A Well-Behaved Woman: a novel of New York’s Gilded Age and a Vanderbilt who dared to break society’s rules

By: Therese Anne Fowler

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Synopsis: 'A glittering depiction of a woman ahead of her time who absolutely refused to be second best' Red OUTSPOKEN. BRAVE. BRILLIANT. FIERCE.Alva Smith, her Southern family destitute after the Civil War, marries into one of America's great Gilded Age dynasties: the newly wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilts. Ignored by New York's old-money circles and determined to win respect, she designs and builds nine mansions, hosts grand balls, and arranges for her daughter to marry a duke. But Alva also defies convention for women of the time, asserting power within her marriage and becoming a leader in the women's suffrage movement. With a nod to Jane Austen and Edith Wharton, bestselling author Therese Anne Fowler paints a glittering world of enormous wealth contrasted with desperate poverty, of social ambition and social scorn, of friendship and betrayal, and an unforgettable story of a remarkable woman.GOOD BEHAVIOUR WILL ONLY GET A WOMAN SO FAR.'A very lively read' Independent 'A pacy, elegant novel' Mail on Sunday 'Wholly absorbing' Stylist 'Therese Anne Fowler's portrait of this feisty, forward-thinking woman is enthralling' Good HousekeepingOPTIONED BY SONY PICTURES TELEVISION*PRAISE FOR Z: A NOVEL OF ZELDA FITZGERALD, A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*'Brilliant. Read it, read it, read it' Daily Mail 'Superb' Independent on Sunday 'Utterly compulsive reading' Stylist 'A treat' Sunday Times