When the Astors Owned New York by Justin Kaplan

                                                            

 Title: When the Astors Owned New York

Author: Justin Kaplan

Genre: Nonfiction


Synopsis: The history of the rise and reign of the Astor family in New York.

My Thoughts

I was really looking forward to this book when I ordered it from Barnes and Noble. It is not a long book, less than 300 pages so I was excited to be pulled into the New York of the past and the opulent lives of the Astors. 

Sadly, this book left me feeling bored and confused. Instead of a story of a famously rich family and what life was like in the city during their lives, I got a list of facts that jump around in time. I don't usually mind moving between time periods in books, but when all the male members of the family have the same name it makes it incredibly hard to follow when there is very little narrative to provide context. I don't expect nonfiction to read like a fictional work, but honestly, this was really difficult to get through. I have read and reviewed some amazing nonfiction works, so I know it doesn't have to be like this. I read about 3/4 of the book and then put it down to move on to something enjoyable.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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