Tuesday Tea and Tomes: Anderson Cooper's 'Vanderbilt, the Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty' (review by a Vander-obsessed blogger)

Vanderbilt:  The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty served up with Biltmore tea set

Disclaimer to the review: I'm a bit Vander-obsessed. In the past decade, I've visited four of their homes-turned-museums in the U.S. and one in England,  viewed their treasures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, walked the grounds of their namesake university and read  the family's biographies and autobiographies.  (And, if we enter the WABAC machine, I owned a few pairs of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in the early 1980's - wearing a pair on my first date with my husband, Chris).

Reading Consuelo Vanderbilt's autobiography while in Newport

So, when I saw the promotions early this fall for Anderson Cooper's latest book (son of the famous jeans designer) with the  title  "Vanderbilt, the Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty", I knew I had to purchase. 

Vanderbilt Mansion Hyde Park, NY

Bringing fam to my Vanderbilt trips - Rachel in NY mansion

Gloria Vanderbilt wasn't the only famous Vanderbilt, of course, but she may well have been the last one to have enjoyed the lavish lifestyle that the family was well-known for. 

Cooper, is the great-great-great grandson of Cornelius  Vanderbilt  (aka, "The Commodore) who amassed the family's great fortune, first in shipping, then railroads, in the 19th century and passed it down to generations who constructed or restored some of the largest homes in American and England. By the 20th century, little was left in family coffers due to careless spending, taxes, and shifts in the transportation industry.  However, some gilded-aged relics of their excesses remain in the form of mansions and palaces that are private residences turned public galleries.  These mansions include, the Biltmore in North Carolina, The Breakers and The Marble House (referred to as "cottages") in Rhode Island,  the Vanderbilt Home in New York and, across the pond, Blenheim Palace (and, yes, I've been to all of them).

Vanderbilt University, Nashville

Biltmore, NC

The first half of Anderson Cooper's book focuses on the "rise" and ostentatious display  of the family's wealth. If you're new to the family history, this is a good and readable introduction. For those of us who've been acquainted with this dynasty for some time, including social climbing Alva Vanderbilt who not only challenged "the Mrs. Astor" but pushed her daughter Consuelo into a loveless marriage to a British aristocrat for status,  the dedicated chapters to the colorful characters won't provide a whole lot of fresh details, but it's still entertaining. 

Blenheim Palace, England

Consuelo & the Duke, Vanderbilt cash for class

The second half of the book, however, seems a little more disjointed on the tale of the "fall". There are side by side chapters  where a few great uncles are spotlighted - the tragic death of Alfred Vanderbilt who went down with the Lusitania and the overly detailed sailing techniques of Harold Vanderbilt (Consuelo's brother)  in his efforts to win the America's Cup.  The remainder of the book is focused on Gloria who first caught the public's attention in the 1930's during what was then described as the trial of the century.  Anderson Cooper's mother moved from the custody battle title of "poor little rich girl" to a glamorous socialite who was befriended, then betrayed by, Truman Capote. In between, she married a few famous older men, in search of a father figure, before marrying Anderson Cooper's father, Wyatt, who seemed to have brought her not only happiness but stability, be it sadly short-lived.

The Breakers cottage in Newport, RI

Inside Alva's Marble House in RI

I did like the book, but, as a fan of the Vanderbilt story and the "silver fox" CNN reporter, Cooper, I was hoping for a little bit more.  I think the emphasis may have been better placed on calling it what it really was more about - and that was that Gloria was the last to live the Vanderbilt lifestyle,  a peculiar blend of wasteful and excessive spending combined with fierce ambition to leave a unique stamp of the Vanderbilt brand for the public to applaud.

Chris 40 yrs after first date Vander-tripping with me

Vanderbilt desk at The Met in NYC

I'm definitely drawn to this family saga of wealth, savvy, flamboyance, unbridled drive, entitlement and scandal.  I'm a huge fan of their legacy;  the homes, the treasures, the university and, although a distant memory and a few sizes ago , the jeans were pretty cool, too.