The Social Graces by Renée Rosen takes the reader to the Gilded Age, in Manhattan in the 1876s. The time of the social classes, and the old and new money society families. One of the old money families is the family of Caroline Astor and the Vanderbilts are one of the nouveau riche families, who are looked down upon from the old money, and who don't mix in the social circles, with lavish parties, social rules and proper etiquette. Caroline Astor and her daughters are in control of the current society circles, and Alva Vanderbilt, who wants to enter and tries desperately to get into the closed off society circles, and who marries into one of America's richest families. It is a bit Gossip Girl like, only in a different historical era. And that is also another comparison; Gossip Girl never becomes a really interesting book with a story with more layers and depth. And the Social Graces also never becomes a really interesting story with depth. It stays on the surface with a lot of gossip, envy, and other things the old and new money where occupying there lives with, but it lacks any kind of really interesting action or conflict, to keep the reader interested for more then 300 pages. The characters of Caroline and Alva stay just superficial characters who are mostly busy with their own interests, nothing more.
I had higher expectations of this book after have read Renée Rosen's book Park Avenue Summer years ago, but that book was truly an interesting read, and I found this book not as good. I truly expected more of it!
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