No Surprises in “The Second Mrs. Astor”

The Second Mrs. Astor: A Heartbreaking Historical Novel of the Titanic, by Shana Abe, was an odd read, because there’s not really any suspense. Readers know going in that teenage Madeleine is going to marry John Jacob Astor, and you know he’s going to die on the Titanic, so there was never a moment when I wondered what would happen next. It’s really a story about a young woman coping with the nosy society reporters at different points in her life, from courtship, to marriage, widowhood, motherhood. 

Heartbreaking? I mean… maybe if you didn’t know the Titanic was gonna sink, it could be.  But interesting? Sure. I love a historical manners novel, and while I wouldn’t quite call The Second Mrs. Astor a manners novel, the story of young Madelaine entering the highest, tightest circle of Manhattan society through her marriage has a lot of room for complicated customs and social snubs.