[.ca] Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia (ISBN 074320042X)

From Amazon.com:
With the same narrative panache and gift for good gossip that made White Mischief such fun, James Fox turns his attention here to the Langhorne sisters, Southern beauties who wielded a powerful influence in politics and culture during the tumultuous years from the turn of the 20th century through the Second World War. Lizzie (1867-1914) married a Virginian and stayed home, but her siblings conquered Yankee America and England. Irene (1873-1956) married Charles Dana Gibson and served as the model for that all-American icon, the Gibson girl. Baby sister Nora (1889-1955), dreamy and artistic, had a turbulent life scattered with lovers including, perhaps, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nancy (1879-1964) entered English society through second husband Waldorf Astor and focused her formidable energies on politics as the first female member of Parliament and hostess to the notorious "Cliveden set." Sensitive, introspective Phyllis (1880-1937), the author's grandmother, survived a bad first marriage and an affair with a British officer to happily wed the brilliant English economist Bob Brand. Fox makes excellent use of thousands of the sisters' letters to reveal five dynamic personalities in their own words. His shrewd commentary provides context for a riveting tale of family ties, social commitments, and the complex interplay between them that shaped the Langhorne women's lives. --Wendy Smith

I think some reviewers have missed the point:
There are many reviews of this book posted and many emphasize the shallowness and unpleasantness of the sisters, especially Nancy. This is true; I think Mr. Fox presented these women honestly, warts and all, but I also think that many reviewers missed a very important point. Lady Nancy Astor was the first woman to be elected to and sit in the House of Commons. She stood for the seat because her husband, Waldorf, having become a peer, could no longer sit in the House of Commons. She was not a good representative, having no real grasp of or even interest in the issues. HOWEVER, and this is my point, each day she entered the House of Commons she performed an act of great courage. The male members (all the rest) viewed her presence in chambers as an aberrance of nature. This hostility was outright and overt and fell short only of physical violence. In one debate on venereal disease they used the most graphic pictures they could find in an attempt to drive her out of chambers. Though she may have been motivated more by pride than by principle, she gave other women the courage to come after her. When Margaret Thatcher dedicated a placque in her honor some years ago she emphasized the courage it took Nancy (and still takes women today) to take a seat in the Commons. Regardless of whatever else she was, she deserves the credit for her courage and the foundation she laid for the women that came after.

As The World Turns - Langhorne Style:
This excellent biography takes an in-depth look at the famous, turn-of-the-century five Langhorne sisters of Virginia. The author is the grandson of one of the sisters, which gave him unprecedented access to some never-before-published letters and journals. Lizzie, Irene, and Nora take a back seat to highly visible Nancy (Lady Astor, first woman to serve in Parliament) and Phyllis, the author's grandmother. The author weaves historical and political background around the sisters' stories, which gives the book a pleasurable informational heft and weight. They started out poor, as most Virginians were after the calamity of the Civil War. Eldest sister Lizzie was born in 1867, only two years after the war. Father, Chillie Langhorne, hit it big about twenty years later by entering into business with some Yankee railroaders. Then he was able to purchase the fabled Mirador, a perfect setting for his daughters. Chillie and mother Nemoire could have been stand-ins for Scarlett O'Hara's father and mother. Chillie was a hard-drinking charmer and a complete autocrat while Nemoire was almost saintly in her beauty and patience. They had eleven children, eight who lived, five girls and three boys. Two of the boys died young of a combination of hard drinking and tuberculosis. Eldest Lizzie, who grew up poor and was already married living in genteel poverty in Richmond when Chillie hit it big, resented her sister's success all her life---but thought monetary gifts were her due. Irene was a true phenom, a bona fide celebrity, the last true Southern Belle who took the entire East Coast by storm with her breathtaking beauty. She married Charles Dana Gibson and was the prototype of the Gibson Girl. Irene may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she was kind (a rare trait among the Langhorne girls) and supportive all her life. Volatile, incredible Nancy who married and divorced a Boston millionaire, then married one of the richest men in the world, Waldorf Astor, almost single-handedly tore her family apart with her extreme possessiveness of both her sisters and children. Nancy looked like a beautiful, frail Edwardian lady with marvelously intense sapphire-colored eyes. Looks deceive. She was actually fiery, cruelly witty, and indomnible. Phyllis followed Nancy's footsteps marrying and divorcing an East Coast millionaire and remarrying famed British economist Robert Brand. Phyllis was soulful, the best woman rider in the country, and was a born martyr. My favorite was baby sister Nora, scatter-brained, scandalous, with a complete disregard for the truth fell in and out of love all her life. Men could not resist her. Nora's sisters had to bail her out over and over again, while Nora sincerely said she had made a "fresh start" every time. But Nora was a loving, generous person and a wonderful caring mother (her daughter was the actress Joyce Grenfell), and her nieces and nephews adored her. "Five Sisters" is a fascinating read, well researched with an excellent index and bibliography. I recommend it highly. -sweetmolly-Amazon reviewer

boring tale about flakey mean people:
I had to quit reading this book approximately half way through because I had no interest whatsoever in continuing to read about these snobby, conceited and dull women. Don't waste your time.

Sisters in time of change:
The epitome of the Southern Belle, Irene Langhorne, met Charles Gibson just after he had created the image of the new woman, the Gibson girl. They married in 1894, four years after the Gibson illustration had taken over fashion and held onto it. Belles had been the fashion for 20 years-- a symbol of the pure, noble, ultimate female overcoming the failures, ignominity and poverty of the aftermath of the Civil War rising into the phoenix image of the perfect lady. The Gibson girl was more independent, stronger, athletic, but still pure and feminine, an intelligent, talented portrait of femininity. The marriage of Irene to Gibson signaled the end of the Belle and the age of the new woman, a true turning point as the 20th century came into actuality as the age of greatest change for women. James Fox's depiction of the five Langhorne sisters reveals the fascinating lives of women coming to terms with the new century. Mr. Fox as a grandson of one of the sisters is in the unique position of having had access to family stories and thousands of letters. The sisters give us a picture of a remarkable time. Vivia Daniels Fort Worth, Texas

Shallow characters, cluttered prose:
The women in this book lived through remarkable times and in some cases played a role in shaping those times. The author, the grandson of one of the sisters, apparently had access to enormous quantities of letters and other keepsakes that provide an inside look at these women. But I found two problems with this book. First, it was difficult to care about the main characters. For the most part their interests are shallow and their personalities range from muddle-headed to downright cruel. The attributes of the main characters aren't the author's fault, of course, And the book still offers an inside look at fabulous wealth and the mores and politics of the times. But the narrative gets bogged down in endless detail about trivial matters. Letters are quoted extensively, and too often in "orphan quotes" of a few words or a short phrase, making for awkward prose. The author had so much material it seems like he had a hard time paring it down. If this book had been about half the length it would have made a better read.