The Second Mrs. Astor: A Heartbreaking Historical Novel of the Titanic

Loved this book; the story satisfied, the beautiful sophisticated writing style was consumable; highly recommend for enjoying between heavy reads.

Interesting and captivating love story while keeping with historical facts. I found at times sometimes the sentences were a little wordy but that was holding true to the vernacular of the time. I’m glad I read it on my kindle to be able to strengthen my own vocabulary. It was a plus in the end.

A fascinating piece of historical fiction. I about the Astor family in general but not the background of Mr. Astor drowning on the "Titanic". The book is very well written; I could barely put it down. I hope the author has more books like this in mind.

Although the story sounded like one I could enjoy, it did not hit the mark. It is about a 17 year old girl who marries a man almost 30 years her senior. You have to question why a man close to 50 years of age would marry a teenager, other than the obvious physical angle. A man of his stature in the early 1900's required a wife who could represent him socially as well as support him emotionally, not exactly something a teenage girl would be experienced or qualified to do. John Jacob Astor was one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time of his death on the Titanic. His 5-month pregnant child-bride survived. Outside of being a passenger on the ill-fated journey and that she married into fabulous wealth and luxury, her life was not very interesting. Madeleine and Colonel Astor were together for only a short time, and thus this fictionalized story of her life had little to offer. The author did not show that Madeleine accomplished much of anything, certainly nothing or not enough to base an entire book on. If you are looking for a book about the Titanic, there are enough choices out there to satisfy any interest in the tragedy and the people involved, both real and fictionalized. Do not consider this book if you are making the purchase to learn about the Titanic - or if you are looking to read about an interesting person, for that matter, a person who has accomplished something, anything actually. You will be disappointed. I googled Madeleine Astor after I finished the book, and much of the information Ms. Abe' included was easily and quickly found. So I'm not sure just how much research was required on her part when trying to write about Madeleine. It couldn't have been easy coming up with a story about a person that young who hadn't done much or accomplished much outside of being the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world and only for a very short period of time. I question why Ms. Abe' chose Madeleine to be the focus of an entire book. Surely the choices the author had were endless. A better subject could have been... almost anybody! Would not recommend.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I learned about these bigger than life characters. The novel was beautiful and heartbreaking. I felt I was right there with them. Couldn't put it down.

I’d rather hear more on the actual sinking of the Titanic than Madeline and Jack’s courtship. And a little more name dropping for that era considering who the Astors are. But a good read.

A beautiful story of deep love, kindness and despair. Clearly shows how the paparazzi of the past created lies and chased the story of Madeline and Jack Astor from their first date right through Jacks death and funeral.

The writer of this book made me feel as if I was actually there in 1911 and 1912. The way the author describes the time period, the rooms, the clothing, it left nothing unturned. I could not stop reading it.

I Like this book because it was a very deep story and heart breaking and therefore lovely to read. I reccomend it as it gives you many romantic moments and a feeling of deep relationships with different characters.

I have no words that will show how wonderful this book is. Very emotional, i fell in love with the characters, i cried.

Those of you who are already looking forward to watching Julian Fellows‘ The Gilded Age on TV, should read The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe. This novel, set in New York in the early 1900s follows a young socialite, Madeleine Force, as she meets and falls in love with a much older man, Colonel Jack Astor. (His mother, Mrs Lina Astor, is featured in the TV series). Causing a scandal, the two marry and go on an extended honeymoon to Egypt. If you know your history well, it won’t be a spoiler to tell you that this is also a story of the sinking of the Titanic – in fact, the book’s subtitle mentions the fated cruise liner. The novel is, however, so much more than just another book about the Titanic. This story is about love, tolerance (or the lack of), equality and humanity. Madaleine is acutely aware of her inadequate social standing compared to the Astors’ Knickerbocker ancestry. What’s more, Jack Astor is more than 25 years her senior and the richest man in the country. After their marriage, Madelaine is shunned by society and haunted by the press. To escape the scandal – and the freezing New York winter – the pair decide to take a trip to warmer climes. Having met the Chairman of the White Star Line, Bruce Ismay, during their journey, Jack is keen to travel home on the maiden voyage of the new Olympic-class ocean liner. Needless to say, it’s a fated decision. The Second Mrs. Astor is a very engaging read and one that kept my mind off our own troubles at sea.

This book is well written and well researched. It very much helps me understand the times, the roles in society and how women fit in. I thought because I likely knew the ending I would loose interest but i loved every page and still found the story all consuming as the Titanic began to struggle. The book club questions were thought provoking and useful with our book club. Everyone enjoyed this book.

The Second Mrs. Astor is a deeply moving love story, a beautifully written saga which sweeps the reader through from the initial meeting of John Jacob Astor and Madeleine Talmage Force to their wedding and onwards to the ill-fated voyage on the Titanic. Ms Abe creates a fascinating imagining of the relationship between divorcee Jack and seventeen year old Madeleine from their first meeting and her lyrical manner of writing had me drawn back to 1911/1912 giving insight into how things might have happened between them. Kudos to the author for drawing such a richly nuanced picture of how life was in the gilded age. I have to confess one thing - and it is a pretty big thing - I read the book through to when they boarded the Titanic and skimmed through the rest. This in no way has anything to do with the writing - it's my own extensive knowledge of what happened on the Titanic which made me take this particular path, but I would thoroughly recommend readers investigate this book for themselves.