Customer Reviews

The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and the British Aristocratic World Into Which They Married

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a nicely written historical work, with lots of information about the three daughters of Leonard Jerome, one of whom was the fabulous Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill, the mother of Winston Churchill. As someone who's always been curious to learn more about Jennie and her two sisters and their extended families, this book is very informative on that score and I applaud it for that reason. It was especially interesting to me to learn more about the children of Jennie's sisters, Clara Frewen and Leonie Leslie; these being the cousins of Winston Churchill. The young Frewens in particular had somewhat tortured upbringings, despite their "good birth" and I came away with a definite feeling of anger against Clara (the oldest sister) for being the selfish and childish creature that she was. I did think the author's choice of, and the presentation of the photographic illustrations could have been somewhat better (for example, there are instances of several photos all crammed together on one page, and sometimes the quality of the photos are poor). I would have enjoyed seeing more pictures of the sisters in their heyday, as well as more pictures of them as they grew older.

Jennie was rather less a creature of her time than her sisters. She must have been fascinating to know! She was always reaching for the best in life and she had such energy. As the author rightly points out, if she were a man, Jennie would have been a power, but the times didn't allow that to happen for a "mere" woman.

However, that being said, I have to note that the author is a guilty of an odd phenomenon that I am noticing more and more, particularly in works of history and in historical biography. It's what I call an overt plagiarism. Now, before anyone gets their hackles up, I'm not accusing this author of being a plagiarist. It's simply that having read "Jennie" by Ralph Martin, and Anita Leslie's "The Marlborough House Set", together with her 1970 biography of Jennie, as well as several of the other books referenced by this author, one can pick out intonations, if you will, that are borrowed therefrom; their phrases, not exactly copied, but the inference of the other author is somehow right there. It's most obvious, naturally, in the chapters about Jennie, as she was the most famous sister and much more has been written about her.

And it's not just this author. I have noticed this type of overt plagiarism in two other recent works of history, Will Swift's "The Roosevelts and the Royals" and Princess Michael of Kent's recent book on Diane de Poiters, to name two...I'm going to be generous and assume that because an author has to steep himself in his historical subject, he might not be aware he is adapting another author's turn of phrase; conclusions; intonations; opinions, without giving credit where credit is due...it's NOT a word-for-word plagiarism but it's a unfortunate development which appears to be sadly becoming common in recent histories. I hope it can be stopped, because quite simply, it devalues an author's hard work.

Elisabeth Kehoe's "The Titled Americans" is a good examination of the lives and careers of the surviving daughters of American financier Leonard Jerome: Leonie, Clara (originally Clarita), and especially, Jennie, the oldest, and probably best known for being the mother of Winston S. Churchill. Kehoe covers a lot of ground, focusing primarily on the lives of Leonie and her Leslie family and of Clara and her Frewhen family. Unfortunately, as another reviewer has so aptly noted here, we do not really get more than a terse descriptive look at these sisters, their husbands, and children. Without question, Jennie Jerome Churchill (Lady Randolph Churchill) was undoubtedly the most interesting of the three, working tirelessly as a dutiful politican's wife and as an unpaid resident "American Ambassador" to the United Kingdom at a time when relations between Americans and the British were far more cordial, and far less friendly, than they are now. I was struck reading how the lives of all three sisters were in many instances quite similar, having endured either poverty or unhappily married bliss (or in at least one instance both) inspite of their matrimonial alliances to British aristocracy. This slender volume serves mainly at best as a fine overview of the Jerome sisters and of their families; those wishing to read more about them should read the elegant biographies written by family members, most notably those by Winston S. Churchill.

This work chronicles the rise of one American family in the first half of the 1800s. The father is able to acquire a fortune through the stock market, and the mother is determined to take her three daughters to Europe where they will be able to trade their financial prospects for a European title, coming at the beginning of a series of marriages in which American heiresses were joined to less wealthy but socially advanced British nobility (particularly minor nobility). However, as the fortunes of the Jerome family wax and wane with the unsteady stock market, so do the prospects, marriages, and lives of the three Jerome sisters. Of special interest because one of the sisters (Jennie) is the mother of Winston Churchill.

Quote: "It was all the more important to women of their class to adhere to these standards because they had so little else beyond their social position. Their story thus illuminates what it meant to be a female member of the British aristocracy during its decline, when incomes were falling but lifestyles were slow to follow the downward spiral."


While I enjoyed this story and learning about the interesting lives led by the sisters, I also felt that it dragged on for rather longer than it needed to given its subject matter. And I'm a history teacher, so it's not that I automatically think history non-fiction is going to be boring :). However, the research seemed well done (end notes, yay!), and the stories of the lives of the three sisters and their offspring were woven together nicely.

Interesting story about these sisters but it is very shallow in that it never gets past the surface. We never know what drives these women and never get a true sense of their personalities. then towards the last third of the book, it becomes more of an itinerary than anything else. All you read is "....then Clare went here, then Jenny went there..." I think this author has promise. Apparently, this is her first book so I am hoping that she learns more writing skills. Lots of incorrect historial information as well. Unless I am missing something, was there someone called "Grand Princess Tsarvena" and "Grand Prince Tsar"? Apparently, the author tells us these 2 people were the future Nicholas II and Alexandra, who, according to the author "..attended his sister Marie's wedding to Queen Victoria's son..." Now, last I read, Marie was the daughter of Alexander II and NOT the sister of Nicholas II. AND, Nicholas II didn't even know Alexandra at this time. This is just one historical error but since this was my first connection with these sisters how can one be assured that they are reading the truth.

Clara, Jennie and Leonie Jerome are 3 sisters born of privilege in America between 1851 and 1859. They all marry British men and all suffer the ups and downs of uncertain fortunes. Jennie marries into the Churchill family and is mother to Winston. Her husband dies of syphilis and she will marry twice more and have countless affairs. Leslie marries into the wealth Irish Leslie family and bears 4 sons. Clara marries (for love) Moreton Frewen who never succeeds in any of his business ideas.

I get that these were important people, but I could have done without the laundry-list name-dropping in every chapter. The book was over 400 pages, but could have been half the size, just as informative and twice as entertaining. I struggled with the last third of the book because there was no development of the women there. Plus, how many more money conversions (of that time to present day value) can one person take?

My title applies to the protagonists of the book as well as the book itself. The three Jerome sisters were certainly fascinating women, though incredibly self-absorbed at the expense of their children. The husbands all come off as cads, which I suppose can excuse some of their excesses. You almost get exhausted reading all the examples of shallowness throughout the generations. There were some eggregious errors by the author (one passage referred to a Tsar of Russia as Nicholas II before Nicholas was even born! The author must have meant his father, Alexander III). It's errors like this that detract from getting into the story. It's entertaining, but not as good as other bios of the time period.

This is last of the "sisters" books I have read these past few month and one of the best. This is a biography of the three Jerome sisters, all beautiful, talented and complex. They were united by their love and support for each other and their struggle to maintain a glittering lifestyle in the face of deminishing personal and financial realities.
Well written and illustrated, a great read.

The author has done a good job for her first book, her writing style is engaging allowing you to imagine you are witnessing the trails and trumipths of the Jeromne sisters.

However, there was times that I had to consult the family tree (found in preface pages of the book) in order to understand which family members the author was writing about.

When i started reading this book, i wasn't sure if i would like it, seeing as i am not a non fiction person. But as it had come recommended by a trusted friend, i sat down and read. And read And read. I was engrossed. This book really brings the women covered in it alive. Their tempestous worlds fascinated me but most of all i was touched by the way the author had shown the sisterly bonds that kept them together when disaster struck again and again. Who said history can't be made interesting?

I love biographies about people in this time period but I found these people vapid and completely self centered and of very little interest.