Dark Origins – The Second Mrs Astor, New York high society and the sinking of the Titanic
Posted: June 28, 2023 Filed under: Books, Dark Origins, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Inspiration, history | Tags: Dark Origins, Historical Fiction, Robbie Cheadle, Shana Abe, The Second Mrs. Astor, Writing to be Read 44 Comments
The Titanic has been in the press again recently and has claimed five more lives. If you are out of the loop about this disaster, you can read about it here: https://www.reuters.com/world/search-intensifies-titanic-sub-with-only-hours-oxygen-left-2023-06-22/.
This disaster prompted me to write about a book I recently read, The Second Mrs Astor, and its dark origins.
The Second Mrs Astor is a work of historical fiction by Shana Abe. It depicts the romance between the hugely wealthy John Jacob Astor IV and his second and very young wife, Madeleine Force Astor.
There are two aspects to this extraordinarily fine piece of fictionalised history that caught my attention: the snotty and superior attitudes of New York society created by John Astor IV’s mother, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, and the sinking of the Titanic which claimed the lives of John Astor IV, his valet, and his dog, Kitty. Madeleine Force Astor, who was pregnant at the time, survived the disaster.
A History of New York’s high society in the late 19th century
New York high society started with The Four Hundred, a list of New York’s biggest names which achieved highly-coveted invitations to one of Mrs Caroline Astor’s most lavish parties in her Fifth Avenue mansion. At this time, called the Gilded Age, the Astor family were considered to be Manhattan’s old money – being one of the first Dutch settlers on the island, and they held the prestigious title of a true ‘Knickerbocker’ or a native New Yorker.
Caroline Astor was the ultimate authority of New York society at the time and many high-profile names from America’s 1 percent competed for a seat at her table. Once of these people was Ava Belmont, previously Ava Vanderbilt from the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, who tried to overthrow Caroline Astor thereby creating the most notorious high society rivalry in the late 19th century.
New York high society owned lavish summer homes in Newport, Rhode Island and enormous mansions in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and were known for their extreme extravagance.
Early romance between John Astor IV and Madeleine Force
Madeleine Force was 17 years old when she met John Astor IV. She came from a wealthy family who were part of Brooklyn high-society but was several rungs down the social ladder from the Astor’s.
At the time, John Astor IV was 47 years old and a divorcee with two children. At that time, divorce was considered to be scandalous by the clergy and high society.
Madeleine Force accepted John Astor IV’s marriage proposal despite the open disapproval of his societal circle and the malignant scrutiny of the press.
The early part of the couples marriage made for sad and difficult reading as Madeleine struggles to cope with social ostracism. This all happens against a background of outrageous privilege and extravagance. Both aspects made me angry as a reader.
The pair then went on an extended honeymoon to Egypt and elect to return to New York on the Titanic.
The sinking of the Titanic
Madeleine Astor was five months pregnant when she boarded the Titanic with her husband at Cherbourg, France. They were first class passengers. On the night of the 14th of April 1912, John Astor woke his wife and informed her that the Titanic had hit an iceberg. He reassured her that the damage did not seem serious, but he made her put on a life jacket. Madeleine Astor, her nurse and maid managed to board lifeboat 4 by crawling through the first-class promenade window. John Astor asked if he could accompany his wife as she was pregnant but his request was refused.
John Astor and his valet died in the sinking and his body was recovered on the 22nd of April.
The author’s descriptions of life aboard the Titanic before it struck the iceberg, and of the three hours during which the great ship sank are very compelling. I felt as if I was on that ship experiencing the cold, fear, and loss.
Of the estimated 2,200 people aboard the Titanic more than 1,500 died.
A quote from The Second Mrs Astor:
“The best memory I have about Titanic was that she was so large. So epic. I never felt any swaying or bobbing or turbulence to interfere with my meals, my sensitive appetite, or my slumber. I never felt any sort of vulnerability aboard that ocean liner, right up until the very end. I imagine that’s a blessing, don’t you? Whoever wants to know how it’s all going to end before it actually does? Only poets and madmen, I would think.”
Conclusion
Most people know something about the sinking of the Titanic so I haven’t gone into a lot of detail in this post. I was so captivated by this book, I did my own research to determine how much of the Astor love story was fictionalised and how much was based on truth. It does seem that the Astor’s really were in love and it was a great romance. Madeleine Astor never really recovered from the shock and horror of that fateful night and while her death at the age of 46 is recorded as heart failure, it is believed she died of a drug overdose.
One interesting survival story I came across during my research related to the chief baker on board the Titanic called Charles Joughin.
Ahead of the actual sinking of the Titanic, Charles Joughin imbibed significant amounts of alcohol. When the ship started sinking, the baker stepped off the stern of the vessel. As 1,500 screaming and panicked people froze to death around him, he continued to paddle in the water until dawn when he was picked up by a lifeboat. Within a few days, he was back at work.
Rather a remarkable story.
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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Reblogged this on and commented:
Given the recent news about the Titanic and the implosion of the Titan submarine, I decided to discuss the novel, The Second Mrs Astor, for my July Dark Origins post. I have considered high society in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the sinking of the Titanic. Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.
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Hi Robbie, I hope you’re well.
I’ve just enjoyed this post and liked it so much I’m including its link in my Favorite Link category for the upcoming summer edition of The Writer’s Grapevine.
Great stuff and I plan to read the book.
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Hi Patty, I am so pleased you enjoyed this post. Thank you for including it in The Writer’s Grapevine. I enjoyed this book very much and the scenes about the Titanic sinking are compelling.
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Hi Robbie, it was so good. I had to include it. Iâve put a little heading from the blog post and then the link for them to follow and read more. That way you get the visits to the blog.
Thanks again.
About Patty L. Fletcher
Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.
Follow her at: https://pattysworlds.com/ https://pattysworlds.com/ where the coffee is hot. The weather is too, but thereâs lots of loving, from Patty and Chief Seeing Eye® Dog Blue.
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I read this book recently and enjoyed learning about this relationship of which I knew nothing.
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I also didn’t know much about the Astor’s other than who he was in business. This is a beautifully written book.
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Agreed!
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I love historical fiction. Thanks for sharing this, Robbie.
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My pleasure, I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about high society at the time.
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Interesting review, Robbie. I can’t believe the chief baker survived because alcohol makes hypothermia worse!
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Yes, that is true. His survival was due to being drunk and the extremely cold temperatures causing his veins to contract significantly and retain the warming effect. He was one lucky man.
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I enjoyed this review, Robbie. Living in the gilded age was not without stress and sorrow. The story of the baker is fascinating.
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HI Jennie, human lives are always fraught with angst, that is the way of the world. Learning above that time was most interesting for me.
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Yes!
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Thanks, Ed.
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It’s a truism that money doesn’t buy happiness, but everyone thinks it will. What a sad life.
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HI Jacqui, Madelaine Astor’s life was sad, but whether it would have been better if John Astor had lived is hard to say.
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A fascinating look at the book Robbie and it is a tragedy that continuous to grip the headlines. as for the baker… it just goes to show that alcohol can have its benefits.. and thanks Kaye Lynne for hosting. xx
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☺️
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Hi Sally, it certainly is a tragedy that interests people. It’s funny how some historical events are like that, endlessly fascinating. That story about the baker is amazing.
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Hi, apparently his inhibitions were lowered enough to give him courage to leap off. Thank goodness he was picked up. I suppose being drunk in that situation would’ve been better than being sober.
About Patty L. Fletcher
Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.
Follow her at: https://pattysworlds.com/ https://pattysworlds.com/ where the coffee is hot. The weather is too, but there’s lots of loving, from Patty and Chief Seeing Eye® Dog Blue.
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This is a very interesting review / description of this intriguing book. I just realized that this is another blog that I did not know about. Naturally I just followed. So you must have at least 2-3 blogs. I am thinking about starting a second one too.
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HI Thomas, I have two blogs and I love them both. Some followers are common to both and some follow one or the other, depending on their interests. It is more work to have two, but I think its worth it.
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This sounds like a book that I would enjoy. It really piques my interest Robbie. I have read a lot about the titanic, but know little about the Astors. Great post.
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HI Carla, it was the same for me and I enjoyed this book a great deal. I fact checked it so you can rest assured the detail is correct.
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I looked up Brooke Astor, the New York socialite who had her own chaotic and scandal-tinged life, and her third husband was one of John Jacob Aster’s children from his earlier marriage. She made sure Madeleine’s child inherited no money from his half-brother, her husband, Vincent Astor, when he died.
The Titanic seems like a huge curse. I can’t believe they spent all that time and money (supposedly millions of dollars), not to mention endless news stories, on those five people. That’s another scandal.
Thanks as always for the informative post. (K)
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Hi Kerfe, your comment about the money wasted over the 5 people who died in the Titan is valid. I also read up about Brooke Astor and the fact that Vincent left his half brother nothing. Frankly, the whole crowd were selfish and greedy people who thought they were superior to other because they were born to money. All the good in that family died with John Astor IV.
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Money does seem to corrupt.
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Sounds like good read, Robbie. I didn’t know about the survival of the baker – remarkable!
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Hi Trish, that survival story is rather incredible. I enjoyed this book, it is beautifully written.
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A tragic story indeed. I think the Titanic should be left alone to rest in peace in its ocean grave.
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Yes, I agree, the sinking of the Titanic ruined many lives. A lot of the survivors never really recovered from the shock and horror. A graveyard should not be disturbed. I am very conservative in that regard.
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I agree with Liz. The Titanic should be left alone. I’m sure writers and readers will continue to find it irresistible, though. I haven’t read this book, but I did read The Deep by Alma Katsu, which puts a supernatural spin on the disaster.
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HI Audrey, I have conservative ideas about graveyards and don’t think they should be disturbed. I will look for The Deep, it sounds interesting.
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I have this book on my Kindle and look forward to reading it. I have always been fascinated with stories about the Titanic.
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Hi Darlene, so have I. The context I have provided here will add to your understanding of this book.
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Yes, it will. Well worded. Thanks.
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Reblogged this on https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for your review on this very interesting book, Robbie! The Titanic will never be forgotten. Best wishes, Michael
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That ship brought a tragic end for so many people, many wealthy among them. The survival of Charles Joughin is rather amazing. Thanks for sharing the book and a bit of history about the Astors, Robbie. Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne. 🙂
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🙂
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Terrifically interesting post, Robbie. I love learning what I never knew that I never knew.
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So do I Annette, that’s why I enjoy writing these posts.
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