Book Description
This sweeping novel of historical fiction is inspired by the true rags-to-riches story of Arabella Huntington—a woman whose great beauty was surpassed only by her exceptional business acumen, grit, and artistic eye, and who defied the constraints of her era to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.
1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty.
Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune.
Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . .
An American Beauty brings to vivid life the glitter and drama of a captivating chapter in history—and a remarkable woman who lived by her own rules.
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My Book Review
RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
AN AMERICAN BEAUTY by Shana Abe is a riveting biographical historical fiction novel about the most interesting woman of the gilded age that I knew nothing about. Arabella Huntington uses her beauty, determination, and brains to overcome her impoverished beginnings and will ignore the rules of elite New York society and rise to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.
This story begins in 1867 Richmond, Virginia when Arabella Duval Yarrington is only in her teens. Her mother runs a boarding house and is barely able to feed her children in the war devastated Richmond. Arabella is the beauty of the family, and her mother takes her to get work in a gambling parlor and brothel. Arabella is beautiful and talented and knows her family depends on her. Collis Huntington is a railroad baron who attends the establishment Arabella works at and is smitten with Arabella even though he is married. This man will change her and her family’s lives even as Arabella learns and grows into her ambitions, business acumen, and large fortune over her lifetime.
This is such a rich story with many individual plot threads woven together over the lifetime of Arabella Huntington that made me feel she could walk right off the page. Arabella and her mother had to be tough and make difficult choices that not everyone would agree with, but they survived and thrived. I kept thinking of the Reba McEntire song “Fancy” as I was reading that part of Arabella’s life. All the characters are fully drawn throughout the book and believable. Even though this is a work of historical fiction many of the major plot points of the story can be verified as well as painting and jewelry collections still available for viewing left by Arabella. This story tells the tale of an amazing woman who triumphed even though she was very much ahead of her time.
I highly recommend this captivating biographical historical novel.
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About the Author
Shana Abé is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of seventeen books, including the acclaimed Drákon Series and the Sweetest Dark Series.
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California, and currently resides in the mountains of Colorado with her very patient husband and a lot of pets.
Social Media Links
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