Fortune's Children

The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt

By: Arthur T. Vanderbilt II

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Vanderbilt: The very name is synonymous with the Gilded Age. The family patriarch, "the Commodore," built a fortune that made him the world's richest man by 1877. Yet less than fifty years after his death, no Vanderbilt was counted among the world's richest people. Written by descendant Arthur T. Vanderbilt II, Fortune's Children traces the dramatic and amazingly colorful history of this great American family, from the rise of industrialist and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt to the fall of his progeny - wild spendthrifts whose profligacy bankrupted a vast inheritance.

©1989 Arthur T. Vanderbilt II (P)2014 Tantor

A vast amount of information

Loved it. A sad ending of an era of history. It would have been exciting in some aspects to witness.

Excellent.

A really well written, entertaining ,and informative read!! I find so many books on this time period and subject can get a bit boring-not this one!! And, it really covers the family generations.

Narrator needs to learn how to pronounce...

...Blenheim Palace! Since a Vanderbilt marries a Duke of Marlborough, and goes to live in Blenheim Palace, it is mentioned many many times. Dear Narrator: It is pronounced BLEN-um. That's all. Blen...um. Not Blen-HYME. ACK! Other than that, the story was very interesting - far more interesting than I already thought it would be.

How Fortune’s Children Failed

This was a fascinating account of the lives of Commodore Vanderbilt 's family and how they spent the fortune till nothing hardly was left. Fudes, drama and many larger than life personalities (both male and female, don't underestimate the women) set the bar for an age of wealth some royal families couldn't match. Only a few men were able to handle the family business, the rest spent beyond their means. Tragedy often upset the best laid plans. One of the grandsons never held a job, deserted his wife and child and did nothing but gamble and spend his fortune away. The lavish excess were ridiculous at times and few knew how to save. All the hard work and sage advice the Commodore have was essentially ignored. In less than 100 years, no member of the family was a millionaire. This book was written by a relative and stops before the success of Gloria Vanderbilt, the famed designer and her son newsman Anderson Cooper. I would've loved to read her story. Heartbreaking and at times difficult to listen to, this book pulls no punches.

I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook. Patrick Lawlor's narration fit the material. An excellent read and a lesson in greed and excess.

Very Interesting

This is a nonfiction account of the rise and decline of the famous Vanderbilt family. In 1887, Cornelius Vanderbilt had made himself the richest man in the world. Within fifty years of his death, however, his fortune no longer remained. The author, a descendant of Cornelius, follows the Vanderbilt family from Cornelius' humble start, through the family's heyday, and finishes by showing how the Vanderbilts lived by the time of publication.

This is a generally well-written and completely engaging family biography, full of anecdotes, information on corresponding historical events, and even brief biographies of some of the society people who influenced the Vanderbilts. The biographies of some of the family members are not as detailed as I would have liked, but overall, it was enlightening, interesting, and a fascinating read for those who are interested in America's Gilded Age.