Cliquer sur une vignette pour aller sur Google Books.
Chargement... American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase Sprague--Civil War "Belle of the North" and Gilded Age Woman of Scandalpar John Oller
Aucun Chargement...
Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. Kate Chase was the oldest daughter of Salmon Chase, a Republican lawyer and politician in the 1860s and 1870s. Salmon Chase tried for but never attained the highest office, swapping parties and serving several presidents he worked hard and his daughter was his closest supporter and hostess. Kate was talk, attractive and socially very adept, she bloomed in Washington society. A grand political hostess, she was destined to marry well and on the surface it appeared that she did so. Her husband, William Sprague, was handsome, very rich and the youngest Senator to serve. However this glittering match fell apart, fuelled by alcoholism, infidelity and violence, leaving Kate destitute at the end. I had never heard of Kate Chase Sprague but she makes an engaging subject for a biography. The insights into the government of the Union during the Civil War are really interesting and whilst Kate comes across as a not wholly sympathetic figure, she was definitely a woman ahead of her time. "John Oller writes sympathetically of Kate Chase Sprague (1840-99), the daughter of Treasury Secretary and Chief Justice Salmon Chase. The author takes us through his subject's life as she moves from a high-class social butterfly who rubs elbows with political elite, has designs on becoming first lady via her father's ascent to the presidency, and butts heads with Mary Todd Lincoln, to a poverty-stricken divorcee whose scandalous affair with a senator helped end her unhappy marriage to a volatile governor. " (Library Journal) "American Queen : the rise and fall of Kate Chase Sprague, Civil War "Belle of the North" and gilded age woman of scandal." At first I found the title lengthy. Now, I will acknowledge it as a comprehensive overview of this biographical sketch. The setting is Washington, D.C. - Mid-Atlantic States (U.S.)....19th century As the socialite emerges, you'll find an intense look at American history, "political intrigue" and the study of a rather complicated woman. You'll find every emotion you can think of within these pages. Finally, there is a noteworthy epilogue, and acknowledgments, notes and bibliography are quite extensive. I think John Oller did a fine job of sparking and sustaining my interest in Kate and giving me adequate "leads" to further develop this period of Americana. 5 ★ aucune critique | ajouter une critique
Prix et récompenses
Biography & Autobiography.
History.
Nonfiction.
HTML:Had People magazine been around during the Civil War and after, Kate Chase would have made its “Most Beautiful” and “Most Intriguing” lists every year. Kate Chase, the charismatic daughter of Abraham Lincoln's treasury secretary, enjoyed unprecedented political power for a woman. As her widowed father's hostess, she set up a rival “court” against Mary Lincoln in hopes of making her father president and herself his First Lady. To facilitate that goal, she married one of the richest men in the country, the handsome “boy governor” of Rhode Island, in the social event of the Civil War. But when William Sprague turned out to be less of a prince as a husband, she found comfort in the arms of a powerful married senator. The ensuing scandal ended her virtual royalty, leaving her a social outcast who died in poverty. Yet in her final years she would find both greater authenticity and the inner peace that had always eluded her. Set against the seductive allure of the Civil War and Gilded Age, Kate Chase Sprague's dramatic story is one of ambition and tragedy involving some of the most famous personalities in American history. In this beautifully written and meticulously researched biography, drawing on much unpublished material, John Oller captures the tumultuous and passionate life of a woman who was a century ahead of her time. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucun
Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)973.5092History and Geography North America United States 1809-1845Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
Est-ce vous ?Devenez un(e) auteur LibraryThing. |
Kate knew all the political personalities of her day. She visited the courts of Europe and even lived their for a time. She harbored Presidential aspirations for the important men in her life, but these were never to come to fruition.
Excellent reading. ( )