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Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune

Narrated by:
Anderson Cooper

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
36
Narrator
6
Release Date
September 19, 2023
Duration
8 hours 18 minutes
Summary
The number one New York Times bestselling authors of Vanderbilt return with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.

The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.

From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.

The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.

In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering a window onto the making of America itself.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Reviews
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Cookie

It might be a bit unfair to give Astor only 3 stars. Mr. Cooper's tale of this fascinating family was interesting enough but with so many people and dates it feels like a history book.

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Karin G.

Learning about this this wealthy family with all its pitfalls and health and emotional issues makes it that much more interesting. Anderson Cooper I'm always enjoyed is delivery of stories on 60 minutes , so hearing him narrate his book makes it that much better. Loved the book.

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