Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt

November 6, 1895 marked a major event on the New York City social calendar -- a wedding that was the talk of two continents. On paper, this was a dazzling matrimonial pairing: the Duke of Marlborough, the most eligible peer in England, was to marry Consuelo Vanderbilt, granddaughter of the richest man in America. But when the future Duchess arrived at St. Thomas's Church on Fifth Avenue, her face, hidden by her bridal veil, was swollen with tears.

Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, in her dual biography of Consuelo and her mother Alva, describes a world where wealth, glamour and excess were part of everyday life. But the two women were more than glittery symbols of the Gilded Age. Consuelo would became known for her philanthropy and support of social and political causes, and her mother, once an ardent social climber, would become an equally dedicated supporter of women's suffrage. Mackenzie Stuart offers a fascinating account of how two women managed to break free from the emptiness of wealth and social ambition and find a more fulfilling existence.

Amanda Mackenzie Stuart took a first-class degree in history at the University of York. She has written historical screenplays, and written and produced award-winning independent films. This is her first book.

"Riveting ... An] excellent biography ... Mackenzie Stuart narrates with an elegance equal to her subject's." -- Francine du Plessix Gray, New York Times Book Review