American Lady
The Life of Susan Mary Alsop
Caroline de Margerie
- The
- fascinating
- story
- of
- one
- of
- the
- grand
- dames
- of
- Georgetown
- society
- and
- a
- true
- Washington
- insiderHenry
- Kissinger
- once
- remarked
- that
- more
- agreements
- were
- concluded
- in
- the
- living
- room
- of
- Susan
- Mary
- Alsop
- than
- in
- the
- White
- House.
- A
- descendent
- of
- Founding
- Father
- John
- Jay,
- Susan
- Mary
- was
- an
- American
- aristocrat
- whose
- first
- marriage
- gave
- her
- full
- access
- to
- post-war
- diplomatic
- social
- life
- in
- Paris.
- There,
- her
- circle
- of
- friends
- included
- Winston
- Churchill,
- Isaiah
- Berlin,
- Evelyn
- Waugh,
- and
- Christian
- Dior,
- among
- other
- luminaries,
- and
- she
- had
- a
- passionate
- love
- affair
- with
- British
- ambassador
- Duff
- Cooper.
- During
- the
- golden
- years
- of
- John
- F.
- Kennedy’s
- presidency—after
- she
- had
- married
- the
- powerful
- journalist
- Joe
- Alsop—her
- Washington
- home
- was
- a
- gathering
- place
- for
- everyone
- of
- importance,
- including
- Katharine
- Graham,
- Robert
- McNamara,
- and
- Henry
- Kissinger.
- Dubbed
- “the
- second
- lady
- of
- Camelot,”
- she
- hosted
- dinner
- parties
- that
- were
- the
- epitome
- of
- political
- power
- and
- social
- arrival,
- bringing
- together
- the
- movers
- and
- shakers
- not
- just
- of
- the
- United
- States,
- but
- of
- the
- world.
- Featuring
- an
- introduction
- by
- Susan
- Mary
- Alsop’s
- goddaughter
- Frances
- FitzGerald,
- American
- Lady
- is
- a
- fascinating
- chronicle
- of
- a
- woman
- who
- witnessed,
- as
- Nancy
- Mitford
- once
- said,
- “history
- on
- the boil.”
pro-mbooks3 : libris
