The release date for the English version of 'American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt' by
Karen Harper is Feb 2019. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
An English aristocrat's hand was won over by another American "princess" prior to Meghan and Harry. Karen Harper now narrates the story of Consuelo Vanderbilt, her search to understand the significance of "the glitter and the gold," and her "The Wedding of the Century" with the Duke of Marlborough.
A carriage approaches St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City on a chilly November day in 1895. Huge throngs of people advance in anticipation of seeing heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. The stunning 18-year-old bride arrives late and in tears, but her marriage to the cold-blooded Duke of Marlborough somehow goes through. Consuelo loves someone else, but her mother Alva bullied her into the wedding. Consuelo, who was raised to be obedient, understands she has to make the most of circumstances after a deal was struck to exchange portion of the enormous Vanderbilt fortune for a title and reputation.
Consuelo has a daunting set of responsibilities at Blenheim Palace, including bearing a "heir and a spare," but her relationship with the duke rapidly deteriorates. As she battles for women's suffrage, Consuelo discovers an inner power and charms everyone from debutantes to diplomats, even Winston Churchill. And will she finally find love after making a shocking leap?
A compelling story of one woman's fight for independence at all costs, American Duchess takes readers from the start of the affluent Gilded Age to the front lines of World War II.