Gilded by Deborah Davis

Gilded by Deborah Davis is a captivating history of socially exclusive and elaborately developed Newport, Rhode Island, which--of course--only matters to those who care. Dating back to A.D. 1000 when Norse sailors visited the area and to the Native Americans who used it long before the ships landed, this non-fiction book reads like a very good novel. Think "Lives of the Richer & Famouser"! Outlandish extravagance well established by the Mrs. Caroline Astor set the mark for all the Vanderbilts, Oelrichs, and Fishes to follow.

The author delineates the changing fortune of Newport through tales about many people who lived or vacationed there. Standards were set, then changed. Some residents changed with the times, others clung to the old ways of the Gilded Age. The storyline takes the reader through world events effecting this cloistered community and ends at the present time. Its an exhilarating history lesson that can also rank among excellent beach reads not because its light-weight, but because I could not put the book down.

5/5 stars

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But Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.   ~ Isaiah 33:2