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The Glitter and the Gold | 
 enlarge | Author: Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
Publisher: George Mann Books
Category: Book
List Price: $20.55
Buy Used: $2.42
You Save: $18.13 (88%)
New (7) Used (31) from $2.42
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 104708
Media: Paperback
Pages: 270
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0704100029
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780704100022
ASIN: 0704100029
Publication Date: January 1, 1953
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Condition: Paperback cover is worn, mainly around the edges. Still a nice reading copy. Good reading copy. Expedited orders placed before 3 PM EST ship the SAME DAY. Automatic Upgrade to Priority Mail shipping on U.S. orders over $40. Multiple books ordered from Look at a Book in a single checkout will help you reach the $40 threshold for your free Priority Mail Upgrade! Satisfaction Guaranteed!
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Book Description
This is the fascinating story of the American heiress, Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the ninth Duke of Marlborough for anything but love in 1895. A very human story told with candor and objectivity. It will keep your interest from the first page to the last. Everybody who was anybody can be seen in these pages. From artists and writers to statesmen of the world - view her world from the splendors of the courts of St. Petersburg and Vienna to the cold and desolate winter in France of 1940's. Here is a very candid and revealing personal story coupled with a unique insider's view of aristocracy's golden age.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
A marvelous glimpse into her world November 9, 2007
"Friends have often told me that I should write my story and describe the world of my youth, which was so different from that of today," writes Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan in the Foreword of her autobiography The Glitter and the Gold.
Indeed, the world she described has all but disappeared, and was certainly inaccessible to the majority of people who lived in her era. It is difficult to imagine a life so full of privilege, opulent jewels, and extravagant gowns. She describes beautiful balls, famous people, and earth shaking world events from a first person point of view. From her early life as a member of America's richest family, to her ascent into British nobility, surviving World War I, and fleeing Europe during World War II, she lived through these days and she is sharing them with us.
Consuelo brings her readers into her world, yet we get only a few glimpses into her own heart and mind. Her opinions - of people, situations, politics, the pointlessness of British formality - are often clearly spelled out, but she glosses over much of her emotions and feelings about her personal life. Her writing style implies a great deal, but she was not the kind of woman to write a "tell all" account of her life, in the modern sense of a memoir. Instead, she chooses her words very carefully, using "Mr. X" to describe someone whose identity she wishes to protect. You get the sense that she does not want to divulge too much, and she virtually skips over the juiciest details of her life with a just few well thought out phrases.
For example, we know from the beginning that her mother forced her into a loveless marriage with the Duke of Marlborough, and that she was crying tears of sorrow on the morning of her wedding. She makes her opinion of her husband quite plain, but in a 19th century elegance that needs to be decoded a bit. Appearances were very important to him, and he expected her to memorize long lists of people with whom they would associate. She was not yet 20 and was charged with organizing and hosting lavish parties for England's most important people.
We know she is not happy with the Duke, and yet the couple had two sons. The practicality of such a coupling, when they did not care for each other and maintained separate bedrooms, raises a few questions that Consuelo was too tasteful to explain. What must her emotions have been, knowing she was having a child with a man she did not love, and who did not love her? On that significant point, she is silent.
After several years of what she vaguely calls "solitude," she finally marries French aviator Jacques Balsan for love. She does not talk at all about their courtship, why she fell in love with him, or what their lives were really like. She titles the chapter "A Marriage of Love," and we know that she was indeed happy with her new husband. But I expected more details leading up to the marriage. Instead, in one paragraph she talks about waiting for her divorce to be final. In the next she writes, "On July 4, 1921 I was married to Jacques Balsan in the Chapel Royal of the Savoy at nine in the morning." Rather to the point. She goes on to say, "...life with Jacques Balsan has brought me the profound happiness companionship with one equally loved and honoured means." But she does not say much more about their relationship. She provides virtually no details of their private lives, but she does devote several pages to describing his professional achievements. His accomplishments in the French military are impressive, but I would have liked to know more about how they got back in touch, how he proposed to her, and how her emotions were vastly different at her second wedding than they were for her first. We don't even know if her mother attended the second wedding! That would have been an interesting conversation.
One of my favorite things about Consuelo is her wit. She was so refined, and yet she had a sense of humor that comes across in her writing, perhaps more than if one knew her in person. She recounts tales that makes you smile, if not laugh out loud. Although she did not connect with many of her husband's family in any meaningful way, she found a lifelong friend in his cousin Winston Churchill. He did not get along well with Lady Astor, and Consuelo writes of an amusing exchange between them: "After a heated argument on some trivial matter Nancy, with a fervor whose sincerity could not be doubted, shouted, `If I were your wife I would put poison in your coffee!' Whereupon Winston with equal heat and sincerity answered, `And if I were your husband I would drink it.'"
She provides the reader with details about life inside British royalty that one cannot find anyplace else, showing them as human beings. For example, in describing the coronation of Queen Alexandra, she "watched the shaking hand of the Archbishop as, from the spoon which held the sacred oil, he anointed her forehead. I held my breath as a trickle escaped and ran down her nose. With a truly royal composure she kept her hands clasped in prayer; only a look of anguish betrayed concern as her eyes met mine and seemed to ask, `Is the damage great?'" This reminds us all that life can throw you a curveball, royalty or not!
At times Consuelo goes on for paragraphs describing people the reader has never heard of. And if it weren't for her refinement, and the knowledge that she is writing about her own reality, it may come across as name dropping. Someone as classy as Consuelo is not trying to impress you. She is merely recounting her life, which happens to be amply sprinkled with British royalty, famous writers and artists, and the crème de la crème of society. Still, it was a bit tedious to read litanies about "the former Mrs. So-and-so, who later became Duchess of This-and-that."
My biggest complaint about her narrative is its abrupt ending. I hadn't realized there was an index in the book, so I naturally assumed there was some kind of epilogue or afterward to wrap up her story in the pages that were left. I was enthralled by her escape from Europe after the Germans invaded France. I was tense, wondering (although I already knew!) if she would get out all right, and how she and her husband would get their visas and board a ship or plane bound for America. And in the midst of the tension, she simply quit writing! We know nothing about her life for the duration of the war or afterward, and a quick internet search provided few additional details beyond her death date in December 1964 (over 10 years after she published The Glitter and the Gold).
I have not been to Europe, but I understand that Blenheim Palace, Consuelo's former home with the Duke of Marlborough, is open to the public. Her book describes the lavish home in detail, but there is only one photo - her massive, luxurious bedroom at Blenheim. Also included in the illustrations is a portrait of Consuelo and her son Ivor, which is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A few years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Marble House, one of Consuelo's childhood homes in Newport, Rhode Island. The entire home is constructed of Marble, and I would love to return, now that I have read more about the venerable Consuelo who was virtually imprisoned there before her mother forced her into a loveless marriage with the Duke. I recall the superb audio tour recounting the Vanderbilts' parties, their sumptuous lifestyle, and the hundreds and hundreds of staff members it took to keep the place running. Well worth a stop if you find yourself in Newport.
I enjoyed The Glitter and the Gold, and am enthralled enough to read more books about the Vanderbilt family. This book was not a "quick read," because of the flourish of the prose, but was definitely enjoyable.
 The Vanderbilt Family July 9, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A comprehensive look at several generations of the Vanderbilt family, particularly Consuelo, and the enormous wealth they enjoyed.
The Glitter and the Gold January 3, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Excellent book to read. Right from the person who had lived it.
A Peek Into The Past August 2, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I had just recently had the pleasure of visiting Blenheim Palace and I remember our tour guide talking about the beautiful American Duchess Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan and how she had written a book about her life. After viewing that lovely portrait found on the front cover of her book I just had to find out more about this woman. While reading the book I found that she was a courageous and talented woman who had the rare chance of being part of the British upper class. It is an interesting life that this woman lead being forced into a marriage that she did not want to be in, having to live with a man who was worlds apart from her and having to wait so long to marry her true love.
Despite all of this she does not let this stop her from helping the poor especially women, and fighting for women's rights. She also is in France during the start of World War II and throughout her life meets some amazing people especially one person most people will know Winston Churchill. It also will give readers a peek into the late Victorian era and into the lifestyles of the wealthy.
Keeping in mind that this is an autobiography this book can be tedious at times. She mentions a slew of names that most readers will not know and she seems to keep the reader at arm's length and does not go into deep details of her personal life. I believe this is due to the time period in which she lived where people did not share great personal feelings to strangers.
I think this is not a book for all but those who have visited Blenheim or have an interest in the upper class of this time period will find the book to be interesting and will have fun researching all the famous people she mentions. I enjoyed this book and it made my visit to Blenheim wonderful.
 Churchill was older than Consuelo May 31, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Another reviewer said that Churchill was born at Blenheim during one of the weekend functions she was forced to host. Churchill was older than Consuelo by a few years, so this isn't true, although it is true he was born at Blenheim. That reviewer also describes her as extremely well educated, which I also take issue with. She was educated until the age of 17 by private tutors or in small group settings. More was apparently spent on her education than the average Aristocratic woman in England, but it is a stretch to call someone who had not even attained a bachelor's degree extremely well educated. I know college education was rare for women at the turn of the century, but it wasn't unheard of even before her birth.
What this book really does is give us Americans a clue about the social hierarchy in England and other European nations. I simply didn't understand how ingrained this culture was until reading this book. I think I understand it now for the first time at a gut level. For instance, she describes an embarrassing situation early in her career as Duchess where she failed to leave the table in the correct order of precedence. Then she was introduced to a book that gave her the numbered ranking of the aristocrats (including her own) so she would know what order to follow. Amazing. I had no idea one's social rank was so constantly at issue and thrown in your face. I just thought there were general levels and everyone on one level was more or less equal. Not so according to this book.
So, don't read this for juicy gossip as the other reviewer's comments are correct about that. Read it to understand how the class structure worked in Europe at this time, and you will be pleased. If you aren't interested in that, I wouldn't bother.
Oh yes, I believe she did have a ghost writer on this book. Some people have posted that she wrote it herself. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure I read somewhere that she had a ghostwriter.
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