An acidly funny account of the unholy alliance between eye-wateringly rich and socially ambitious American women and a clutch of impoverished British peers … the extravagant ostentation that de Courcy serves up in her delectably gossip-filled book is of the sort that modern-day oligarchs still revere. Think fin-de-siecle trashy… Lively, shrewd and fresh as a gilded rose, de Courcy’s book is her best yet. I can’t wait to read it again

This is a sparkling and richly entertaining account of an intriguing and unusual culture clash

(A) hugely entertaining chronicle of cash for coronets

Anne de Courcy has written the definitive account of the real-life buccaneers … de Courcy argues with conviction that it wasn’t simply about money. Englishmen found the dollar princesses irresistible and were drawn to their vitality, social ease and lack of stuffiness … De Courcy is excellent on the cultural clashes between the Americans and British

To both serious social historians and Downtonish aristo-fanciers it will be pure catnip. The book is well written and full of detail

De Courcy is a spirited writer who has thoroughly researched her subject

This is an entertaining read even if your ancestors were not aristocratic, providing insights into the upper classes on both sides of the Atlantic.

Delectably gossip-filled history

Anne de Courcy has a sharp instinct for absurdity and there is much of that in this entertaining book

De Courcy’s books are diverting and full of fascinating anecdotes and shrewd commentary. This one is no exception. Describing the fortunes of young American heiresses pushed into courtship and marriage with impoverished English aristocrats, she reminds the reader that social climbing and snobbery are abiding features in human nature

Cleverly researched, sparkling with diamonds and wickedly funny

From the rackety to the respectable, from the miserable failures to the triumphant successes, each story is told with the same wit and dexterity that make the author one of the most readable social historians writing today

Witty and well researched, Anne de Courcy brings to colorful, dramatic life these dollar princesses whose vast fortunes propelled them to glittering trans-Atlantic marriages that captivated international society

Meticulously researched and sparklingly witty history