American Lady

The Life of Susan Mary Alsop

By: Caroline De Margerie

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

An American aristocrat - a descendant of founding father John Jay - Susan Mary Alsop (1918–2004) with husband, Joe Alsop, brought together the movers and shakers of not just the United States, but the world. Henry Kissinger remarked that more agreements were concluded in her living room than in the White House.

Born in Rome, brought up in Argentina and the United States, Susan Mary arrived in Paris in 1945 to join her first husband, Bill Patten. There she witnessed "history on the boil" at dinners with Winston Churchill, Duff Cooper (the British ambassador and the love of her life), FDR, Greta Garbo, and many others. A year after Bill's death in 1960, she married the renowned journalist and legendary power broker Joe Alsop. Dubbed "the second lady of Camelot," Susan Mary hosted dinner parties that were the epitome of political power and social arrival. She reigned over Georgetown society for four decades; her house was the gathering place for everyone of importance, including John F. Kennedy, Katharine Graham, and Robert McNamara.

©2012 Caroline De Margerie (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Susan Mary Alsop's life was like that of a novel, one that Caroline de Margerie tells with brilliance." ( Le Figaro Littéraire [France])

A fascinating story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book but not the Audible version. The narrator has appaling
pronunciation of French and English names and titles which is very confusing to the listener. The biography is fascinating.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Greatly. She does not know how to pronounce French or British names.
She pronounces Belvoir Castle as it is written whereas in Britain it is pronounced
Beaver

What else would you have wanted to know about Caroline De Margerie’s life?

Nothing, what is the point of this question, the book is about Susan Mary Alsop

Any additional comments?

re edit so that the pronunciation is not so lamentable