Rating: 
Summary: Talk about disfunctional!
Review: A wonderful compliation of letters, stories, perceptions and anecdotes of a historical family on both sides of the ocean. Their successes and failures are much like those of current times. The lives of these families during post-WWI and pre-WWII are shared in a comfortable familiar way, which brought me into the folds of the familys. Although slow at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the expeience.
Rating:
Summary: Good biography, shallow and self-centered subjects
Review: I began the book prepared to be dazzled by the fabled charm, wit and beauty of the legendary Langhorne sisters. I finished the book without finding an overabundance of any of these qualities. I can't say that I admired any of the sisters; my feelings ranged from indifference toward Irene, the original Gibson Girl, who was slightly dim, but decorative, to mild dislike for irresponsible and self-indulgent Nora, to real feelings of dislike for imperious Nancy, who married into the immense wealth of the Astor family.I found Nancy to be particularly unpleasant -- selfish, domineering, self-important, tactless, rude and bigoted (quite anti-semitic, as were the other members of her family). Her often-expressed need to "do good", which presumably motivated her stint in Parliament, seemed more self-serving than altruistic to me -- an outlet for her ambition and a way to relieve her boredom with life at Cliveden, where there were servants to attend to her every wish. In addition to being unable to appreciate their so-called "wit" and "charm", I did not find in the author's photographs much evidence of their storied beauty (with the exception of their mother, who was clearly exceptionally attractive). Either the photographs do not do them justice (which would be my guess)or standards of beauty have changed over the last 75 years. I actually found each of them to be rather ordinary-looking women. In conclusion, this book seem to me to be about the supposedly glamorous lives of four (or five if you count Lizzie, the "dark horse" sister) inherently average women who find themselves raised through marriage to the highest social circles in Britain and America. Once there, priveleged and pampered, they did not seem to occupy themselves with much more than the pursuit of entertainment, the latest clothes and, in general, their own self-interest.
Rating:
Summary: Meticulously researched
Review: I enjoy biographies and this one reminds me of one I read some years ago about Winston Churchill's mother. This book is well-researched and well-written. This book does tend to get bogged down in historical details, but that personally does not bother me. The book focuses on Nancy and Phyllis, and loses track of Irene and Nora to some extent. This period in history is very interesting--the American Heiress invasion of England. This book had plenty of dialogue and lots of action, as these five sisters were always doing something interesting!
Rating: 
Summary: Lost potential
Review: I expected to enjoy it thoroughly. I found that the author didn't follow through with his characters very well. The storyline was lost in bringing too many unimportant details into it, that lost the thread of the story. It had a great potential with so much material to work from; it is sad that it failed to have the continuity that it should have had.
Rating:
Summary: boring tale about flakey mean people
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent Biography
Review: I have long held an interest in Nancy Astor and her somewhat less famous sisters, and here they all are in one book. I tried so hard to make this book last but I couldn't stop plowing right through. The Langhorne sisters lived a rarefied life, every one of them, to what most of us in the year 2000 could imagine. James Fox brought his grandmother, Phyllis Brand, and her sisters to life through their voluminous correspondence, saved by her husband. For all their wealth and privilege, they suffered some terrible tragedies and for the most part continued on. This book seems to be a true labor of love, and I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in a way of life that no longer exists.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so
Review: I picked up this book at the library because of a review I read in a periodical. The reviewer said he couldn't put the book down. I didn't have that problem. The book was average in every way. I got the impression that these sisters were quite shallow. The most startling thing in the book was the discussion of the Boer War and its aftermath without a single mention of the black South African population.
Rating:
Summary: OK Bio, but too many loose ends
Review: James Fox does a fairly good job with the biography of the Langhorne sisters but tends to get bogged down in detail, losing track of the sisters themselves. Much is made of Norah's loose behavior, but very little of it is substantiated. Much of the book is like that, opinions of a sister and nothing to back it up. I finished the book with the impression that the author did not like his subjects very much, although he seems to have been in awe of them.
Rating:
Summary: Sisters in time of change
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow characters, cluttered prose
Review: 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.
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