The Second Mrs. Astor is one of the most morose books I've ever read. In spite of some happy moments (few and far between), the overarching part plot of the novel is Jack Astor's death. Everything leads up to his death, everything revolves around his death, everything points to his death and everything is consumed by his death.
There is one thing that made me smile while reading this book and that is that Jack named his dog, "Kitty." I have always said I wanted a big dog to name Kitty just to scare away door-to-door sales.
While the book is historically accurate to the characters and events, it makes for depressing reading. Shana Abe has done well with her research into the people and times. She switches back and forth between first person and third person narration, which can be confusing at times, if the reader doesn't catch who is speaking at the time. Madeleine Force Astor is telling her baby son about his father who died before he was born, but she also tells about their courtship, her lack of acceptance with the Society, the few women who befriended her, and the horrible Titanic shipwreck.
The writing is dark and far too cumbersome to my tastes. A Two Star book.
Kensington Books and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
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