I just read Astor and I give it I read the first book these ✰✰✰ 1/2 stars.
I read the first book these two wrote together, "Vanderbilt" which was the history of Anderson's family. I am a big fan of gilded age stuff so I wanted to read their take on the Astor's. I'm also interested in what happened to these huge gilded age fortunes.
This book was interesting for the first half or so, as it traveled well-worn gilded age stories but I did learn more about how the Astors got so rich (not just the fur trade, but also they owned a huge amount of real estate in Manhattan). I also thought the sections on the Astor who died on the Titanic was interesting. But once the fortune got disseminated among ancestors, and much of it got squandered (which apparently is the way these Gilded Age fortunes go), it wasn't so interesting. There was an odd chapter about a bar at the Astor Hotel as a meeting place for gays for many years mid-century, but that wasn't much about the Astors as it was as a cultural moment. It was interesting, but not a great fit for the book. The final chapter on Brooke Astor was ok but just a sad way for this family story to end.
Anyway, I don't completely recommend but if you are interested in rich families loosing it all, this could be a book for you.
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