The American Heiress

April 25, 2011
It's a battle of the New and Old Worlds, and for much of this lush look at Edwardian excess and scandal on both sides of the Atlantic, it's tough taking sides. American Cora Cash is the impetuous and spoiled-brat daughter of a flour-making millionaire and a nouveau rich mother from hell, growing up in mansions on Fifth Avenue and Newport at the tail end of the 19th century and introduced to society at a ball where gold-sprayed hummingbirds are released at midnight. But Cora's mother has her one good eyeâthe other was mangled in a bizarre wardrobe malfunctionâon just one prize for her only daughter: a title. Cora, only too happy to free herself from her overbearing mother, happily obliges and, once in Jolly Ol' England, literally falls in front of, and in love with, the handsome and mysterious ninth duke of Wareham. But plopped into a chilly English castle and laughed at for her American ways by high- and low-brow alike, Cora discovers she's merely traded prisons and has to use some Yankee resilience and resourcefulness to unravel her stubbornly aloof husband's dark secrets, win his heart, and earn her place. Television producer Goodwin's debut is a propulsive story of love, manners, culture clash, and store-bought class from a time long past that proves altogether fresh.

June 27, 2011
In the late 19th century, beautiful Cora Cash (named without subtlety) is one of the richest debutantes in America. Spoiled, haughty, yet looking for an escape from her overbearing mother, Cora agrees to travel with her mother to England in search of a husband with a titleâthe one thing new American money can't buy. She meets Ivo, the duke of Wareham, and soon finds herself married, surprisingly, for love. Away from her mother and with the title of duchess, it seems as if Cora has it all. Yet English society life proves difficult to navigate; she faces betrayal and embarrassment. Goodwin's attention to period detail and her inclusion of perspectives from many different characters carries the book through 14 hours of listening. Katherine Kellgren assigns distinct voices to every character, from Cora's maid Bertha to the pretentious Mrs. Cash. While Kellgren consistently maintains each voice, her cartoonish, shrill, and affected voices for the villains grate over time. A St. Martin's hardcover.