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An American Beauty by Shana Abe was a captivating historical fiction book about a woman who I had never heard about before I read this book. It took place in both Richmond, Virginia and New York City in the years known as The Gilded Age. An American Beauty was inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington.

Arabella had grown up in Richmond and had lived through the devastation of the aftermath of the Civil War. Richmond had felt the effects of the war and had left Arabella and her family very poor and unable to afford much of anything. As a result, when Arabella was seventeen her mother put Arabella in a very compromising situation. Her mother was very instrumental in getting Arabella a job at a gambling establishment owned by Johnny Worshand. Arabella worked nights serving champagne to its clientele and occasionally entertaining them by playing the piano. The wages Arabella earned helped to buy food and necessities for her siblings. The reputation of this establishment was well known. It was hard to believe that a mother would put a daughter in such a compromising situation. Dire times though required hard and difficult decisions.

On one such night, Mr. Collins Huntington, a very wealthy railroad baron, paid a visit to the facility that Arabella worked at. He was drawn to Arabella immediately and started to court her and buy her gifts. It was not long before Arabella and Collins were in the throes of having an affair. Even though Collins Huntington was a married man and father he knew he could not live without Arabella in his life. Collins offered to purchase her an apartment in New York City near his apartment that regally sat on Park Avenue. Arabella agreed to move to New York City to be near Collins but only if her whole family was able to go as well. Collins bought Arabella a large enough apartment to accommodate all the members of her family. The other arrangement that Collin took care of was to offer Johnny Worshand an opportunity that he would not be able to turn down. Johnny was to act as Arabella’s husband but when Arabella became pregnant with Collin’s child, Johnny conveniently disappeared and Arabella became a widow. Thus began the love affair between Arabella and Collins Huntington.

Arabella was very astute and smart woman. Her intuition, wisdom and determination to purchase real estate, property, jewelry and art served her well. Even though she was shunned by society’s elite, Arabella did not let herself be affected by their gossip or lack of acceptance. She lived her life on her terms. Arabella came to care for Collins very much even though their relationship had not started out as one based on love for Arabella. She became known as a philanthropist. Arabella gave large donations to many charities, hospitals and universities. Although I had never heard about this incredible woman before reading An American Beauty, I was quite impressed with how she lived her life, overcame the challenges she faced, always thought of the well being of others even at her own expense and disappointment and held her head high throughout all. This was the first book that I had read by Shana Abe. I was very impressed with her writing, research and masterful storytelling. I was able to switch between the audiobook and the digital version easily. The audiobook was narrated by Gail Shalan. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Kensington Books for allowing me to read An American Beauty by Shana Abe through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.