Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First of all, I'd like to preface my review by saying that I never really understand when reviewers say things like "I'll never get that time back" when criticizing a book that's meant to be entertainment. Unless something is a school assignment, is necessary for continued participation in a book club, or a threat at gunpoint is involved, why finish a book you hate? Isn't life too short to read bad books? I don't consider myself a "quitter" when I choose not to finish a book; I just consider a different use of my time, because time is money. (And so are books, admittedly.) With that being said, I did finish this book, and was entertained by it. Does that make it a great book? No, but do all books have to be great literature? Let's hope not, because that would really lower the bar on what's considered great. Entertainment aside, this is a very formulaic book with a very predictable plot. The heroine is a static character, and there's a pretty poor attempt at an African-American, southern-born lady's maid -- the concept of which could have been very interesting, considering, but ends up being a fail here. Additionally, there are very modern (as in, 21st century) character views in the book which don't ring true at all for the times. Marriage for love was an anomaly; marriage for money, property or position was the norm. Things like cheating husbands, mistresses, etc., were, if carried on tastefully, not just accepted by wives, but were often even expected. Would most 21st-century women be shocked and outraged by being expected to live that way? Probably. But if you're writing a book about another era, does it make sense to plop a 21st-century woman into the center of it? Ms. Goodwin does do a fantastic job of recreating this world, in the sense of social behaviors, clothes, furniture and the like. Her atmosphere is really very good in that regard, and when details like these are used to further the sense of transportation into another time or place, I disagree with readers who dismiss these details as mere fluff. They're part of what makes this book entertaining. For entertainment's sake, "The American Heiress" lives up to its many good reviews. It is entertaining, it's a fun read, and it's an easy read. If you're a fan of this era and/or these situations, and want something autobiographical, check out "The Glitter and the Gold" by Consuelo Vanderbilt, from whose life and circumstances this book heavily borrows. For straight-up nonfiction, check out "To Marry an English Lord" by Carol McD. Wallace and Gail MacColl. For "great" literature based on this era and circumstances, try anything by Edith Wharton. But don't blame Ms. Goodwin for not being Edith Wharton. Because at the end of the day, who *is* Edith Wharton ... but Edith Wharton?