For if you no longer have a future, what else is there left but dreams of the past?

AMERICAN PRINCESS

The book:

Today’s review of An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew (2015) was born out of a combination of my lifelong fascination with royalty and the variety of books on KindleUnlimited. Despite my avowed feminism as an adult, much of my childhood was spent watching movies and reading books about princesses. If I’d only read this book first, I’d have known just how much work went into obtaining a title!

Spoiler: Despite the title, this book is strongly rooted in the history of the Netherlands. The continuation of the Dutch royal line was assured thanks to the patronage and machinations of Allene Tew, in one of her many incarnations. From her humble beginnings in Jamestown, NY to her death in Castel Mare on the coast of France, Allene sure made an impact.

As a young woman of modest means in the 1890s, Allen knew that she could only advance in life with a husband. At least at the start. Five husbands later, Allene had homes, connections, material holdings, adoptive family members and a royal title across at least two continents. And yet, I’d never heard her name until opening this book. For a young country, we sure have a lot of undiscovered history.

The author:

One of the Netherlands’ most well-known authors, Annejet van der Zijl was first published in 1998. Though she began as a crime and arts journalist, she has made her mark in long-form narrative nonfiction. Her 2015 tracing of Allene Tew’s life, an American that became godmother to Dutch Queen Beatrix, was a #1 bestseller in the Netherlands. The English translation of the book reached #5 on the Wall Street Journal’s nonfiction list.

Translation:

One of the most flawless translations yet was completed by Michele Hutchison formerly of the UK. A veteran of the publishing world, Michele has lived in Amsterdam since 2004. She was educated at UEA, Cambridge, and Lyon universities. She translates Dutch literary fiction and nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and children’s books. Beyond translations, Michele is a coauthor, with Rina Mae Acosta, of The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less (The Experiment, 2017).

What I loved:

The pragmatism. For most of my life, I was bored by American history for the lack of meat, twists and turns. However, with Allene Tew’s story I was exposed to the many layers and complications that created the United States. Allene’s story began before the Gilded Age, survived the Great Depression, hit some rough patches during the first World War and petered out after the second World War.

The Americans, who had been dependent on Europe for many of their resources before the Civil War, now began to export products back to the Old World at competitive prices.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

Clearly a child of the nineteenth century, Allene hadn’t yet been infected with the modern idea that grief was a thing that needed to be processed or could even be healed, preferably by talking a lot.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

The Second World War was a remarkably tranquil period in Allene’s otherwise stormy life–even if it was only because the war forced her to stay in her own country without interruption for the first time in decades.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

The commentary. Since this isn’t just a history book, but narrative nonfiction, Annejet was able to inject her own humorous commentary on the subject’s life and life choices. Allene was raised in Victorian morals, yet lived her life in defiance of this strictures. And very few time periods were as strict and judgmental as the Victorians.

She longed for pleasure, for adventure, and particularly for a world that was larger than the essentially small-town Jamestown. In short, Allene Tew had everything anyone might need to get into trouble. And that is what she did.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

According to the article, the house resembled a gigantic log cabin, once more showing that Allene wasn’t ashamed of her roots.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

She was a fanatical horse lover and an avid smoker and was renowned for not giving a damn.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

What I liked:

The dedication. One of the keys to survival, as noted often throughout this book, is adaptability. Yes, Allene always managed to maintain some semblance of wealth and comfort, but her staying power came from rolling with the punches. She made friends, bought property, and maintained her cool. Oh, and she picked up a new husband when it suited her.

And if there was one thing that was truly American, it was the belief that it was always possible to start again.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

Weren’t almost all of the marriages between British aristocrats and American heirs or heiresses based on dollars?

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

In fact, Allene’s only concession to her age was the fact that she released herself from the self-imposed obligation to stay slim at any cost.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

The characterization. the list of research resources that Annejet combed through to create this book could have constituted a final chapter in of themselves. Her ability to create an interesting, well-rounded and lifelike main character from letters, historical records and property deeds is very impressive. Allene shines through as a determined, yet passionate woman.

Perhaps, this was Allene’s greatest achievement, above her wealth, her titles, her many houses, and her impressive guest book: that despite everything she’d experienced and endured, she always clung to her ability to enjoy life and be grateful for it.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

Allene had been and remained the Queen of Loose Ends. Every time a hole developed in the fabric of her life, she’d tie together the loose ends and get on with it.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

What I could do without:

The morals. As I mentioned previously, Allene’s life was shaped by her Victorian upbringing. Women should be seen and not heard and defer to their husbands, education was secondary to wealth and homosexuality was a sin. Furthermore, until the reading of Allene’s will, there was no mention of any servants or caretakers–did she run this crazy life on her own? While the US is said to have maintained a Puritanical outlook, this Dutch author managed to glaze over gritty parts of Allene’s past where it suited her. Commentary is one thing, but a true history should leave no stone unturned and making Allene’s kind of money was messy.

Many a young woman in Allene’s position ended her life to spare herself and her family a scandal. Young men such as Tod, in turn, usually withdrew from girlfriends who had been so stupid and wanton as to let this happen.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

Not only were both gentlemen of “dubious sexual orientation,” they had backgrounds that, in those years of the Cold War and witch hunting of Communists, made alarm bells ring.

AN AMERICAN PRINCESS

The recommendation:

It’s always a good idea to learn more about your own history, even if it’s from an outside perspective. As you read through the many stages of Allene’s life, it’s easy to lose track of places, names and events. The author made a point to not use footnotes. Otherwise, half of each page would have been taken up with citations.

Read the book, but maybe keep Google handy as backup. I’m always intrigued by tales of strong women, even if I’m frustrated by historical women’s persistence in marrying over and over again. Let me know in the comments: was she a survivor or an opportunist?