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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