Introduction

"Abé is an exquisite storyteller." —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

The New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor returns with a spellbinding new book perfect for fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age and readers of Marie Benedict, Karen Harper, and Allison Pataki. This sweeping novel of historical fiction is inspired by the true rags-to-riches story of Arabella Huntington—a woman whose great beauty was surpassed only by her exceptional business acumen, grit, and artistic eye, and who defied the constraints of her era to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.

1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty.

Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune.

Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . .

An American Beauty brings to vivid life the glitter and drama of a captivating chapter in history—and a remarkable woman who lived by her own rules.

“This story of one woman’s ascent offers a fascinating look at the choices she made to become a Gilded Age titan.”— Kirkus Reviews

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Discussion Questions

From Reading Group Choices:

1. When Arabella meets the extremely wealthy and quite married railroad tycoon Collis Potter Huntington, she is seventeen, beautiful, and absolutely impoverished. Why do you think Arabella becomes romantically involved with the married man who was 32 years her senior? Do you believe she loves him? How were her feelings for him different from her feelings for Edward?

2. What do you think Collis’s first wife, Elizabeth, thought when Arabella was hired to care for her? Did Elizabeth punish Arabella for the open affair she had with her husband?

3. Collis and Arabella each rose to riches after greatly impoverished childhoods. Describe how they each accomplished this. Do you think this was a bond between them?

4. Would you describe Arabella’s rage-to-riches story as a “Cinderella” tale? What parallels are there, and where do the two stories diverge?

5. Arabella says early on that she is never afraid, but do you think that is true? What do you think she really feared?

6. Who do you think was the love of Arabella‘s life?

7. Discuss the title of this book. What role did “beauty” play in Arabella‘s life?

8. Discuss Arabella’s life from a feminist standpoint. In what ways did she promote feminist ideals? In what ways was she a victim of the society of her times?

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