The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story by Frances Kiernan, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Frances Kiernan ISBN: 9780393078848
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: May 17, 2008
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Frances Kiernan
ISBN: 9780393078848
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: May 17, 2008
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

"Kiernan's sharp-eyed biography brings back a woman who, far into her 90s, relished the dance of life." —O, The Oprah Magazine

This biography, based on firsthand knowledge and interviews with Mrs. Astor’s friends and the heads of New York’s great cultural institutions, gives us back the woman so loved and admired. At the age of 51, Brooke Astor wedded the notoriously ill-tempered Vincent Astor, who died in 1959. In a highly publicized courtroom battle, she fought off an attempt to break Vincent’s will, which left $67 million to the Vincent Astor Foundation. As the foundation’s president, Mrs. Astor would use this legacy to benefit New York City. She would personally visit every grant applicant and charm anyone she met. At her hundredth birthday, princes and presidents honored her, but in 2006 a grandson petitioned the courts to have his father removed as Brooke’s guardian. Once again an Astor court battle became the stuff of headlines.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"Kiernan's sharp-eyed biography brings back a woman who, far into her 90s, relished the dance of life." —O, The Oprah Magazine

This biography, based on firsthand knowledge and interviews with Mrs. Astor’s friends and the heads of New York’s great cultural institutions, gives us back the woman so loved and admired. At the age of 51, Brooke Astor wedded the notoriously ill-tempered Vincent Astor, who died in 1959. In a highly publicized courtroom battle, she fought off an attempt to break Vincent’s will, which left $67 million to the Vincent Astor Foundation. As the foundation’s president, Mrs. Astor would use this legacy to benefit New York City. She would personally visit every grant applicant and charm anyone she met. At her hundredth birthday, princes and presidents honored her, but in 2006 a grandson petitioned the courts to have his father removed as Brooke’s guardian. Once again an Astor court battle became the stuff of headlines.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Pocket Guide to Chicago Architecture (Norton Pocket Guides) by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book How to See: Looking, Talking, and Thinking about Art by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book My Dyslexia by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Practical, Integrative Approach (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book The 9/11 Commission Report: The Attack from Planning to Aftermath (Authorized Text, Shorter Edition) by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Respect in a World of Inequality by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Paris Red: A Novel by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Psychotherapy Essentials to Go: Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book How It Ends: From You to the Universe by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book The Tree-Sitter: A Novel by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Life, Legend, and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Movie by Frances Kiernan
Cover of the book The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British by Frances Kiernan
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy