Mrs. Astor Regrets

Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach
by Meryl Gordon
367 pages
NonFiction - Biography

Okay, slightly embarrassing admission...I love stories about high society! The unspoken rules and enforcement of etiquette and social mores. The luxurious environments and fashion. The access to other noteworthy people - both the great and the good. Sometimes it can get too tawdry to enjoy when authors are determined to highlight the moral bankruptcy of the rich. But generally, reading about high society is one of my greatest guilty pleasures.

I recently discovered this book and devoured it within 24 hours. It brought me a lot of pleasure! It was just the right amount of intrigue without diving into gritty details or glorifying dysfunction. Note: Like most tales of the uber-rich, this book is not a morality tale. People marry and divorce freely, usually starting their next romance while still married. Past marriages and step-children sometimes require a graph to keep straight.

Brooke Astor was raised to marry well and launched into her first marriage at 16 to an abusive rich husband. She divorces him after 10 years and marries "the love of her life" - aka her current affair. Husband #2 lasts 20 years until his death. Brooke, now 40 and fearing for her financial future, remarries within a year. Husband #3 is Vincent Astor, who is also searching for a replacement wife.

So at 40 years old, Brooke becomes "Mrs. Astor". Vincent is older and cranky; they seem to have a loveless but fair arrangement. He gives her money and status, she keeps him comfortable and entertained. After 5 years, the arrangement sours and they are both pondering divorce. But then, Vincent dies. Like a game of musical chairs, Brooke is left as the "last Mrs. Astor". She gets to retain the name and control over the family fortune. She spends the rest of her life (age 45-105) playing Mrs. Astor: setting social standards, donating multi-millions and creating her own self-mythology in the New York Society.

The main focus of the book is the end of Brooke's life. Her carefully crafted image starts cracking with her own mental acuity. Her strained relationship with her only son is pitted against society friends, loyal personal staff and even a grandchild. There are allegations of elder abuse and money grabs resulting in modern day newspaper exposes and federal charges. I found it all fascinating. It was a peek into the uber-private life of an uber-wealthy woman.

The author reported this story even handedly and was not sensationalistic, which I greatly appreciated. The plain facts of this real-life case spoke for themselves without embellishment.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers who are fascinated by high society. History buffs interested in wealthy American families (Astors & Rockefellers) and their modern day existence.