The Astors

The subject-matter is interesting enough, and the amount of research done to gather fascinating society anecdotes and business holdings must have been impressive, but the tone of this book is bone dry. The Astors' mountaineering made for a good read; all the subterfuge and nuance of a man become a titan of business. Then, the later society gossip is fun. Although, when the story swings forward to the 20th century pacing slows and everything just starts to sound like a litany of facts instead of a well-edited, woven-together retelling of Astor history. This book was not bad, but it was not great either.