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  • The Glitter and the Gold: The American Duchess---In Her Own Words
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Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
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The Glitter and the Gold: The American Duchess---In Her Own Words Hardcover – Illustrated, Oct. 2 2012

4.1 out of 5 stars 1,188 ratings
3.6 on Goodreads
2,336 ratings

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A new edition of Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan's memoir--the story of the "real" Lady Grantham of Downton Abbey

Consuelo Vanderbilt was young, beautiful, and heir to a vast fortune. She was also in love with an American suitor when her mother chose instead for her to marry an English Duke. She sailed to England as the Duchess of Marlborough in 1895 and took up residence in her new home--Blenheim Palace. She was the real American heiress who lived long before Downton Abbey's Lady Grantham arrived.

Mme. Balsan is an unsnobbish and amused observer of the intricate hierarchy both upstairs and downstairs and a revealing witness to the glittering balls, huge weekend parties, and major state occasions she attended or hosted chronicling her encounters with every important figure of the day--from Queen Victoria, Edward VII and Queen Alexandra to Tsar Nicholas and the young Winston Churchill.

The Glitter and the Gold is a richly enjoyable memoir is a revealing portrait of a golden age now being celebrated every week behind the doors of Downton Abbey.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Press
  4. Publication date
    Oct. 2 2012
  5. Dimensions
    14.99 x 2.54 x 21.72 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    9781250017185
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250017185
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Product description

Review

"A woman of poise, beauty, and charm looks back on her life at the very center of the most opulent and aristocratic society of three countries, the United States, Britain, and France . . . and emerges . . . a woman of courage, public spirit refinement, and surprisingly democratic convictions." --The New York Times

"Consuelo Vanderbilt was the original poor little rich girl. A wonderful account of the glitz and glamour of the Gilded Age and how money really can't buy you love." --Daisy Goodwin, author of The American Heiress

About the Author

CONSEULO VANDERBILT BALSAN was born in 1877. She became the Duchess of Marlborough on her marriage in 1895. She died in 1964. She was the author of the memoir The Glitter and the Gold: The American Duchess---in Her Own Words.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1250017181
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ Oct. 2 2012
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Revised ed.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781250017185
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250017185
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.99 x 2.54 x 21.72 cm
  • 鶹 Rank: #790,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 1,188 ratings

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Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan

Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan

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4.1 out of 5 stars
1,188 global ratings

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Top reviews from Canada

  • Honey Bunny
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
    Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I love history and this book is right up there with the important people of our time. Ms Vanderbilt has a very interesting way of writing.
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  • Chakia
    4.0 out of 5 stars Came out thinking - Good for you woman
    Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Have read several books on the "Vanderbilt"s but this book really covers all of Consuelo. Came out thinking - Good for you woman, you done great.
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  • Genevieve Pépin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cant stop reading
    Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Very good book. Fascinating all this period and her life. I red this book before going to Visit Bleiham palace in Uk last Christmas and i was happy i did. Love Consuelo....nice ladyand great anectodes.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Brenda gilbert
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting memoir. She met and socialized with some ...
    Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting memoir. She met and socialized with some very known people.
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  • Pat Fournier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on June 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Loved it
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  • 鶹 Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing history, well written!
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  • Megan
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2004
    This book is so much fun. If you're interested in the history of the upper class in the US or England, it is well worth checking this book out. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny, such as the description of dinner with the Duke; others are edge-of-your-seat exciting, such has her escape from the oncoming Germans in WWI; and others are just poignant, such as some of the anecdotes from her childhood. Like other reviewers, I do wish she had given more detail. She is a classy lady, though, and only kisses and tells about those she thinks really deserve it (mainly her first husband). Less fun for the reader, but there's still enough juicy gossip to keep me interested.
    It is inexpertly written, but I think this ads to the book's charm. Mrs. Balsan obviously wrote it herself instead of taking the modern route and finding a ghost-writer.
    If you enjoy this book, check out "To Marry and English Lord," which expands on Consuelo's story by talking about many other young hieresses of the time who married abroad.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • W
    2.0 out of 5 stars pictures not good quality
    Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Book its self is very good. Pictures and paper not good quality
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • G. Soots
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great to hear from her own words.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Been awhile since I’ve shared anything but I just finished this book last month. Already familiar with the story, I wanted to read it directly through her thoughts in memoirs. I know this is a bit of a long post but bear with me if you have the inclination.

    Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan may not sound significant now but she is a fascinating person from American, British, and French 19th and 20th centuries history. Born to her domineering American aristocrat mother, Alva, and loving but weaker father, WK.

    She was only 18 when she married Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. Yes, Spencer as in Lady Diana’s family and Churchill being Winston’s family. She immediately became one of the highest ranking members of the British peerage as Duchess Marlborough. The 10th highest Dukedom’s of peerage of England.

    To put this in context, at the age of 18 her duties would be somewhat similar to that of a Four-Star Officer’s wife. Yet even at such a young age she handle her duties nearly flawlessly. At the death of Queen Victoria she was Selected by Edward VII’s wife, Queen-Empress Alexandra to be one of the four Duchesses to act as Canopy Bearers at her husbands and her coronation - a great honor.

    She remained in her loveless marriage for 26 years until granted an annulment and the married her second husband Jacque Balsan.

    Through all of her years she was a great patron of many charities and causes. All laid out for the reader here. While enjoying a well earned and idyllic life in France, her and her husband had to flee when the Germans occupied the country. They settled in Florida back in Consuelo’s country of birth.

    For those of you who enjoy the HBO MAX series “The Guilded Age.” You can see that two of the main characters are based on Alva and Consuelo. No one has said this but it’s quite obvious.

    I enjoyed this read and have placed it in the Anglophile section of my Library. :)

    Again, hearing directly from Consuelo adds reality to a subject that is somewhat mythical in other biography’s. The only sad thing is it ends at an early part of WWII while she lived another 20 years.
    Customer image
    G. Soots
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Great to hear from her own words.

    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
    Been awhile since I’ve shared anything but I just finished this book last month. Already familiar with the story, I wanted to read it directly through her thoughts in memoirs. I know this is a bit of a long post but bear with me if you have the inclination.

    Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan may not sound significant now but she is a fascinating person from American, British, and French 19th and 20th centuries history. Born to her domineering American aristocrat mother, Alva, and loving but weaker father, WK.

    She was only 18 when she married Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. Yes, Spencer as in Lady Diana’s family and Churchill being Winston’s family. She immediately became one of the highest ranking members of the British peerage as Duchess Marlborough. The 10th highest Dukedom’s of peerage of England.

    To put this in context, at the age of 18 her duties would be somewhat similar to that of a Four-Star Officer’s wife. Yet even at such a young age she handle her duties nearly flawlessly. At the death of Queen Victoria she was Selected by Edward VII’s wife, Queen-Empress Alexandra to be one of the four Duchesses to act as Canopy Bearers at her husbands and her coronation - a great honor.

    She remained in her loveless marriage for 26 years until granted an annulment and the married her second husband Jacque Balsan.

    Through all of her years she was a great patron of many charities and causes. All laid out for the reader here. While enjoying a well earned and idyllic life in France, her and her husband had to flee when the Germans occupied the country. They settled in Florida back in Consuelo’s country of birth.

    For those of you who enjoy the HBO MAX series “The Guilded Age.” You can see that two of the main characters are based on Alva and Consuelo. No one has said this but it’s quite obvious.

    I enjoyed this read and have placed it in the Anglophile section of my Library. :)

    Again, hearing directly from Consuelo adds reality to a subject that is somewhat mythical in other biography’s. The only sad thing is it ends at an early part of WWII while she lived another 20 years.
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  • Race
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
    Reviewed in Spain on December 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A great story which i have read a few times now...
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  • MissIleana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magnifique !
    Reviewed in France on June 23, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    On suit avec beaucoup d'intérêt la vie de la jeune Consuelo Vanderbilt, devenue ensuite Duchesse de Malborough, puis Mme Jacques Balsan. Née au 19ème siècle, cette jeune américaine, richissime mais extrêmement bien instruite, parlant plusieurs langues, habitant dans trois pays différents, nous livre ses mémoires, détaillant les personnes qu'elle a rencontrées, s'attardant sur les événements auxquels elle a participés, racontant finalement le (grand) monde dans lequel elle vivait. Elle nous embarque dans le voyage de ses souvenirs et on la suit avec grand plaisir, d'autant plus qu'elle a une bonne dose d'humour et qu'elle nous le montre.
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  • cat
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr interessant
    Reviewed in Germany on August 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Viel Neues, sehr spannend geschrieben, man lernt viel dazu und ist beeindruckt von all der Geldverschwendung und dem Lebensstil der upper class Amerikas zur letzten Jahrhundertwende.
    Habs mit großer Freude gelesen, kann ich nur empfehlen
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  • Jayjay60
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing life story of a real success, hearing first hand how the rich and famous lived.
    A great read totally absorbing would recommend to anyone interested in Victorian/Edwardian history.
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