An American Beauty: A Novel of the Gilded Age Inspired by the True Story of Arabella Huntington Who Became the Richest Woman in the Country

This historical novel follows Arabella Huntington, a woman who rose from poverty to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America during the Gilded Age. The story begins in 1867 Richmond, Virginia, where seventeen-year-old Arabella works at Worsham's gambling parlor. Despite her circumstances, she possesses determination and resolve to escape her struggling background. When Arabella meets Collis Huntington, a railroad baron and multimillionaire thirty years her senior, they begin an affair despite his marriage. With his financial support and her own shrewd investing instincts, Arabella eventually moves to New York and begins building her fortune, posing as a wealthy Southern widow. After Collis's wife dies, he marries Arabella. However, she must navigate the strict rules of New York's elite society—the "Four Hundred," which includes the Astors and Vanderbilts. She must earn her place through wealth, taste, style, and behavior. Threats emerge from those who suspect the truth about her past and may blackmail her, as well as an unexpected romance that tests her ambition and loyalties.