The American Heiress

"Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn't?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." --Allison Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of I Don't Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James. "For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --Daisy Goodwin in The Daily Mail One of Library Journal's Best Historical Fiction Books of 2011

A New York Times–bestselling author brings World War I–era England to vibrant life in this romantic saga in which destiny turns a lady’s maid into a lady. It is spring of 1915. Spoiled twenty-one-year-old Clemency Jervis and her Fifth Avenue entourage board the Lusitania, bound for England, where Clemency is to marry the dashing Lord Hugo Hazzard of Loburn. A few miles off the Irish coast, the ship is torpedoed by the Germans. One of the few survivors is Clemency’s maid, Hetty Brown, a young woman who resembles her mistress. Surprised to be taken for Clemency, Hetty carries out a daring deception that makes her a nobleman’s wife and the mistress of a magnificent country estate, despite doubts about her among some in her aristocratic new set. Suspenseful, surprising, and heartwarming, The American Heiress is a tale of love, war, and the far-reaching, often-unexpected consequences of our actions.

Michael Blake, a straitlaced English nobleman, desperately needs to marry an heiress. When he discovers that his intended bride--and her much-need dowry--has been romanced away from him by his own brother, he is forced to turn to the only other great heiress on the market. Emma Marks is an American adventuress who has spent the last few years traveling the world--a bargain she made with her father in return for her promise to marry a titled aristocrat by the time she's twenty-five. But when Michael is accused of a crime he didn't commit, can Emma help him deal with the ghosts of his past? And can Michael show Emma she doesn't need to travel the world to be happy because love is the greatest adventure of all?

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of American Heiress tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Jeffrey Toobin’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin includes: Historical context Chapter-by-chapter summaries Detailed timeline of key events Profiles of the main characters Important quotes Fascinating trivia Glossary of terms Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin: Bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin’s American Heiress is a thorough true crime account of the kidnapping and trial of Patty Hearst, whose sensational journey gripped the nation and defined a tumultuous period in American history. On February 4, 1974, Patricia Hearst—the heiress to the Hearst family fortune—was abducted by a group of left-wing revolutionaries called the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). What started as a media sensation turned into a circus when a recording was released in which Patty claimed she was joining the movement and her new name was Tania. Set against the backdrop of an already turbulent era, and based on hundreds of interviews and never-before-seen documents, American Heiress is a revelatory look at one of the most famous abductions of the twentieth century. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

The heart-pounding story of an unlikely band of ragtags who took on Hitler's Grand Prix driver. In the years before World War II, Adolf Hitler wanted to prove the greatness of the Third Reich in everything from track and field to motorsports. The Nazis poured money into the development of new race cars, and Mercedes-Benz came out with a stable of supercharged automobiles called Silver Arrows. Their drivers dominated the sensational world of European Grand Prix racing and saluted Hitler on their many returns home with victory.As the Third Reich stripped Jews of their rights and began their march toward war, one driver, René Dreyfus, a 32-year-old Frenchman of Jewish heritage who had enjoyed some early successes on the racing circuit, was barred from driving on any German or Italian race teams, which fielded the best in class, due to the rise of Hitler and Benito Mussolini.So it was that in 1937, Lucy Schell, an American heiress and top Monte Carlo Rally driver, needed a racer for a new team she was creating to take on Germany's Silver Arrows. Sensing untapped potential in Dreyfus, she funded the development of a nimble tiger of a new car built by a little-known French manufacturer called Delahaye. As the nations of Europe marched ever closer to war, Schell and Dreyfus faced down Hitler's top drivers, and the world held its breath in anticipation, waiting to see who would triumph.

"Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn't?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." --Allison Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of I Don't Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You "For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." —DAISY GOODWIN IN THE DAILY MAIL Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. In "The Duchess's Tattoo", Cora Cash is desperate to be a fashionable lady of society. Despite her title and her wealth, she finds that English society is not that welcoming to "The American Duchess." When Cora spies a distinctive snake tattoo on her mother-in-law's wrist, she decides that she must have one as well. It is up to the talented tattoo artist to save "The American Duchess" from herself. In addition to the short story, "The Duchess Tattoo", this also contains a letter from the author, Daisy Goodwin, on writing THE AMERICAN HEIRESS, an excerpt from "Titled Americans", an authentic quarterly publication from 1890 which listed all of the eligible titled bachelors still on the market, and an excerpt from AN AMERICAN HEIRESS, a moving and brilliantly entertaining debut novel coming from St. Martin's Press in June.

In this sweet historical romance, a British noble’s reluctant American bride discovers that their match is more than perfect. England, 1889. Though she stands to inherit her grandfather’s fortune, Clementine Maccoish prefers her work as a schoolteacher to the gaiety of high society. But when her pretty cousin runs off with a charlatan, it falls to Clementine to fulfill her grandfather’s wish and marry into English nobility. Loyal to a fault, she agrees to leave California for dreary England, where she will marry a man she’s never met. On a sleepless night in London, Clementine is drawn to a nearby garden by the sound of a fountain—only to rescues a handsome stranger from drowning in it. She’s stunned to discover the man is none other than the Earl of Fencroft—the man she’s conveniently betrothed to! The Earl has a reputation for being a man of mystery, and he is less than forthcoming about what led to his strange and perilous predicament. Intrigued by his secrets, Clementine wishes to find out the truth before she walks down the aisle to wed him!

From USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke comes the story of a bargain, a marriage of convenience . . . and the chance for love to last a lifetime They had a deal . . . From the moment she met the devil-may-care Duke of Margrave, Edie knew he could change her life. And when he agreed to her outrageous proposal of a marriage of convenience, she was transformed from ruined American heiress to English duchess. Five years later, she's delighted with their arrangement, especially since her husband is living on another continent. But deals are made to be broken . . . By marrying an heiress, Stuart was able to pay his family's enormous debts, and Edie's terms that he leave England forever seemed a small price to pay. But when a brush with death impels him home, he decides it's time for a real marriage with his luscious American bride, and he proposes a bold new bargain: ten days to win her willing kiss. But is ten days enough to win her heart?

L.A.’S BLACK ELITE, 80’S DECADENCE LUST, GREED AND GOLD To the outsider, Courtney Hamilton has the perfect life. She is the beautiful, intelligent but naive daughter of one of the most successful, black business men in Los Angeles in 1977. The family’s fortune was handed down by her great-grandfather, who was one of California’s first African American gold miners. Jealous of her daughter’s privileged upbringing, and haunted by her own past, Courtney’s mother, Danielle does everything she can to make her only daughter’s life miserable. However, Courtney is graduating from high school and determined to gain her independence. She falls in love with Richard Thurston, a less-fortunate but ambitious waiter from South L.A., goes to college and finds a passion for filmmaking, while her mother devises a plan to ruin Courtney’s happiness. Unfortunately, Danielle’s insatiable desire for power, money and sex, not only affects Courtney’s life but threatens the family fortune as well. Courtney finally sees her mother for who she really is, toughens up and starts her dream job of producing a film about African Americans and their struggles in the California gold mines-but several unexpected events prevent the film’s premiere and Courtney faces losing everything. Will Danielle ever become a caring, loving mother and reveal the secrets of her hidden past? And, more importantly, can Courtney forgive her mother for all that she has done and move on before time runs out? “This coming of age story captivates readers with vivid characters that live the 1980’s lifestyle to the fullest. From the discos and movie sets of Hollywood, to the designer boutiques of Paris-through corporate greed, insider trading, AIDS and the birth of technology, this story-within-a-story is a fusion of historical fact and fiction that takes the reader on an exciting journey while exploring one of the most remarkable decades of our generation.” Brenton Butler, author of They Said it was Murder “Marcano has created a fascinating story by weaving together a history lesson and a modern-day romance.” Phillip Zonkel, Long Beach Press Telegram

Miss Isadora Delafield may be an heiress, but her life is far from carefree. When her mother begins pressuring her to marry an elderly and uncouth duke, she escapes from the high society world she's always known and finds herself to be an unlikely candidate for a housekeeper position in rural Pennsylvania. Mr. Ian MacKenzie is known for his savvy business sense and has built his reputation and fortune completely on his own merits. But when his adopted parents are in need of a new housekeeper and Isadora is thrown into his path, he's unexpectedly charmed by her unconventional manner. Neither Isadora nor Ian expected to find the other so intriguing, but when mysterious incidents on the farm and the truth of Isadora's secret threaten those they love, they'll have to set aside everything they thought they wanted for a chance at happy-ever-after.

To save her family from financial ruin, Miss Poppy Garrison accepts an unusual proposition to participate in the New York social season in exchange for her grandmother settling a family loan that has unexpectedly come due. Ill-equipped to handle the intricacies of mingling within the New York Four Hundred, Poppy becomes embroiled in one hilarious fiasco after another, doomed to suffer a grand societal failure instead of being deemed the diamond of the first water her grandmother longs for her to become. Reginald Blackburn, second son of a duke, has been forced to travel to America to help his cousin, Charles Wynn, Earl of Lonsdale, find an American heiress to wed in order to shore up his family estate that is in desperate need of funds. Reginald himself has no interest in finding an heiress to marry, but when Poppy's grandmother asks him to give etiquette lessons to Poppy, he swiftly discovers he may be in for much more than he bargained for.

She's an American heiress. He's a devilish earl. When these two collide, the sparks ignite a shocking scandal in USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke's unforgettable Victorian-era romance. Linnet Holland wants nothing to do with fortune hunters. No, she's determined to marry a man who loves her. But just as she's about to accept the perfect marriage proposal from the man she wants, the rakish Earl of Featherstone interrupts and ruins everything, including her reputation, with his smoldering kiss . . . Jack Featherstone knows all about Linnet's "intended," and he's determined she won't fall prey to that villain as other women have in the past. But when his attempt to save Linnet ruins her instead, he knows he has to make things right. So he sets out to win this golden beauty . . . and prove to her that being ruined by him was the best thing that could have happened to her.

When Miss Beatrix Waterbury's Chicago-bound train ride is interrupted by a heist, Mr. Norman Nesbit, a man of science who believes his research was the target of the heist, comes to her aid. Despite the fact that they immediately butt heads, they join forces to make a quick escape. Upon her arrival in Chicago, Beatrix is surprised to discover her supposedly querulous Aunt Gladys shares her own suffragette passions. Encouraged by Gladys to leave her sheltered world, Beatrix begins working as a salesclerk at the Marshall Field and Company department store. When she again encounters Norman on a shopping expedition, he is quickly swept up in the havoc she always seems to attract. But when another attempt is made to part Norman from his research papers, and it becomes clear Beatrix's safety is also at risk, they soon discover the curious way feelings can grow between two very different people in the midst of chaos.

USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke is back with the latest in her dazzling An American Heiress in London series, in which a reformed rogue finds all his honorable resolutions tested by the only woman who ever broke his heart . . . After spending his youth as one of the wildest rakes in the ton, Lord Denys Somerton has devoted the past six years to putting his past behind him. He is determined to fulfill his duties, find a suitable wife, and start a family, but that plan changes when Lola Valentine—the red-haired temptress from his past—returns to London, sparking the same irresistible desires that almost ruined his life once before. Lola is a woman with no romantic illusions. She knew love would never be enough for a British lord and an American girl from the wrong side of the tracks. For Denys’s sake, she walked away from him and the glittering life he offered. But when an unexpected inheritance brings her back to London, Lola discovers the passion between them is as hot as ever. Can they vanquish it, or will it burn out of control again and destroy them both? A RITA® Award Winner for Historical Romance Long!

An American heiress turned resistance hero, Muriel Gardiner was an electrifying woman who impressed everyone she met with her beauty, intelligence, and powerful personality. Her adventurous life led her from Chicago's high society to a Viennese medical school, from Sigmund Freud's inner circle to the Austrian underground. Over the years, she saved countless Jews and anti-fascists, providing shelter and documents ensuring their escape. This remarkable woman's life as a legend of the Austrian Resistance was captured in the movie Julia with Vanessa Redgrave and remains an inspiration to all those who believe that one individual can change the world. Gardiner's astonishing story is told here for the first time in all its variety and unanticipated twists and turns.