|
Event
Malaprop's presents An Evening with Denise Kiernan in conversation with Karen Abbott
From the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Girls of Atomic City comes the fascinating true story behind the magnificent Gilded Age mansion Biltmore--the largest, grandest residence ever built in the United States. Help celebrate the launch of THE LAST CASTLE: THE EPIC STORY OF LOVE, LOSS, AND AMERICAN ROYALTY IN THE NATION'S LARGEST HOME. This is a hometown story from one of Asheville's finest writers. Author Karen Abbott (Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy) will join Denise in conversation for this not-to-be-missed in-store event.
About the book:
Orphaned at a young age, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser claimed lineage from one of New York's best-known families. She grew up in Newport and Paris, and her engagement and marriage to George Vanderbilt was one of the most watched events of Gilded Age society. But none of this prepared her to be mistress of Biltmore House.
Before their marriage, the wealthy and bookish Vanderbilt had dedicated his life to creating a spectacular European-style estate on 125,000 acres of North Carolina wilderness. He summoned the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to tame the grounds, collaborated with celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt to build a 175,000-square-foot Chateau, filled it with priceless art and antiques, and erected a charming village beyond the gates. Newlywed Edith was now mistress of an estate nearly three times the size of Washington, DC, and benefactress of the village and surrounding rural area. When fortunes shifted and changing times threatened her family, her home, and her community, it was up to Edith to save Biltmore--and secure the future of the region and her husband's legacy.
The story of Biltmore spans World Wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and generations of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features a captivating cast of real-life characters including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. The Last Castle is the uniquely American story of how the largest house in America flourished, faltered, and ultimately endured to this day.
Karen Abbott is the pen name of Abbott Kahler. She is the New York Times bestselling author of SIN IN THE SECOND CITY, AMERICAN ROSE, and, most recently, LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDIER SPY, named one of the best books of 2014 by Library Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, and Amazon, and optioned by Sony for a miniseries.A native of Philadelphia, she now lives in New York City, where she's at work on her next book.
|
|
 |
LocationMalaprop's Bookstore & Cafe (View)
55 Haywood Street
Asheville, NC 28801
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: Yes! |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
