Books Set in North America, Massena, New York, United States

The Accusation: Blood Libel in an American Town, by Edward Berenson (2019)

Read:  June 8, 2025

3 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: New York, New York

Snow in August, by Pete Hamill (1997)

Read: August 21, 2022

5 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: New York, New York

Vanderbilt, by Anderson Cooper (2021)

 

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is the great-great-great grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, known as Commodore, the shipping and railroad magnate who amassed the great Vanderbilt fortune.  His book recounts his family history from the Commodore’s meagre beginnings to his great fortune and how subsequent generations squandered that money.  While it may be true that Cooper didn’t inherit the mass fortune of his ancestors, he did live a life of privilege that most of us never experience.

 

The book begins with a prologue recounting how Gladys Vanderbilt, a great-great grandchild of the Commodore was forced out of The Breakers in 2018.  This was the home where she had been living in the third-floor apartment for years.  Soon after the opulent mansion was built, its maintenance and upkeep became oppressive, not to mention the passage of the 16^th Amendment that imposed income taxes on the wealthy.  The Vanderbilt’s found The Breakers too costly and slowly it was turnover to a Preservation Society.

 

Then, we turn to the Commodore.  He became obsessed with making money but wasn’t concerned with the finer aspects of society.  When he died, he was said to have been the richest man in America.  Although he had 12 children who survived to adulthood, only three were son.  He didn’t consider is daughters, as they would marry and cease to be known as Vanderbilts’.  His youngest surviving son died young, and his middle son, Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt had epilepsy, so the Commodore discounted him when it came to inheritance.  The bulk of the Commodore’s fortune was left to his eldest son, William Henry Vanderbilt.

 

William Henry doubled his father’s fortune, allowing his children to grow up in great wealth and lots of leisure.  William Henry’s children grew up with great wealth and lots of leisure.  Cornelius II, William Henry’s son, built The Breakers.  No expense was spared.

 

William Henry’s elder son, William Kissam Vanderbilt, known as Willie, married Alva Erskine Smith, who was a social climber.  She forced her way into New York society by hosting lavish parties.  Again, she spared no expense, often spending tens of thousands of dollars of just flowers for her parties.

 

By the 1920s, times had changed, but the Vanderbilt reputation for having money lingered.  Family members spent like they still owned the fortune.  The family spent money on yachts (Harold Sterling Vanderbilt competed in the America’s Cup), and horses, hobbies that ate away at the family fortune.

 

Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt was the daughter of Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt and Gloria Morgan.  Reginald, who was 45 years old when she was born, and died before she was 2.  When he died, he was greatly in debt and most of his property was sold to pay off his debt.  A trust fund for Gloria was safe from her father’s creditors, but her 20-year-old mother was left virtually penniless.  A court decree granted her mother a large “allowance” from Gloria’s trust, ostensibly to be used for Gloria’s care.  Her mother, however, still wanted to live in her jet-setting style.  Ultimately, Gloria became the center of a “trial of the century” between Gloria’s mother and her aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney over Gloria’s welfare and her money.

 

Gloria Vanderbilt, herself, grew up in wealth and continued spending money throughout her life, all the way up to the end.

 

This book was a very fast and fascinating read.  Having recently read The Social Graces (by Renée Rosen), which recounts Alva’s feud with Carolina Astor and her struggle to break into New York Society, it was interesting to read Cooper’s take on these events.  Cooper also discussed New York Society women in the 1950s and their relationship with Truman Capote.  These events were also depicted in Melanie Benjamin’s novel The Swans of Fifth Avenue (by Melanie Benjamin).

 

The rich are different.

 

Read:  January 8, 2022

 

5 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: New York, New York

The Social Graces, by Renée Rosen (2021)

 

Set in the 1870s, The Social Graces focuses on two of the wealthiest families in New York ~ the Astors and the Vanderbilts.  The Astors were “old money” and the Vanderbilts were the nouveau riche, having earned their money through the railroads.  Old money looked down on the new money.

 

When the novel opens, women are basically chattel of their husbands.  Society marriages are arranged as business transaction not as love matches.  The wives must ignore their husbands’ affairs.  What the women do have is Society with a capital “S” and their children.  Caroline Astor, the Mrs. Astor, is the Queen of New York Society.  She is one of the most powerful women in New York Society.  She holds the cards for who is who in New York Society.

 

Alva Vanderbilt is the young bride of William K. Vanderbilt.  When she was young, her father lost the family fortune, so Alva had grown up in Alabama in relative poverty.  After her marriage to a Vanderbilt, she is suddenly thrust into tremendous wealth, but her husband’s money won’t buy her a place in Society.

 

Alva tried to enter into the Astor circle only to be snubbed time and time again.  A chance encounter with Emily Astor seemed to be the key to the Astors.  Alas, it wasn’t to be.  Still, Alva was determined to enter into the coveted Society Circle.  With the Vanderbilt money, Alva has certain powers that allow her to make her mark in New York.

 

This novel, based on facts of the Astors and Vanderbilts, is a delightful read and a page-turner.  I couldn’t put it down.  It reminded me of the novel The Swans of Fifth Avenue, by Melanie Benjamin, which was about New York Society in the 1950s.

 

Read: December 24, 2021

 

5 Stars

Books Set in North America, United States, New York, New York

The Hours Count, by Jillian Cantor (2015)

This novel imagines a friendship between Ethel Rosenberg and (fictional) Mildred Stein.  Ethel and Julius (Julie) Rosenberg and the Steins are two young couples living an high-rise in Knickerbocker Village in the Lower East Side, New York in the 1940s.  The Rosenbergs are a loving couple with 2 young sons.  The Steins, on the other hand, are in a loveless marriage with a young autistic son.

Ed Stein was an immigrant from Russia.  He and Millie married mostly because it was time and Ed needed an American wife.  When it becomes clear that their son, David, is not “normal” and is unable to communicate with anyone, Ed loses interest in him and is continually pestering Millie for another child.

At this period in history, Russians are looked upon with suspicion and communism is becoming a dirty word.  At a party of fellow communist at the Rosenberg’s apartment, Millie meets Dr. Jake Gold, who claims he is friends with the Rosenberg’s, although Ethel later denies known him.  Jake Gold is a psychologist and tells Millie that he can help her son.  Soon Millie and David are meeting Dr. Gold on a regular basis.  David takes a liking to Dr. Gold, and Millie finds herself falling in love with him.

Millie takes a trip with David, ostensibly to visit the Rosenberg’s in the Catskills, with a brief stop to be with Jake Gold.  They have a one-night stand, and Millie becomes pregnant.  Things Jake tells her, however, that Millie knows are not true.  Still, she continues to long for him, as her own marriage begins to crumble.  Can she trust Jake even though she knows he doesn’t always tell her the truth?  [Spoiler:  Jake Gold is actually an FBI agent who was investigating Soviet spies.]

Soon it becomes apparent that the FBI is on the lookout for “atomic” spies, and suspicion falls on Ed Stein, who disappears from the family, and the Rosenbergs.  The novel begins on the day Ethel Rosenberg is to be executed.  Millie believes that Ethel is innocent and claims to have proof that will exonerate her.

I found this book to be annoying.  It started off well, but Millie’s pining for Jake didn’t ring true.  Furthermore, the author changed the names of the Rosenberg’s children for no apparent reason.  Although there is a kernel of truth in the novel (the Rosenberg’s were tried, found guilty of espionage and executed), the fictional story of Millie’s life and longing for Jake got in the way of the story.

Read:  November 11, 2021

2 Stars

Books Set in Asia: Siberia, Russia and North America: New York, New York.

The Nesting Dolls, by Alina Adams (2020)

 

The Nesting Dolls focuses on three Jewish women: Daria (from 1931 to 1942), Natasha (from 1970 to 1991) and Zoe (1991).  Daria is Zoe’s great-grandmother, who was born in Russia and married the talented musician, Edward Gordon.  They and their two young daughters were sent to Siberia for a minor infraction during the Stalin years.  The janitor, Adam, of their building was also deported to Siberia.  He had a reputation for having reported on his mother for her infractions, thus was feared.  He ostensibly was being deported for not having reported Daria’s family to the authorities.  In Siberian village, however, he was granted better quarters than most if its occupants.  Adam would come to play a vital and integral role in saving Daria’s family.

 

We then skip a generation to Natasha, Daria’s granddaughter.  The family was now living in Odessa.  Natasha had a brilliant mind for mathematics and was hoping to attend the prestigious Odessa University.  Sadly, the quota for Jews was filled and Natasha was giving failing marks on her entrance exams.  She had to settle for a mediocre school and was then given a job teaching math to junior high students.  Her childhood friend, Boris, had always been in love with her, but she took him for granted.  One day she met Dima, a refusenik, who convinced her that she could be instrumental in letting the outside world know about the atrocities going on in Russia.  Natasha fell in love with Dima, and soon finds herself pregnant.  Her only way out was to marry Boris who, while being seemingly apolitical, was able to gain passage out of the USSR.

 

Finally, we meet Zoe, Natasha’s granddaughter.  She was born in America but bears the burdens and guilt imposed upon her by her grandmother and great-grandmother.  Like them, she, too, has two men in her life and must choose between what she believes is best for her family and what is best for herself.

 

Each of the three women are encased in each other’s lives, much like the nesting dolls that Russia is famous for.  Life does not always give you want you think you want, but it just might give you what you need.

 

I loved this novel.  I really felt the characters come alive.  I also loved how the author skipped a gereration and focused on the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Daria, the initial character.

 

Read:  June 15, 2021

 

5 Stars

Books Set in North America: New York State

The Romance Reader, by Pearl Abraham (1995)

The Romance Reader, by Pearl Abraham, is a coming of age story told from the perspective of a young Hasidic girl.  Rachel Benjamin is the daughter of a visionary rabbi of a very small community somewhere in New York State.  She is the eldest of 7 children, and as the eldest, is expected to tend to the younger children.

Also, as the daughter of a Hasadic rabbi, she is expected to be an example in the community.  She loves to read secular books, especially gothic romance novels.  She knows that her parents would disapprove, and so work out a scheme to get a library card so she can check out her beloved novels.

She finds ways to rebel against the stringent rules imposed by her father.  Although she attends a religious school, her classmates wear clothing that is more “modern”.  Rachel develops a scheme allowing her to wear shear stockings at school, instead of the thick, seamed opaque tights that her parents insist are more modest.

When her mother goes to Israel and her father goes to South America, 15-year old Rachel is left in charge of the household.  She and her younger sister, Leah, decided to take a class in lifeguarding so that they can work and earn money over the summer.  (Somehow, they had learned how to swim and were strong swimmers).  Their only concern is whether or not they will be able to continue the class once their parents return.  They decide that their best course of action is to remind their father that lifeguarding will, indeed, save lives.  The parents, however, are more concerned about the girls wearing bathing suits.

As Rachel nears her 18^th birthday, she knows she is expected to marry.  From her readings, she has fantasies of being with a man.  She isn’t eager, however, to step into the life of an arranged marriage that is expected of her in her restrictive community.

Her rebellion and struggles are what all young women go through, except that her family is deeply religious and have certain expectations that she is not sure she is able to meet.

Read:  March 15, 2020

3 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: New York

The Grammarians, by Cathleen Schine (2019)

The Grammarians is a novel about a set of identical twins, Laurel and Daphne Wolfe, who were obsessed with words and the English language.  Their favorite book as a child is an old dictionary, which they pore over intently.

As children, they are inseparable, but as they grow up, the language that was the glue that kept them together, becomes the cause of their separation.

I didn’t care for the characters and their mundane lives.

This book was recommended by one of my book groups that focuses on Jewish-themed books.  This was billed as describing growing up in a middle-class Jewish family from the 1950s to present.  There was virtually no Jewish content to this novel.

Read:  November 8, 2019

2 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New Jersey and Illinois

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, by Kate Moore (2017)

In the late 1890s, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the element Radium.  By 1901, it was known to have harmful effects on the human body.  It was also believed to have healthful effects if consumed in small quantities.

The cumulative effect of radium, however, is extremely harmful.  During World War I, factories were employing young women (many in their early teens) to paint watch faces with a radium paint.  The girls found that the easiest way to apply the paint to the watch hands was to lick their brushes to make a fine point of their paint brush.  In some factories, this method was actually encouraged.  Later, when the factory owners learned this technique was harmful, this message may or may not have been passed on to the workers.

The jobs at the radium factories were coveted, as the jobs paid well.  Young girls encouraged their family members and friends to apply for such jobs.  At the end of the working day, the girls would be covered in the radium paint, making them and their clothes glow in the dark.

The book focuses on two dial-making factories ~ one in Orange, New Jersey and another in Ottawa, Illinois.  The book also focuses on several of the women who worked in these factories.

Symptoms of radium poisoning are not immediately apparent.  Many of the young women affected would not show symptoms until years after leaving the company.  Then, when they tried to seek compensation for their illnesses, the companies would deny all liability.

The author describes in painful detail the horrors of radium poisoning.  Many of the young women suffered from tumors of the mouth.  Their teeth would come loose and on many occasions, pieces of their jaws would simply erupt through the gums.  I can’t imagine how this could happen.  They visited dentists and doctors, all of whom were initially flummoxed by the strange symptoms.

It wasn’t until Harrison Martland began a series of experimental tests, that a connection was made between the symptoms and radium.  It would still take years and long court battles before the law caught up with worker safety.

I found this book to be enlightening (no pun intended) and couldn’t put it down.

Read: June 8, 2018

5 Stars

Books Set in the United States

The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin (2018)

Would you want to know the date of your death, and if you did know when you would die, would that impact your life?  That’s the premise of The Immortalists.

In 1969, the four Gold children, Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya, aged 7, 9, 11, and 13, respectively, visit a mysterious woman said to tell fortunes.  As the children individually enter the woman’s apartment, she tells them the exact date of their death.  Some of the children share that date, the others keep it a secret.  But the children are just that ~ should they take the woman seriously?

The novel follows each of the four children.  Simon, the youngest, leaves home at age 16 to seek a new start in San Francisco.  Klara focuses on magic and perfects a death-defying trick of hanging by her teeth from a rope.  Daniel becomes a military doctor, and Varya becomes a researcher in aging.  Each child remains haunted by their early prophesy into their death.  This supposed knowledge also affects their relationships with family members and others they encounter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The author really made the character’s come alive.

Read:  May 14, 2018

4 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New York State

The Guest Room, by Chris Bohjalian (2016)

This novel is about sex trafficking.  It is a timely topic as several organizations that I belong to have begun to advocate for stronger legislation to prevent the selling of young girls.

The novel begins when Richard Chapman agrees to host a bachelor party for his wild younger brother in his (Richard's) home.  The brother, Philip, has his friends arrange for a stripper to be the "talent" at the party.  Two girls and their guards show up for the party.  At the end of the night, the guards are dead and the strippers are gone.

The story primarily follows Alexandra, one of the strippers.  We learn that she is Armenian and as a young girl had dreams of becoming a ballerina.  When she is 15 years old, her mother dies.  Her mother's boss convinces her grandmother that Alexandra should go to Moscow for ballet training.  She leaves her grandmother and goes to Moscow with big dreams.  That first night, however, she is brutally raped and threatened that if she tries to leave, her grandmother will be harmed.

She and other girls like her are trained to be "courtesans", but are kept in virtual slavery.  Alexandra is sent to America with the promise that she can be free after working for only 2 or 3 years.  Hence, her being sent to the bachelor party.

The novel goes back and forth between Alexandra and the aftermath of the murders at the party.  It depicts a fairly accurate picture of the sex slave industry.  Chris Bohjalian is an excellent writer.

Read: December 22, 2017

4.5 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New York City

The Nest, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (2016)

The Nest is a novel of a very dysfunctional family.  The four adult children believe they will inherit a very large sum of money when the youngest, Melody, turns 40.  On the eve of her 40th birthday, the oldest sibling, Leo, found himself in a compromising position when he crashed his car and his passenger, a 19-year-old undocumented waitress, was maimed.  The family matriarch decides to buy off the waitress to avoid a scandal.  The money used, however, was the "Nest".  The remaining sibling realize that their portion is greatly reduced, and they had been living a lifestyle that was relying on the funds.  All are in desperate financial straights.  Will Leo repay the Nest, so each sibling can receive the amount each believes they are owed?

I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable.  Although Leo promises to repay the Nest, he claims he needs three months to come up with a plan.  Will he come through with his promise?  Does the reader care?

Read:  October 9, 2017

3 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New York City

The Swans of Fifth Avenue, by Melanie Benjamin (2016)

This book is pure gossip, but oh, what dish!  The Swans are the wealthy socialites who lead glamorous and perfect lives, or so it seemed.  Babe Paley, who was married to television mogul, William Paley, seemed to have it all.  She was beautiful and wealthy, and had influence on the social scene of New York.  Her friends included Slim Keith, Gloria Guinnes and Pamela Churchill, all of whom had their own secrets.

Truman Capote managed to enter their circle and befriend these woman.  He and Babe became especially close; he was the only person to see her without her make-up.  Even her husband had never seen her without her perfectly made-up face.  With Capote, Babe shared the details of her unhappy marriage.  She had a trust in Capote that was not warranted.  When he betrays her and her social circle, he seems at a loss to why he was suddenly shunned.

This book was a fun read.  The rich are, indeed, different.

Read: September 28, 2017

5 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New York City

The Fortune Teller's Kiss, by Brenda Serotte (2006)

Read:  July 27, 2017

3 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New York City

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune, by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.  (2013)

4 Stars

Read: May 12, 2014