Alva Erskine Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1853. She came from a pretty wealthy and well-connected family. Being that she was from a Southern family with some means, her family did own slaves prior to the Civil War. The time in which she lived, the location in which she lived, and the attitudes of her family members really helped shape her racist attitudes. She is notorious for making all kinds of awful comments about all ethnicities, which was viewed as acceptable behavior at the time. She married William K. Vanderbilt in 1875, and became famous for her lavish parties and fancy dress. They had three children, who were each successful in their own right. She divorced her husband, shocking everyone, but went on to be very active for women's rights. She remarried, becoming a Belmont, and continued her parties, suffrage, and interest in architecture.

I am so disappointed in this book. This book was very poorly written, making it an absolute chore to read. I was very close to not finishing it and throwing it my laundry basket to trade for store credit prematurely. This book did not go into why she held some of the viewpoints that she did, which was disappointing and a missed opportunity. I would have loved to have learned more about her interests than this book gave. I would not recommend reading this at all, it is truly a waste of time. There are many other biographies about Alva Vanderbilt Belmont out there that would give a deep dive into her life and activities, without skipping the unsavory parts and being as dull as dishwater. This is by far the worst book I have read in a good while.