Kehoe, Elisabeth

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Kehoe, Elisabeth

PERSONAL: Female. Education: University of London, doctoral degree.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Atlantic Monthly Press, 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

CAREER: Writer and historian.

WRITINGS:

The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and the British Aristocratic World into Which They Married, Atlantic Monthly Press (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Historian Elisabeth Kehoe recounts the lives of the Jerome sisters in her first book, The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and the British Aristocratic World into Which They Married. Jennie Churchill, Clara Frewen, and Leonie Leslie all came to England and married into the British upper class, and Jennie's eldest son, Winston Churchill, would later guide England through World War II. Although Jennie has been written about extensively, the other sisters and their lives are less well known. Kehoe details the close bond the sisters maintained with each other throughout their lives, as well as discussing their aristocratic lifestyles, their troubled marriages, and their extramarital affairs. "Kehoe's readable book … perfectly captures the decadence of the sisters' privileged world in its historical context of a British Empire just past its peak," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. Writing on the Bookpage Web site, Anne Bartlett called the biography "a beguiling chronicle of a long-gone world." Noting that "the author has done an impressive amount of research," Spectator contributor Hugh Massingberd also stated, "I am happy to say that I derived a measure of enjoyment from Kehoe's book, which is well stocked with diverting material." Mary Ellen Quinn, writing in Booklist, commented that the author's "combination of meticulous research, good storytelling, and glimpses into the lifestyles of the rich … and famous circa 1900 will satisfy a range of readers." In a review for Library Journal, Gail Benjafield deemed the book "a remarkable achievement and a real treat."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 2004, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and the British Aristocratic World into Which They Married, p. 456.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2004, review of The Titled Americans, p. 849.

Library Journal, December 1, 2004, Gail Benjafield, review of The Titled Americans, p. 136.

Publishers Weekly, September 13, 2004, review of The Titled Americans, p. 65.

Spectator (London, England), November 13, 2004, Hugh Massingberd, review of The Titled Americans, p. 59.