Book Review: The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe

 

Goodreads Summary: Madeleine Talmage Force is just seventeen when she attracts the attention of John Jacob "Jack" Astor. Madeleine is beautiful, intelligent, and solidly upper-class, but the Astors are in a league apart. Jack's mother was the Mrs. Astor, American royalty and New York's most formidable socialite. Jack is dashing and industrious—a hero of the Spanish-American war, an inventor, and a canny businessman. Despite their twenty-nine-year age difference, and Jack's recent divorce scandal, Madeleine falls headlong into love—and becomes the press's favorite target.
On their extended honeymoon in Egypt, the newlyweds finally find a measure of peace from photographers and journalists. Madeleine feels truly alive for the first time—and is happily pregnant. The couple plans to return home in the spring of 1912, aboard an opulent new ocean liner. When the ship hits an iceberg close to midnight on April 14th, there is no immediate panic. The swift, state-of-the-art RMS Titanic seems unsinkable. As Jack helps Madeleine into a lifeboat, he assures her that he'll see her soon in New York…

Four months later, at the Astors' Fifth Avenue mansion, a widowed Madeleine gives birth to their son. In the wake of the disaster, the press has elevated her to the status of virtuous, tragic heroine. But Madeleine's most important decision still lies ahead: whether to accept the role assigned to her, or carve out her own remarkable path…

Goodreads Ratings: 4.02 stars with over 43,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, Romance

Goodreads Challenge: 44/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #6 Read a book you meant to read for last year's challenge (See the entire challenge here) 

Book Review:

Hello, Readers. I hope everyone celebrating it had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed their time with Friends and Family. Mine was low-key. There's not much going on in life updates, so let's jump right into the review of The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe.

I think someone had recommended this book to me last year, and it was one of 3 books I had planned for that slot on the 2022 challenge. I never read it, however, so it is a good fit for #6 on this year's challenge. I'm always looking for a good Titanic novel, so I was excited to read this one, especially since it has decent reviews on Goodreads. 

Honestly, I almost didn't finish this book. It wasn't bad; it didn't catch my attention. The whole premise was Madeline Astor is writing a letter to her and Jack's newborn son after the sinking of the Titanic. The book primarily discusses how much the paparazzi followed them and how the New York Elite snubbed Madeline because she was so young and divorce was taboo in the early 1900s. It eventually got to the events of the Titanic, which is primarily why I wanted to read it.

Overall, the story was flat. They never really felt like there was any actual conflict in the story. Outside of being on the Titanic, the main conflicts were that Jack's son and high society friends didn't like Madeline. These issues just felt like minor nuisances.  When it comes to what happened on the Titanic, it just felt glossed over. The entire book just lacked any personality. 

If you like Historical Romance and the only plot is the romance/relationship, then you may like The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe. I, however, need more in the plot than just romance. I would have liked to see more about her life after the Titanic to close up Madeline's story. It ends, however, shortly after the funeral, and the letter to her son makes it feel as though she was trying to convince herself as much as her son how in love she and Jack were. The story was alright; it wasn't my cup of tea.