbilt family partnered with historian Katherine Howe to write about his ancestors. The book, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, was an excellent overview of the legendary clan.
Cooper partnered with Howe once again to tell the story of another (once) fabulously wealthy family, the Astors. For the Vanderbilts, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794 - 1877) made the family's initial fortune in the 1800s, from transportation. For the Astors, John Jacob Astor (1763 - 1848) accumulated the family's original wealth in the 1700s and 1800s, from the fur trade and from being a slumlord.
The fur trade
John Jacob Astor was born in Waldorf, Germany in 1763 and arrived in America in 1783. On the voyage over, John Jacob learned he could get rich by buying and selling animal pelts, and all he needed was the fortitude to travel into the wilderness. Astor was enthusiastic, though working with pelts has been described as "repulsive to anyone not used to bad smells, blood, and mess."
"John Jacob Astor
Processing furs is a smelly bloody business
In 1785 Astor married Sarah Todd, and "together they forged an alliance that would become nothing less than a juggernaut." Sarah had a knack for business, and she supported her husband's fur trading trips while she took care of the household and bore eight children.
Sarah Todd Astor
Astor was a shrewd and opportunistic entrepreneur, and he eventually outsourced collecting and trading pelts to become a merchant and real estate mogul. Thus Astor stayed in in New York City while others carried his furs across oceans.
Cooper and Howe include daunting tales of fur trading voyages, like one in which the ship Tonquin put four men into a whaleboat to find a path through breakers, and "within minutes....the ocean swallowed them whole, never to be seen again." Three additional sailors lost their lives before a safe path was finally found.
The ship Tonquin in the breakers
By 1834 Astor was worth $2,000,000, the equivalent of about $72+ million today. John Jacob got out of the fur business and entered the real estate market, buying up properties in New York City. In time Astor would (essentially) become the proxy landlord of crowded slums across Manhattan. These slums housed myriad poor immigrants in unsanitary, crowded, squalid conditions while a river of cash flowed into the Astor family's coffers."
Slums in 19th century New York City
Slum Living in 19th century New York City
Among other things, Astor used some of his fortune to build hotels like the Astor House, which became a cultural touchstone in 19th century America, hosting guests like Edgar Allan Poe, Abraham Lincoln, and Davy Crockett
Astor House Hotel
John Jacob Astor's most civic-minded act was probably his endowment of what is now the New York Public Library: "An institution....where any city resident can obtain a library card, and thus, access to an honest-to-God Gutenberg Bible".....as well as 50 million items (books, music, artworks. movies, etc.)
New York Public Library
When John Jacob Astor died in 1848 he was the richest man in America, worth about $25 million, the equivalent of about $650 million today. Astor left his fortune to his son (and business partner) William Backhouse Astor (1792 - 1875), a rather dull, nondescript fellow, described as "the richest and least attractive young man of his time."
William Backhouse Astor
Nevertheless, William was a shrewd businessman who expanded his father's slumlord enterprises and increased the family's wealth. In 1833, William and his wife, Margaret Armstrong Astor, moved their family to their new house on Lafayette Place in lower Manhattan, where many of the Astor relatives built mansions. A historian notes, "New Yorkers used to drive down Lafayette Place to stare at the mansions and wait for the Astors to come out."
Margaret Armstrong Astor
The home of William and Margaret Astor on Lafayette Place
Though the Astors had vast wealth, they couldn't escape the less savory aspects of New York City. "New York was a crowded, congested, cough-filled, filthy, stinking cesspit of gaping inequality." The city also experienced the Astor Place Riot in 1849 - over rival Shakespearean actors, and the Draft Riots in 1863 - over conscription of soldiers for the Civil War.
New York City Draft Riot in 1863
The Astors had big families, and because money and prestige were involved, there was envy, jealousy, back-biting, rivalry, undermining, etc. among the relatives - who might tussle to have the most elegant hotel; the best home; the highest-ranking position; the finest gala; and so on. Cooper and Howe document some of these occurrences, and it's entertaining to get a peep at the Astors' personal lives.
One of the Astors, William Waldorf (Will) Astor (1848 - 1919), the grandson of William Backhouse Astor, got so dissatisfied with his life in America that he moved to England.
William Waldorf (Will) Astor
Will had an impressive resume: he could speak French, German, and Italian; went to Columbia Law School; and had a job in an Astor enterprise. Will wanted to branch out, so he entered politics and became a state senator. Will's wife was Mary (Mamie) Dahlgren Paul, a pretty socialite from Philadelphia, and the couple had five children.
Mary (Mamie) Dahlgren Paul Astor
Will made two 'mistakes.' First, he urged his wife Mamie to compete with his aunt Caroline for the title of THE Mrs. Astor. Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor (1830 - 1908) defined and dominated New York society during the Gilded Age (1870s - 1890s). In Caroline's view, "Someone had to decide what constituted American taste. Someone had to stand ready to demonstrate that the United States need not be overshadowed by the old societies of Europe." Mamie's attempted coup wasn't successful.
Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor (THE Mrs. Astor)
Will's second mistake was to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Will was too fastidious to campaign in the slum tenements, and he wore gloves when he deigned to 'press the flesh.' After Will lost the election the newspapers turned on him, one of them writing "The moral is that the possessor of an honored name, of great wealth, of sound ability, and of unexceptionable private character may throw away all these advantages when at a critical moment in his political career he forgets what is due to his constituents as well as to his own independence and self-respect."
Will became bitter and he and Mamie eventually moved to England, where Will desperately sought a title. Will was SUCH a snob that he was an outlier. even in British society. The authors write, "In general, the British aristocracy held its nose and overlooked Will's behavior, which they considered boorish, including his disparaging remarks about Edward's mistress ("royal strumpet"), South Africans, and Jewish people." In any case, Will received a title, and in time became a viscount.
Cooper and Howe write much more about the famous Astor family, whose fabulous wealth ended when socialite Brooke Astor gave most of the family fortune away in 1996, for philanthropic purposes.
Brooke Astor
Sadly, the Astor name was sullied in 2009, when Brooke Astor's son Anthony (Tony) Marshall, was "convicted of tricking his late mother out of millions, and changing her will while the New York City socialite was incompetent and suffering from Alzheimer's in her final years."
Anthony Marshall and his wife Charlene
In addition to the main stories about the Astor family, Cooper and Howe include sketches tangentially related to the narrative, such as the story of a cat burglar called José Hermidez, who targeted the Waldorf Astoria hotel;
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
an anecdote about actress Mary Astor (1906 -1987), who was born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke and wasn't related to the Astors at all;
Actress Mary Astor
the fact that the Astor Hotel bar was a 'liferaft' for gay men for at least two generations;
Astor Hotel Bar
a discussion of the 1997 movie Titanic, because John Jacob Astor IV (1864 – 1912) was a passenger on the doomed ship; and more.
John Jacob Astor IV
Cooper and Howe provide a fascinating picture of the fabulously wealthy Astors, who - like many such dynasties - got their 'start up' money through less than stellar means. I enjoyed the book, including the side stories, and look forward to more collaborations between the authors.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
March 27, 2024
The infamous Astor family, we have all heard of them in one way or another. Whether it be via their estates/historical sites on the east coast or through pop culture moments, like The Gilded Age or Titanic. But who really knows why the Astor name was so prominent through New York's social scene? Anderson Cooper (a descendant of the Vanderbilts) took a close look as to how the Astor family built their names, business, and lost it all. Cooper starts with the man who started it all: John Jacob Astor Sr. and his beginnings as a fur dealer. From there, we see the Astor name grow businesses, estates, and nonprofits. However, with great fortune comes terrible tragedies. The death of John Jacob Aster IV on the Titanic, family feuds over inheritance, and in most recent memory: The trial of Anthony Marshall. Anderson Cooper does an amazing job detailing the life of key family members and how their wealth impacted America. It is definitely one to read if you love family drama that is not your own. – Alyssa C.
October 6, 2023
As is at least somewhat predictable for someone whose primary job has been as an on-air personality, Cooper is a good storyteller. And that makes this book very readable in a narrative sense, even if it’s a bit thin on original information.
I think this would work well for readers with little to no background knowledge on the Astors. It’s approachable, well-researched, and entertaining. If you’ve done previous reading on the Astors or the other 400 families though, you can probably skip this one. I enjoyed the reader experience, but aside from a brief personal anecdote of Cooper’s at the beginning, there was nothing in this book that I haven’t heard before.
That said, for a more commercially friendly family biography, this is refreshingly entertaining and narratively well-structured while not sacrificing accuracy.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I think this would work well for readers with little to no background knowledge on the Astors. It’s approachable, well-researched, and entertaining. If you’ve done previous reading on the Astors or the other 400 families though, you can probably skip this one. I enjoyed the reader experience, but aside from a brief personal anecdote of Cooper’s at the beginning, there was nothing in this book that I haven’t heard before.
That said, for a more commercially friendly family biography, this is refreshingly entertaining and narratively well-structured while not sacrificing accuracy.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
January 19, 2024
Catching up…
This was a donation to my Little Free Library Shed.
And…
Since I am intrigued with historical figures, I thought why not read it. It just took me a while to get through it. And I forgot about mentioning I had it on my to read list.
So…
What happened with this book and me?
Astor. If you look at early history, John Jacob Astor’s name will come up because of his fortune, and all that he initially did with his investments in real estate in or around New York City. He was a capitalist, business leader and philanthropist.
And…
Even if he held the title of philanthropist, it doesn’t mean he was entirely a good person.
So…
What is Anderson Cooper’s interest in the rise and fall of this American fortune of Astor?
We know Anderson Cooper primarily as a CNN journalist…
But…
We have also been privy to his personal life, being the son of the late Gloria Vanderbilt, a celebrated socialite, heiress, designer and artist. Cooper and his co-author, Katherine Howe also wrote “Vanderbilt,” a chronicle of his own family history.
So…
In answer to that question…
It probably helped that he had met Mrs. Brooke Astor in 1981 when he and his brother Carter were having lunch with their mother in New York.
And…
Later while researching his own family history for the book Vanderbilt, it just seemed appropriate to continue his research into the Astor legacy.
Also…
In an interview, Cooper shared that he was interested “in the pathology of how the fortune is made, the psychology of the person who was so invested in amassing money that they created this fortune.”
So…
The story begins with John Jacob Astor, and how he made his fortune.
And…
The book wanted to talk about the fortune’s destiny – how subsequent generations either built on or frittered it away.
But…
At times, the narrative drifted. Was it about the fortune, or was it about the time in which each generation was living?
How…
The authors chose to tell the story, seemed a bit disjointed. Do readers really care about what happened when there was a riot at the Astor Opera House, or do we want to know about the Astor’s directly?
To be honest…
I am not sure I can answer that question adequately.
This felt like an overview of a famous family…
Where…
Money was the ultimate power, more so than taste, and more so than education.
But…
The book only seemed to provide a broad view from John Jacob Astor to Brooke Astor.
For a better representation of the Astor history…
The extensive bibliography provided in the Author’s notes at the end, may provide readers with a better historical perspective on the dynasty of Astor.
This was a donation to my Little Free Library Shed.
And…
Since I am intrigued with historical figures, I thought why not read it. It just took me a while to get through it. And I forgot about mentioning I had it on my to read list.
So…
What happened with this book and me?
Astor. If you look at early history, John Jacob Astor’s name will come up because of his fortune, and all that he initially did with his investments in real estate in or around New York City. He was a capitalist, business leader and philanthropist.
And…
Even if he held the title of philanthropist, it doesn’t mean he was entirely a good person.
So…
What is Anderson Cooper’s interest in the rise and fall of this American fortune of Astor?
We know Anderson Cooper primarily as a CNN journalist…
But…
We have also been privy to his personal life, being the son of the late Gloria Vanderbilt, a celebrated socialite, heiress, designer and artist. Cooper and his co-author, Katherine Howe also wrote “Vanderbilt,” a chronicle of his own family history.
So…
In answer to that question…
It probably helped that he had met Mrs. Brooke Astor in 1981 when he and his brother Carter were having lunch with their mother in New York.
And…
Later while researching his own family history for the book Vanderbilt, it just seemed appropriate to continue his research into the Astor legacy.
Also…
In an interview, Cooper shared that he was interested “in the pathology of how the fortune is made, the psychology of the person who was so invested in amassing money that they created this fortune.”
So…
The story begins with John Jacob Astor, and how he made his fortune.
And…
The book wanted to talk about the fortune’s destiny – how subsequent generations either built on or frittered it away.
But…
At times, the narrative drifted. Was it about the fortune, or was it about the time in which each generation was living?
How…
The authors chose to tell the story, seemed a bit disjointed. Do readers really care about what happened when there was a riot at the Astor Opera House, or do we want to know about the Astor’s directly?
To be honest…
I am not sure I can answer that question adequately.
This felt like an overview of a famous family…
Where…
Money was the ultimate power, more so than taste, and more so than education.
But…
The book only seemed to provide a broad view from John Jacob Astor to Brooke Astor.
For a better representation of the Astor history…
The extensive bibliography provided in the Author’s notes at the end, may provide readers with a better historical perspective on the dynasty of Astor.
April 5, 2024
This is a well-researched and entertaining biography of the Astor family, once one of the richest families in the world. This book tells us of the family patriarch, John Jacob Astor, who immigrated to the United States and made his fortune trapping beavers and selling furs, before subsequently buying up Manhattan real estate. There are well-written profiles of many members of the Astor family, including Caroline Schermerhorn Astor who led New York society during the Gilded Age, Jack Astor who died on the Titanic, and Brooke Astor who married into the family.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by author, Anderson Cooper. He does a great job. My rating: 4 Stars.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by author, Anderson Cooper. He does a great job. My rating: 4 Stars.
February 22, 2024
I knew nothing of the history of the Astor family before listening to Cooper's book. He begins with how Mr. John Jacob earned wealth in the fur trade and in New York real estate investments. Nearing the end of the book I learned of Mrs. Brooke Astor and of her son Tony Marshall, defrauding her and her estate.
I must admit that I took a keen interest in Mrs. Brooke Astor's life. She was married in to the family. In her first marriage she suffered abuse from her husband, John Dryden Kuser. Her second marriage with Charles Henry "Buddy" Marshall was a better and more successful match. When he passed Mr. Vincent Astor solicited her for marriage as he and his wife wanted to divorce. Ms. Mary Benedict "Minnie" Cushing picked Mrs. Brooke as the replacement spouse for Mr. Vincent.
Tony Marshall, her son by Kuser (he took his stepfather's name although Marshall never formally adopted him), wasn't well liked by his mother and nearing the end of her life charges were brought against him by his son Philip Cryan Marshall of elder abuse of Mrs. Brooke and of her financial affairs. Mrs. Astor passed in 2007 at the age of 105. Marshall was eventually sentenced to 1-3 years in prison and died in 2014.
I was saddened that Mrs. Astor was taken advantage of in her declining years (she suffered from Alzheimer's too). Her grandson Philip C. Marshall left his career in 2017 to become a full-time advocate for elder justice.
Mr. Cooper I felt was even-handed in his approach and not gossipy when describing the events and lives of the Astors.
I must admit that I took a keen interest in Mrs. Brooke Astor's life. She was married in to the family. In her first marriage she suffered abuse from her husband, John Dryden Kuser. Her second marriage with Charles Henry "Buddy" Marshall was a better and more successful match. When he passed Mr. Vincent Astor solicited her for marriage as he and his wife wanted to divorce. Ms. Mary Benedict "Minnie" Cushing picked Mrs. Brooke as the replacement spouse for Mr. Vincent.
Tony Marshall, her son by Kuser (he took his stepfather's name although Marshall never formally adopted him), wasn't well liked by his mother and nearing the end of her life charges were brought against him by his son Philip Cryan Marshall of elder abuse of Mrs. Brooke and of her financial affairs. Mrs. Astor passed in 2007 at the age of 105. Marshall was eventually sentenced to 1-3 years in prison and died in 2014.
I was saddened that Mrs. Astor was taken advantage of in her declining years (she suffered from Alzheimer's too). Her grandson Philip C. Marshall left his career in 2017 to become a full-time advocate for elder justice.
Mr. Cooper I felt was even-handed in his approach and not gossipy when describing the events and lives of the Astors.
October 26, 2023
I adore Anderson Cooper but this book wasn’t it.
October 24, 2023
3.5 Stars!
I didn't know anything about the Astor family before picking up this book. I had obviously as a history lover, heard of them. The Astor's are name dropped in anything related to the Gilded Age and I knew that an Astor had died on the Titanic but other than that I knew nothing. I had even thought that the classic movie actress Mary Astor was related to "those" Astors but this book taught me that was fake news. She picked the name because it represented " high class".
The Astor's built New York City. The first Astor made his money in beavers( not porn...beaver furs) and he took that money and started buying "worthless" land that turned into Central Park, 5th Avenue basically all the fancy places in Manhattan. At one time they were the richest family in America. Today the family still exists but the money does not. Like almost all of the Gilded Age millionaire families the subsequent generations spent all the money.
I did learn alot about the family but I didn't feel like I got to know any of them on a real level. Each chapter focused on an different member of the family and in the most interesting chapter it just focused on a poor man with the exact same name as the richest man America and how different NYC was for the poor of the Gilded Age. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if the book was longer or if it had focused on a particular member or time period.
I did like this book and I do plan on reading Anderson's book about his family the Vanderbilt's because I think that book will hopefully be more personal. Overall I do recommend Astor for people who are fascinated by disgustingly rich people.
I didn't know anything about the Astor family before picking up this book. I had obviously as a history lover, heard of them. The Astor's are name dropped in anything related to the Gilded Age and I knew that an Astor had died on the Titanic but other than that I knew nothing. I had even thought that the classic movie actress Mary Astor was related to "those" Astors but this book taught me that was fake news. She picked the name because it represented " high class".
The Astor's built New York City. The first Astor made his money in beavers( not porn...beaver furs) and he took that money and started buying "worthless" land that turned into Central Park, 5th Avenue basically all the fancy places in Manhattan. At one time they were the richest family in America. Today the family still exists but the money does not. Like almost all of the Gilded Age millionaire families the subsequent generations spent all the money.
I did learn alot about the family but I didn't feel like I got to know any of them on a real level. Each chapter focused on an different member of the family and in the most interesting chapter it just focused on a poor man with the exact same name as the richest man America and how different NYC was for the poor of the Gilded Age. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if the book was longer or if it had focused on a particular member or time period.
I did like this book and I do plan on reading Anderson's book about his family the Vanderbilt's because I think that book will hopefully be more personal. Overall I do recommend Astor for people who are fascinated by disgustingly rich people.
September 8, 2023
Journalist Anderson Cooper and historical novelist Katherine Howe teamed up once again to write Astors: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune. They previously authored a book about the Vanderbilts together. Their writing is good and profiles many of the dominant members of the Astor family. The saga of this family is intriguing and somewhat sad.
While much has been written about the Astor's dominance in society during the Guided Age, this book seems different. It is perhaps more rounded in that it tells both the good and the not-so-good things the Astor’s did.
I liked the book and even appreciated some of the repetition across chapters. A couple of chapters had me questioning the book's focus by bringing in Astors who were not descendants of John Jacob Astor, while another chapter highlights the gay scene at the Astor Bar in the Astor Hotel in the early twentieth century. Nice to know, but how is it relevant to the rice and fall of the Astor fortune?
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Published September 19, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
While much has been written about the Astor's dominance in society during the Guided Age, this book seems different. It is perhaps more rounded in that it tells both the good and the not-so-good things the Astor’s did.
I liked the book and even appreciated some of the repetition across chapters. A couple of chapters had me questioning the book's focus by bringing in Astors who were not descendants of John Jacob Astor, while another chapter highlights the gay scene at the Astor Bar in the Astor Hotel in the early twentieth century. Nice to know, but how is it relevant to the rice and fall of the Astor fortune?
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Published September 19, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
September 19, 2023
For a book titled ASTOR, the Astor family surprisingly plays a small role in it. It was fascinating to learn about their beginnings and the various buildings connected to them. However, the book begins to diverge from its path following the death of John Jacob Astor IV (victim of the Titanic sinking), and the brief descriptions of the various Titanic adaptations seem out of place.
October 28, 2023
Mostly, this was all over the place. It bounces between decades without any particular reason. Additionally, there are many asides that aren’t particularly related to the topic. It was all interested, but its jumbled nature detracted from the story.
There is one thing, however, that was so utterly bizarre that I’m taking the time to comment about it. (I’m settling into middle age nicely.) At one point, a mentally unwell and inebriated homeless man entered William Astor’s house, went into a servant’s room, and went to sleep in her bed. (It is unclear if the man broke in or entered through an unlocked door.) When she got back from duties and found the man in her bed, she panicked and called for the police. The man was carted off to jail and, unsurprisingly, Astor wanted the book thrown at him for breaking into his home and terrifying his staff.
Cooper goes well out of his way to characterize Astor as a bastard for being angry about the incident. He also tries to characterize the home intruder as a victim instead of a guy that committed quite possibly one of the creepiest taboos. As if that wasn’t enough, Cooper circles back to double down on his take.
I don’t know what reality Cooper exists in, but I know exactly zero people that would be fine with any stranger invading their home in that manner. (Although I am now wildly curious what Cooper’s reaction would be to this happening to him.) Furthermore, as a woman, I honestly cannot imagine many things more terrifying than coming home to find a strange, drunk, mentally ill man in my bed. 0/10 for social awareness, Anderson. 0.
There is one thing, however, that was so utterly bizarre that I’m taking the time to comment about it. (I’m settling into middle age nicely.) At one point, a mentally unwell and inebriated homeless man entered William Astor’s house, went into a servant’s room, and went to sleep in her bed. (It is unclear if the man broke in or entered through an unlocked door.) When she got back from duties and found the man in her bed, she panicked and called for the police. The man was carted off to jail and, unsurprisingly, Astor wanted the book thrown at him for breaking into his home and terrifying his staff.
Cooper goes well out of his way to characterize Astor as a bastard for being angry about the incident. He also tries to characterize the home intruder as a victim instead of a guy that committed quite possibly one of the creepiest taboos. As if that wasn’t enough, Cooper circles back to double down on his take.
I don’t know what reality Cooper exists in, but I know exactly zero people that would be fine with any stranger invading their home in that manner. (Although I am now wildly curious what Cooper’s reaction would be to this happening to him.) Furthermore, as a woman, I honestly cannot imagine many things more terrifying than coming home to find a strange, drunk, mentally ill man in my bed. 0/10 for social awareness, Anderson. 0.
October 17, 2023
Format Read: Audiobook
Review: This was an entertaining and educations listen. I liked learning so much about the Astor famly. Vanderbilt was overall better.
Recommended For: History fans.
October 13, 2023
I really wanted to love this book. If any other person had tried to publish this, they wouldn’t have touched it. The book is disjointed, leaves out so much of the actual history of the family as it goes off on tangents about hotels and movies, that it really isn’t about the Astors. Sure there are a few chapters devoted to them, but there is a whole chapter devoted to Anderson Cooper, another to a namesake hotel and the epilogue to someone who had nothing to do with the family but just adopted a name. There is basically no history given on the family that moved to England and the resulting heirs.
The book just seems like a vanity project for Anderson Cooper.
The book just seems like a vanity project for Anderson Cooper.
March 24, 2024
Anderson Cooper narrated this audiobook about the Astor family, from 1783 - 2009. It’s a story of opulence, determination, greed, charity, love, ambivalent parent, many extremes. I’d rate the audiobook 3-1/2 stars.
February 14, 2024
Enjoyable; lots was a review of much I’d read earlier about the Astor’s ostentatious wealth, the Four Hundred and the Gilded Age. Fans of recent HBO series would recognize characters based on them.
As the family grew, became increasingly eccentric and lost its centre, their history lost its vitality.
The “fun”, if you want to describe a historical rendition in such a way, is that the book does seem more akin to gossip through the ages. Anderson Cooper’s mother Gloria Vanderbilt knew many of the descendants; that familiar, slightly condescending writing style permeates the book; we are meant to all be less than impressed by the glitz, snobbery and grand show put on by John Jacob Astor whose origins were lowly. His brutality in acquiring his wealth, as America expanded westward, does remind us of the free wheeling Colonialism/Manifest Destiny beliefs which were more self- serving than ideological.
The photos were pretty great. A few beauties and some ugly rich men; trappings of great wealth.
It’s a bit like reading a long People magazine editorial. Very American history!
As the family grew, became increasingly eccentric and lost its centre, their history lost its vitality.
The “fun”, if you want to describe a historical rendition in such a way, is that the book does seem more akin to gossip through the ages. Anderson Cooper’s mother Gloria Vanderbilt knew many of the descendants; that familiar, slightly condescending writing style permeates the book; we are meant to all be less than impressed by the glitz, snobbery and grand show put on by John Jacob Astor whose origins were lowly. His brutality in acquiring his wealth, as America expanded westward, does remind us of the free wheeling Colonialism/Manifest Destiny beliefs which were more self- serving than ideological.
The photos were pretty great. A few beauties and some ugly rich men; trappings of great wealth.
It’s a bit like reading a long People magazine editorial. Very American history!
October 25, 2023
Listened via Libby
If you need a summary of the history of the Astor family this is the one to pick. There is enough information but not too much. I did skip one part of the book (like 30 min) when he was going off track a bit but other than that I whipped right through. Mo Money Mo Problems should be the subtitle of this book.
If you need a summary of the history of the Astor family this is the one to pick. There is enough information but not too much. I did skip one part of the book (like 30 min) when he was going off track a bit but other than that I whipped right through. Mo Money Mo Problems should be the subtitle of this book.
October 26, 2023
I’m amazed at how much I enjoyed this book. I typically don’t read non fiction unless it’s a music memoir. I’m starting to appreciate history…and NY’s history is just so rich. While reading I was constantly googling locations. Love reading about places I know so well and learning their history.
February 9, 2024
Took awhile since I’ve been on vacation doing everything but reading / listening to.
This was an interesting book about the Astor family from start to finish. The rise and fall of an American Fortune.
This was an interesting book about the Astor family from start to finish. The rise and fall of an American Fortune.
September 30, 2023
Astor the rise and fall of an American fortune was a very good and detailed book. It told the story of how the Astor family became very wealthy and powerful and successful and in the end family members became greedy and lawsuits against the family members caused the family to fall apart and lose grace.
October 11, 2023
Fascinating and intriguing book about the Astors. Tale as old as time. Get all the money, act arrogant, be a slumlord, push people around, hate your children and treat them horribly, cheat on your spouse, commit crime, lose all your money and die. Salaciously good.
November 4, 2023
Some parts were interesting. Some parts didn’t didn’t really fit in with the topic of the rise and fall of the Astors. The chapter about the gay bar could’ve been replaced with something more relevant to the book… I skipped over it.
September 28, 2023
A Vanderbilt wrote a book about the Astors? Yes please !
September 25, 2023
Breezy read that at times suffers from a lack of focus on the Astors themselves. I do appreciate that the Astors were not lionized, but there were a number of stories with tangents that barely related to the family. The epilogue ties up the loose ends and relates to modern America well.
October 30, 2023
I am a sucker for these biographies of fascinating people, families, empires, etc. This is the latter. What started with one ruthless immigrant more than 2 centuries ago, and spread and spread, both thickly and thinly, through generations of entitled men and women, cannot be imagined. Maybe like Queen Victoria, and the mold she created in Europe? This is that, without the ROYAL blood. I would have given it 5 stars, but it was a bit tedious at times. I am glad I stuck with it.
And who doesn’t like Anderson Cooper?
And who doesn’t like Anderson Cooper?
March 5, 2024
Meh
This isn't an extensive or even a very good history on The Astor family.
This should be called a very short history of The Astors.
So many colorful and fun stories are left out.
The Astors were fairly awful people, and that's somewhat blunted in this narrative.
Not bad, but almost every other book I've read on the Astors is superior.
This isn't an extensive or even a very good history on The Astor family.
This should be called a very short history of The Astors.
So many colorful and fun stories are left out.
The Astors were fairly awful people, and that's somewhat blunted in this narrative.
Not bad, but almost every other book I've read on the Astors is superior.
November 16, 2023
I was going to give it a 3 but then my AirPod fell in the toilet while I was listening
January 7, 2024
A fascinating listen. Super glad my library had this available in audio format. The material is well-organized and generally easy to follow, but I found it helped to keep the wikipedia page for the Astor family members open while I listened. I enjoyed the detour into a discussion of the different times John Jacob Astor IV was portrayed in different Titanic adaptations perhaps more than other reviewers, and the investigation into the life of the "other" John Jacob Astor, who lived in boarding houses and found work as a cigar roller, very interesting and rewarding. I think the authors did a great job not shying away from the realities of the time and stating plainly how the Astors treated other New Yorkers. The editorializing was to a minimum, though a few intrusive "just like the influencers/reality stars of today!" comments persist. It seemed like the authors used a good variety of sources and direct quotes in researching the family.
November 17, 2023
Well written
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