An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew (Annejet van der Zijl)

An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew , Annejet van der Zijl, (20`5), translated by Michele Hutchison (2018)

I left the following review on Goodreads:

A fascinating look at high-society and old money meets new at the close of the 19th century, in New York and Pittsburgh, focused on the life of Allene Tew of Jamestown, NY who went on to make the society pages in the 20th century and marry an actual prince (among others) in the course of a turbulent life that weathered two world wars, a market crash, the Depression, and the start of the Cold War. Through it all, she persevered.

Not the kind of book I normally read. It was a suggestion from Amazon (World Book Day). I didn't know at first that it was a biography of an actual person -- I'd never heard of her, but I have heard of many of the names that were dropped. Even more surprising was I thought it would be more about Europe because the author in from the Netherlands. (The author has done a book on Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who has a connection with Miss Tew. (I won't share her full name -- spoilers)

Fascinating who this woman was and the lives she led, especially since it opens with her dying days in a small house so far from where she was born.

I was going to give this book 4 stars, but I couldn't think of a reason why I shouldn't give it five.

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