The Sisters: Babe Mortimer Paley, Betsey Roosevelt Whitney, Minnie Astor Fosburgh - The Lives and Times of the Fabulous Cushing Sisters

by David Grafton

Reveals the lives of three high-society women whose influence determined what was "in" and what was "out" for thirty years

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, American History

316 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 1992

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read in a few reviews that this was a gossipy book, but I didn't find it so. I learned recently that the author died just a year after the book was published, and that his friends found his origins a mystery: who was the real David Grafton? In many ways it helped me to read this book as his story as well, why was he interested in this subject, how had he found so much information about these very private people, and managed to convey his admiration without seeming like a kiss-ass? One thing that was irritating was that he didn't always give years or dates, so that you didn't know when so and so had their first or second coronary, but eventually it could be put together.

[Jill H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the tale of the Cushing sisters....three gold-digging, shallow women whose main goal in life was to marry the richest men they could find and then were surprised that they were miserable in their marriages. It is gossipy and contains some interesting information about New York society....BUT, it is not well written. The author repeats the same incidents and descriptions incessantly throughout the book as if he didn't have enough information to fill the allotted pages. I understood the first time that Babe Cushing Paley was a fashion icon and didn't need to be told that on every third page of the narrative. Additionally, I am not inclined to enjoy a book in which the author asks us to believe that the "job" of dealing with 17 servants is "just exhausting" and should elicit the reader's sympathy. And why the author felt it necessary to itemize each piece of jewelry and art work contained in the wills of the sisters is beyond me.
This could have been a good biography......it is not.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to read before or after The Swans of New York. It is fascinating to see how the "high society" of NY and the world interconnects and LIVES ON. Google Babe Paley, her daughter Amanda Mortimer Burden is the long-time partner of non other than newscaster, Charlie Rose. Well, well, well

[Jeannette Ligget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after The Swans of New York because I wanted the know more about Babe Paley. The book is certainly thorough, if at times a bit tedious. But I did feel as though I came to "know" the famous Cushing sisters, including their luxurious homes, expensive clothes and jewels, and "top drawer" society friends. The book attempts to discover the motivation behind each sister's marriages and divorces beyond the obvious reasons, going back to their childhood. And the reader comes to realize that their lives were not always perfect, especially Babe's, living in her gilded cage. The Cushing's lived during and would see the end of high society as they knew it, most likely being ushered out by Truman Capote's Black and White Ball in 1966. It is fascinating reading. Just have your internet device handy; you'll want to look up everything on Google Images!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, although the author seemed to really gloss over the behavior of the three sisters. If you read other sources, they gossiped, cheated on their spouses, and manipulated their way into rich marriages that surprisingly failed. I found it a little disingenuous that the sisters (with help from Mom) schemed their way into the highest social reaches, then they were surprised that their husbands didn't treat them as beloveds, more as ornaments.

[Tamelyn Feinstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. This was tedious.

[Nsquared · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look into 3 socialite woman who married the cream of the crop in New England society. Interesting times

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading "The Swans of Fifth Avenue" I simply wanted to know more about the Cushing Sisters: Mary "Minnie" Astor Fosburgh; Betsey Roosevelt Whitney: & Barbara "Babe" Mortimer Paley: which led me to this, "The Sisters".

Their mother, Katherine "Kate" Crowell Cushing was a formidable social climbing force in the lives of her daughters. The most important lesson was to marry well, $$$$< & upward, no matter if your husband was a loving one or not; just as long as he provided wealth & the accompanying life-style.

The "Sisters" had two brothers, but little if anything was said about them in this book; one died early on in his teens and the remaining one was around for family gatherings & weddings.

Many of the people written about were not very likable, but I suppose it's the $$$$$ that counts. Although, of the 3 sisters' six husbands: Betsey's 2nd husband, John Hay "Jock" Whitney, was the one husband who cared & worked the most for the improvement of the not-so-fortunate, the others' husbands were self-absorbed.

Minnie's husbands: Vincent Astor, wealthy, self-absorbed, diffident towards Minnie & her coterie. James Whitney Fosburgh, a painter, self-avowed homosexual, & sharing the same interests in the arts & art society of the time.

Betsey's husbands: James Roosevelt, son of President FDR, jealous of Betsey's relationship w/ FDR. John Hay "Jock" Whitney; politically astute, u.s. ambassador to Great Britain, humanitarian

Babe's husbands: Stanley Grafton Mortimer, Chevron Oil Heir. William Paley, Jewish heritage, CBS founder, self-absorbed (selfish), demanding & mean-spirited

Very little was said about the sisters' children until towards the end. Minnie had no children; Betsey had two daughters from James Roosevelt, who were later adopted by Jock Whitney; and Babe had six, two from her first marriage, two with Bill Paley, & two from his first marriage. From what I read, it seemed as a mother, Babe was unavailable, she had very little to do with her children. So, although, she was certainly not as close & controlling to her children as their mother was to them, it scarred them in a completely different manner.

There was a few chapters on Truman Capote's relationship w/ Babe & Bill Paley, which basically portrayed him as he was, a self-destructive, self-loathing, viscous gossip.


The book said little about the Sisters' friendships with the other Swans: C.Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, Slim Kieth, & Pamela Churchill Harriman. But there is so much information about these 3 society Mavens how could one possibly put it all in one book?

The end was mostly about which Sister left what in her will to whom.... Jewels, jewels & more jewels.....

What I wanted? More Photos & more personal information. I do believe I would have preferred 3 books in one, or simply 3 books each focusing on one particular sister.

[Christina Abel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first came across this book I got excited. My maiden name is Cushing, so I was excited to read this book and learn about the daughters of Dr. Harvey Cushing (whom we are related to, albeit distantly). I am always fascinated by the differences between high society then and now, and this book makes me yearn for those seemingly simpler times. It goes into detail about the lives these women led, the enormous pressures they endured in the public eye, and the extremely advantageous marriages they entered into. It's too bad that we don't still exalt some of these behaviors and attitudes anymore. Overall, I really enjoyed this book (despite my obvious slight bias) and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy biographies. David Grafton did a very good job of writing this book, helped, no doubt, by the fact that he was there.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I have finally grown bored with reading about the lives of the rich and famous! Particularly by writers who are in need of a decent editor. After finishing "Swans of 5th Avenue" I wanted to learn more about the real people in that book. Unfortunately David Grafton's biography of the Cushing sisters is repetitive, disjointed, and filled with details of no interest to me, such as long lists describing pieces of jewelry left in Babe Paley's will, or the contents of Betsey Whitney's home in England. I can only hope that the women themselves were more interesting and deep than Mr. Grafton's book about them.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book happened to be next to the book I just read about the Curzon sisters..........so I am on a sister kick; but it looks great!
A look at the glamorous life of he Cushing sisters; one married a Roosevelt and a Whitney, one an Astor and the third, Babe married Bill Paley, CEO of CBS.............gives you a fell for NYC of the 40, 50s and 60s, when these women were the Paris Hiltons of their day..............but more interesting!

[MicheleinNJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up at the thrift store. It's a true story about three sisters whose claim to fame was marrying for money. I'm sure these women had some redeeming qualities but they weren't evident in the book.

[Maureen Flatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at the intersection of history, society and business.

[Betsy Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Cushings were three sisters who set out to marry money and boy, did they do that. Each married twice and among those six men were Vincent Astor, John Hay Whitney, and Bill Paley (owner of CBS). The others were FDR’s eldest son, a Standard Oil heir, and a painter. But of those six marriages, only one was really happy. I got tired of the author’s increasingly shallow, gushing style. You can only hear so many times about how beautiful Babe Paley was, what a fashion icon she was, and how fabulously decorated her homes were.

[Helen Carolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN entertaining and gossipy read detailing the lives of the Cushing sisters. All had at least two marriages which spanned politics, the arts and cafe society from the 1930's through to the 1960's. Babe Paley famously took Truman Capote under her wing, making him a star, but she and New York society cut him dead after he betrayed her. Although the author describes the sisters as intelligent they often come across as party loving clothes horses. Entertaininh.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea how I came upon this book and decided to read it, but it was really interesting. I had no idea who these women were at the time (I must have read this in 10th grade or thereabouts) so that now, with all the Capote movies out, my opinion of these women (Babe Paley, mostly) is entirely influenced by my knowledge of their childhood and...stuff. Weird. But cool.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had this book been better written, I may have enjoyed it more or perhaps I'm just sick to death of people who are "famous" simply because they're wealthy. These women married purposely for money and, for the most part, were miserable. The author's dull recitations of their wills and who got what ad infinitum put the final nail in the coffin for me.

[Liana Pitel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining biography of the three Cushing sisters. Their mother raised them to ensure that they married rich & someone high in society. Sadly only one sister also found love as well. A great follow up book after reading the new The Swans of Fifth Avenue and the old In Cold Blood.

[Sevelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. This trio of women dominated society news for decades and had appeal for “people who needed to believe in fairy tales.” How fulfilled they were is a mystery they took to their grave. They were born in an era when women did not marry, instead they were married off. This meticulously researched book chronicles their many high-profile, platinum marriages — warts and all — including revealed secrets, family politics, and of course the famed, mischievous betrayal of Truman Capote. A great, gripping, gossipy read.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While written in 1992, this book still stands the test of time. I was familiar with different aspects of each Sister plus the well-known/famous families they married, but I didn't know as much about the the three women growing up & their Parents, The Cushings.

If you love history, the art world, & just the jet set lifestyle of the 1900s...try to get yourself a copy. I found mine (used condition) at Thrift Books. It is also recommended for fans of the FX series, Feud, from 2024 where the curtains were pulled back on the NYC elite including Babe Mortimer Paley played by Naomi Watts.

[Jane Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book about women who lived in a different time with different values. I found it interesting that the type of lives they lived would probably not exist in our current society. I found it at times disturbing that people live so extravagantly and without consideration of their children. It was an interesting book.

[Matthew Steiger · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author ran out of superfluous compliments to shower on the the sisters by the middle of the book. Much of the book was just a repeat of the same observations over and over. The novel would have been much better as a series in Vanity Fair or Town and Country.

[Kelly Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good portrait of history and social mores of the first half of the 20th century.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of these clever glamorous Cushing sisters. The book is entertaining and gave me information I did not know I was interested in. A good read for sure.

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[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long before the Kardashian family dominated the tabloids, there was the Cushing family, complete with a mother who orchestrated her daughters lives. Seems that Mama Cushing, better known as Gogsie, instilled in her daughters that their life's' goal was to marry rich, rather than for love. And if the first marriage didn't go well, the girls should remarry an even richer man.

The Cushing daughters are long deceased now, and even though this book was published in 1992, it appeared that their descendants were unknowingly following Gogsie's advice. My biggest takeaway from this biography was sadness for their lives, which appeared to be defined by wealth, power and privilege. Happiness and love were in the distant background. In the end, perhaps only Betsey truly loved her very wealthy husband.

I came to this book after reading 'The Swans of Fifth Avenue', a fictionalized account of Barbara (Babe) Cushing Mortimer Paley's life, which also was sad.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Badly written. So badly written. I read it primarily for the dish on Babe Paley, since she's such a fashion icon. Her petrie-dish life, no matter how fabulous and leisurely it might have been, seems exhausting and awful, too. Like a polished, lacquered little prison. You see the same people all the time and everyone is constantly judging and gossiping--it's like high school--never ending!!!! And women all went after each other's husbands and all that craziness. Just for title or money. Talk about desperation and greed. It's like a primer in what to avoid doing in your life. Ain't nothin' free, baby.

[Jennifer Gatto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Majority of this book takes place before I was born so I enjoyed the historical aspects. I also love any book set in NYC. The 3 sisters live quite a life. I found their ups and downs to be interesting. I really enjoyed this book.

[Patrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and fascinating story of the three Cushing sisters, whose mother's goal in life was to marry off her daughters to the wealthiest men. She succeeded, but there were prices to pay!