A rags-to-riches story complete with a Gilded Age setting, what’s not to love?  Shana Abé penned a winner with An American Beauty. 

In this fictionalized account of Arabella Duval Huntington’s fascinating and controversial life, the author transports readers from the devastation of Richmond, Virginia in the aftermath of the Civil War to Park Avenue luxury in New York City. Arabella begins her journey in genteel poverty, forced into the sacrifices women of her era made out of dire necessity. The beauty of the family, she takes a job, at her mother’s instigation, at a gambling venue frequented by men of substance, earning just enough to keep her family afloat.

Still a teenager, she is essentially dangled temptingly before potential sugar-daddies, wearing an alluring dress, serving drinks, and playing piano. Inevitably, she is noticed. The much older railroad millionaire Collis Huntington is smitten and before long Arabella becomes his mistress. Married and a father, Huntington, like most wealthy men of his era, thought it perfectly reasonable to set up his mistress in a convenient location near his Park Avenue abode. Arabella agrees to this arrangement provided her entire family can accompany her to Manhattan.

Collis buys her a fine apartment and for the sake of appearances, bribes Johnny Worshand, her former employer, to pose as her husband. Eventually, when she becomes pregnant, Johnny vanishes and she is conveniently widowed. These events were the subject of innuendo and speculation, and given her wealth, she became a frequent target of blackmail.

Arabella’s choices did not come free of social consequences. Her position was comparable to that of a courtesan, her relationship with Collis known to his wife Elizabeth, their daughter, and everyone else in their elite circle. When Elizabeth passes away, Arabella becomes the new Mrs. Huntington, but is never accepted by the leaders of New York society. She shrugs off the gossip and carves out an enviable life with Collis, whom she seemed to love sincerely after entering the relationship as a matter of pragmatism.

They buy an estate in Westchester County, and while Collis expands his empire, Arabella invests wisely in real estate, art and jewelry, and becomes a leading philanthropist, supporting hospitals and universities and eventually endowing the Huntington Library in California.

There is so much to like about this novel. Shana Abé conveys the Gilded Age zeitgeist effectively. From the first paragraphs of her stylish opening chapter, she draws the reader into a deliciously filmic scene, creating a compelling snapshot of her main character that hooks us into the story and sets the tone for a very well-crafted novel. Ms. Abé’s voice is stamped on prose that is much more engaging than the generic, self-consciously manicured writing school product often seen in novels with this setting. That’s a plus. Her style distinguishes her storytelling from ‘the pack’ and imbues her story with a tangible sense of sincerity and warmth I found very appealing.

Her set up chapters kept me turning pages, and I also appreciated the research evident in the detail threaded through the entire book. Some readers may find this element overdone on occasion. I didn’t. However, the plot felt saggy and there was a repetitive feel to some elements. For that I could not rank the story higher than a solid 4.5, which for me is as high as it gets unless a novel is superbly crafted and unique within its genre across multiple elements.

I recommend this novel wholeheartedly. It’s also available in an audiobook narrated by Gail Shalan.

An American Beauty was reviewed in ARC format through Netgalley. Cover image courtesy of Kensington Books © 2023.  Review by Meredith Thompson © 2023 The Regency Chronicle.