Scandalous Newport, Rhode Island

by Larry Stanford

Newport, Rhode Island, is renowned for its stunning cliff-side vistas and the luxurious summer homes of the Gilded Age elite. Yet the opulent facades of the City by the Sea concealed the scintillating scandals, eccentric characters and unsolved mysteries of its wealthiest families. Learn how Cornelius Vanderbilt III was cut out of the family's fortune for his unapproved marriage to Grace Wilson and how John F. Kennedy's marriage to a Newport debutante helped to secure his presidency. Travel to the White Horse Tavern, where a vengeful specter still waits for his supposed murderer to return to the scene, and discover the mysterious voyage of the "Sea Bird" and its missing crew. Historian Larry Stanford searches the dark corners of Newport's past to expose these scandalous tales and more.

Genres: Nonfiction

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

Reviews

[Phyllis A Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!

This book was informative in many ways. After living in Middletown for roughly 10 years as a Navy family I learned the reasons for why Newport is the way it is , another reason for the Bob Dylan scandal at Folk Festival. It was amazing to read about the Perry Brothers and how important they were to the Navy. There are many more stories packed into the pages of this book.

[Robert Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but certainly not scandalous

Fast read that should be titled 'Interesting Newport.' Enjoyed the history and having visited Newport twice, it was good to be able to combine the stories with the places. Also, being a child of the bubble-gum pop era, it was cool to read about the Cowsills! Had to 'Ask Alexa' to play me some Indian Lake.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The amount of typos made this hard to read.

[Tiffani Pino · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is actually extremely Boring

I read chapter after chapter waiting on a good story.
I found the stories not very exciting.
Bland and the writing has no flavor.
Meh

[Connie Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the history in this book. Not so scandalous, but very intersting.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book mostly because of a recent trip to Newport, RI. An interesting and informative read.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories won't be new if you've been on a historical or ghost walking tour of Newport. I am not an expert on Newport and have only been a handful of times, but I caught at least one seeming inaccuracy (i.e., stating that the Banister Mansion housed General Clinton instead of General Prescott in the Rev. War).

[Tory · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's okay. The writing style isn't for me. The book does contain a lot of interesting facts about people and history of Newport but it was like reading a high school book report. The chapter about JFK was probably the most interesting part of the book. Glad a read it but won't read it again.

[Carmela Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newport

The book is very informative and well written. My mom is from Newport and she learned some new things. I was really surprised by some of it.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love history so it was fun to read about historic events that happened in different places in Newport. Stories about the Vanderbilt’s, Kennedy’s, etc!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was different than I was expecting. Every chapter was its own story. Interesting read though.

[Kim Genser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not necessarily “scandalous “ but history