Heiresses

The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies

By: Laura Thompson

Narrated by: Laura Thompson

This audiobook is read by the author.

New York Times best-selling author Laura Thompson returns with Heiresses, a fascinating look at the lives of heiresses throughout history and the often tragic truth beneath the gilded surface.

Heiresses: Surely they are among the luckiest women on earth. Are they not to be envied, with their private jets and Chanel wardrobes and endless funds? Yet all too often those gilded lives have been beset with trauma and despair. Before the 20th century a wife’s inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune-hunters who squandered their millions.

Heiresses tells the stories of these women: Mary Davies, who inherited London’s most valuable real estate and was bartered from the age of 12; Consuelo Vanderbilt, the original American “Dollar Heiress”, forced into a loveless marriage; Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress who married seven times and died almost penniless; Patty Hearst, heiress to a newspaper fortune who was arrested for terrorism. However, there are also stories of achievement: Angela Burdett-Coutts, who became one of the greatest philanthropists of Victorian England; Nancy Cunard, who lived off her mother's fortune and became a pioneer of the civil rights movement; Daisy Fellowes, elegant linchpin of interwar high society and noted fashion editor.

Heiresses is about the lives of the rich, who - as F. Scott Fitzgerald said - are "different". But it is also a bigger story about how all women fought their way to equality, and sometimes even found autonomy and fulfilment.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 Laura Thompson (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

The Real Story

Money always seems to be such an answer to everything. This was informative! Good to listen to.

Fabulous!

Wonderful stories and well told. I liked the narration and interesting perspective. Not always such a dream to have tons of money and be a woman.

Slow narration

The narrator 's voice was very monotone.
The story jumped around too much. Investing subject but made boring.

Boring.

Started it. Hate it Can I get a refund ? Wasn’t anything like what I expected.

Just way too many details and not enough story

I just did not enjoy this historical run through the lives of wealthy women. It just did not have anything to capture me other than to say to understand how women had more rights with their money as changes happened.

Very hard to follow!

Maybe this is a book that needs to be read, but it is very hard to follow. It jumps around the entire time comparing heiresses to one another. Also, the audio isn’t broken up into chapters. There is a lot of historical information, but if you have adhd, like I do, you will be left wondering what you just spent 12 hours of your life listening to!

Insufferable

I tried my best to finish this book, but by the last chapter I returned it. The book has a interesting bits and pieces buried between a lot of fluff.

Too much fluff

It was so dry and long winded, I didn't know if I was going to make it thru.

tough listen and tough to keep track

story jumps all over the place and is hard to follow. the chapter heading says one person, but in comparison, the listener is introduced to many different people. felt like a map connected each person is necessary to know what is going on.