A Well-Behaved Woman

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ''A glittering depiction of a woman ahead of her time who absolutely refused to be second best'' Red 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. ''A very lively read'' Independent ''A pacy, elegant novel'' Mail on Sunday ''Wholly absorbing'' Stylist ''Like Gossip Girl minus more than a century'' The Skimm ''Enthralling'' Good Housekeeping ----------------------------------- 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