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Saratoga Trunk
From Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edna Ferber, called the “the greatest American woman novelist of her day” (New York Times), comes a mesmerizing and timeless saga of love, greed and power.
Saratoga Trunk unfolds the story of Clio Dulaine, an ambitious Creole beauty who more than meets her match in Clint Maroon, a handsome Texan with a head for business—and an eye for beautiful young women. Together they do battle with Southern gentry and Eastern society, but in their obsession to acquire all they've ever wanted, they fail to realize they already have all they'll ever need—each other.
An unforgettable tale of ambition, class differences, and love, Saratoga Trunk was the basis for the classic film starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman.
Saratoga Trunk unfolds the story of Clio Dulaine, an ambitious Creole beauty who more than meets her match in Clint Maroon, a handsome Texan with a head for business—and an eye for beautiful young women. Together they do battle with Southern gentry and Eastern society, but in their obsession to acquire all they've ever wanted, they fail to realize they already have all they'll ever need—each other.
An unforgettable tale of ambition, class differences, and love, Saratoga Trunk was the basis for the classic film starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
202 people are currently reading
832 people want to read
About the author
Edna Ferber
277 books286 followersEdna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were popular in her lifetime and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
November 23, 2020
3.5 stars. A fun read about Clio Dulaine and Clint Maroon, a mismatched pair who fall in love in New Orleans and go to Saratoga during racing season to make their millions....whatever it takes. Assisted by the dwarf Cupidon and the Octaroon Kakaracou, Clio can be as outrageous as she likes. This was equal parts Gone With the Wind and The Sting. Very enjoyable. The descriptions of the food and coffee in New Orleans is worth the price of the book.
December 25, 2022
Set in late 1800's, Saratoga Trunk is one of Edna Ferber's later novels that was turned into a movie (starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman).
Basically a story of Clio Dulaine who was a disadvantaged (by birth - illegitimate) girl who was, of course, beautiful, but obsessed her whole life with the trappings of society and getting it over on those legitimate girls. I stayed with it, and the story was fun to listen to as the narrator flipped effortlessly between French Creole patois, haitian / slave dialect, southern urban accents of the time, and even a voice for Cupidon, her "little person" who sounded a lot like Herve Villechaize from Fantasy Island days. . . .
A nice, old-fashioned Southern story, complete with pralines. One thing I love about Ferber's writing, among many others, is her power of description. Whether is it a room, a person, a prairie, a process, food or painstaking detail of an outfit, she is as proficient as an artist with a paintbrush and her style is clear and realistic. Yummy, and mouthwatering for those who love words, phrases and pictures that spring from page to brain in a matter of letters. . . she is sooooo good.
If you haven't Ferbered yet, I recommend it. My favorite Ferber, tho, is So Big, but exploring further afield when it comes to favorite authors is almost always worth a reader's time.
Basically a story of Clio Dulaine who was a disadvantaged (by birth - illegitimate) girl who was, of course, beautiful, but obsessed her whole life with the trappings of society and getting it over on those legitimate girls. I stayed with it, and the story was fun to listen to as the narrator flipped effortlessly between French Creole patois, haitian / slave dialect, southern urban accents of the time, and even a voice for Cupidon, her "little person" who sounded a lot like Herve Villechaize from Fantasy Island days. . . .
A nice, old-fashioned Southern story, complete with pralines. One thing I love about Ferber's writing, among many others, is her power of description. Whether is it a room, a person, a prairie, a process, food or painstaking detail of an outfit, she is as proficient as an artist with a paintbrush and her style is clear and realistic. Yummy, and mouthwatering for those who love words, phrases and pictures that spring from page to brain in a matter of letters. . . she is sooooo good.
If you haven't Ferbered yet, I recommend it. My favorite Ferber, tho, is So Big, but exploring further afield when it comes to favorite authors is almost always worth a reader's time.
May 14, 2015
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Edna Ferber is a hidden literary gem. If you were born in the 70's or after, you'd probably never heard of her growing up. I happened upon her by chance: My mother and I were flipping through TV channels and she stopped on a scene from "Giant." I'm more of a reader than a watcher, so I went to the library, got the book, and have been eating up Ferber's words ever since.
Why is this author not more talked about?! This woman not only knows how to tell a great, moving story and construct a beautiful sentence, she also creates these characters that are just so fun and real. I absolutely adored Clio Dulaine from the beginning. It was impossible not to love her -- or any of Ferber's heroines.
Ferber's female characters quietly exude strength, independence, and tenacity. They go against the convention of their day (and Ferber's) but not in a way that's at all obnoxious. You are always rooting for them. I also enjoy the men in her stories. They're likeable, but definitely must delicately walk around their female counterparts, even when they are booming and brash.
This is the fourth novel I've read by this author and I would highly recommend any of them ("So Big" was my favorite though).
Why is this author not more talked about?! This woman not only knows how to tell a great, moving story and construct a beautiful sentence, she also creates these characters that are just so fun and real. I absolutely adored Clio Dulaine from the beginning. It was impossible not to love her -- or any of Ferber's heroines.
Ferber's female characters quietly exude strength, independence, and tenacity. They go against the convention of their day (and Ferber's) but not in a way that's at all obnoxious. You are always rooting for them. I also enjoy the men in her stories. They're likeable, but definitely must delicately walk around their female counterparts, even when they are booming and brash.
This is the fourth novel I've read by this author and I would highly recommend any of them ("So Big" was my favorite though).
July 11, 2014
After seeing the movie with Gary cooper and Ingrid Bergman on AMC, I knew I wanted to read this book. I am a great Edna Ferber fan, so I was pretty sure that I would like it. It has a different feel than "Cimmaron" or "Giant", but it is a well-written novel. I don't think the blurb on the Goodreads site is quite accurate as Clint is only anxious to make enough money to have fun and afford to move on. Getting back at the people who cheated his father is another driving force for him. Clio wants to be rich, but also safely in a marriage as her mother was not. The attraction between the two is the driving force in this novel. Don't be put off by the beginning of the book going into Clio's family background. It explains a lot, and the action picks up from there. Some of this novel is not entirely politically correct as far as African Americans and dwarves are concerned. From her later novels, we know that Ms. Ferber was sympathetic to minorities, and she shows some of that here. This was written in 1941, so one might give her some slack, but this is my greatest problem with this novel.
January 28, 2022
A sensitive reader will be put off quite a bit by the descriptions of the African American maid, the Little Person groom, and other persons of color. If I hadn't been reading it for 3 different challenges I would have shelved it as DNF halfway through. I really love the 3 Ferber stories I have read so far in my life so I was disappointed in this one. Especially when the female main character put on a show in black face. Good Grief. This story starts in the 1870s and ends in the 1940s (I think), but still, heavy handed descriptions!
On the last page, both main characters, now in their 80s, confess they were "bad characters" and expressed hope that democracy would make everyone equal, at least monetarily. It wasn't enough to redeem this book. I didn't like any of the characters!
BUT
Edna Ferber can and does do better, don't let this put you off her work!
On the last page, both main characters, now in their 80s, confess they were "bad characters" and expressed hope that democracy would make everyone equal, at least monetarily. It wasn't enough to redeem this book. I didn't like any of the characters!
BUT
Edna Ferber can and does do better, don't let this put you off her work!
December 15, 2012
I actually came across a first edition of this novel in a thrift store, and had not read Edna Ferber, so thought it was a good opportunity to do so. The book was a pleasant read, set primarily in both New Orleans and Saratoga, New York. It was interesting to read about the upper class lifestyle around the end of the 19th century. I can readily see where the book lends itself to the visual enjoyment of the movies, with the historic settings, the unique characters, and the picturesque fashions of the day. Add elements of horse racing, good food, and the intrigues of railroads in that era and the word that comes to mind is "rollicking," a word out of character for the novel but illustrative of the enjoyment I had from reading it.
August 6, 2016
I am rereading this for the umpteenth time, having begun when I was in high school and periodically revisiting it since.
I found myself craving something with rich descriptions, exotic locations, complex characters, and interesting plots. And my eye fell upon this on the bookshelf.
So here I go again, beginning in New Orleans with Clio Dulaine and her strange household.
I found myself craving something with rich descriptions, exotic locations, complex characters, and interesting plots. And my eye fell upon this on the bookshelf.
So here I go again, beginning in New Orleans with Clio Dulaine and her strange household.
January 1, 2010
Old-fashioned easy-reading fun. Delicious descriptions of eating in New Orleans, and the robber-baron era in the Northern U.S. It's funny now to think of Saratoga, NY as the home to money, scandal, and fashion, but before there was air-conditioning, things worked a lot differently. A basic romance, with a weird bit of historio-political moralizing tacked on at both ends. Oh, and a shoot-out, cowboys, and a train wreck.
Might have been 4 stars, but some of the scenes were weirdly talking, with the heroine just going on giving 'speeches' that didn't seem to show anything besides that she was a headstrong 'character'. Explained away by the epilogue - it was originally meant to be a stage play.
This was made into a movie, and what I want to know is, did the heroine's appearance in black-face at the ball of the season - did they really do that onscreen?
The author photo on the back cover is almost worth the book alone.
Might have been 4 stars, but some of the scenes were weirdly talking, with the heroine just going on giving 'speeches' that didn't seem to show anything besides that she was a headstrong 'character'. Explained away by the epilogue - it was originally meant to be a stage play.
This was made into a movie, and what I want to know is, did the heroine's appearance in black-face at the ball of the season - did they really do that onscreen?
The author photo on the back cover is almost worth the book alone.
April 11, 2018
Solid 4 stars out of 5 (for me). For the benefit of all my reading friends, you may interpret this as a 3.
I know that sounds strange, but I loved this book...and I don't think everyone would.
Here's the thing (and I had heard this before I read it and didn't want to believe it): It IS dated. It does not stand with her other great books in the same way. Edna Ferber is never profound, like say...Edith Wharton. What she IS, is a quintessential American writer that chooses a big canvas and setting to display her themes. Her works have a strong sociological basis. She never wrote a line except to please herself, and that is how true artists approach their subjects. And in this book, the strengths are the unfailing sense of drama, the beliefs the people she uses to tell her story, and the meticulous background details. It's all very entertaining.
Okay...so the 'dated' issues:
1. One of the main thrusts of this book is how the industrial barons of the 1880s plundered the country and basically stole it from its citizens. That part holds true. What doesn't hold true is that the main characters assert (at the end of the novel) that this time has passed, and that we now live in a true democracy where this kind of oligarchy cannot happen. All we have to do is look at Washington DC to see that this not the case. Her optimism feels out of step with reality in this sense.
2. There is a very offensive scene at the very end, where a character dons blackface at an ultra chic ballroom scene. It's supposed to be offensive to all the ball-goers, and it is...but for us today it is offensive in a different way. I generally overlook this type of thing in novels, and pay attention to the time it was written. Does it make it 'right?' No, it doesn't...and it will definitely bother many readers today. But here is my opinion on this type of thing: You really can't hold people responsible for knowledge they don't have. That is like saying, "Well, for heavens sake, why didn't all those geniuses of the Renaissance invent electricity so we could all use it?" They didn't have the knowledge. It is my firm belief that you have to read in context of the time it was written (Hello, The Holy Bible). Nevertheless...this scene, whatever you think about it, DOES date the book.
I loved so many things about this, though. I literally felt transported to another time, and at the moment, I need a little escapism. There is a lot of humor here. The characters are all wonderfully flawed and wonderfully admirable. The plot moves along quickly with no dissertations. I took a long time reading this one. Not because I was bored or found it lacking in any way. Quite the opposite. I wanted it to last a long time.
Now I'm going to read the only one of hers that I haven't; "Cimarron."
I know that sounds strange, but I loved this book...and I don't think everyone would.
Here's the thing (and I had heard this before I read it and didn't want to believe it): It IS dated. It does not stand with her other great books in the same way. Edna Ferber is never profound, like say...Edith Wharton. What she IS, is a quintessential American writer that chooses a big canvas and setting to display her themes. Her works have a strong sociological basis. She never wrote a line except to please herself, and that is how true artists approach their subjects. And in this book, the strengths are the unfailing sense of drama, the beliefs the people she uses to tell her story, and the meticulous background details. It's all very entertaining.
Okay...so the 'dated' issues:
1. One of the main thrusts of this book is how the industrial barons of the 1880s plundered the country and basically stole it from its citizens. That part holds true. What doesn't hold true is that the main characters assert (at the end of the novel) that this time has passed, and that we now live in a true democracy where this kind of oligarchy cannot happen. All we have to do is look at Washington DC to see that this not the case. Her optimism feels out of step with reality in this sense.
2. There is a very offensive scene at the very end, where a character dons blackface at an ultra chic ballroom scene. It's supposed to be offensive to all the ball-goers, and it is...but for us today it is offensive in a different way. I generally overlook this type of thing in novels, and pay attention to the time it was written. Does it make it 'right?' No, it doesn't...and it will definitely bother many readers today. But here is my opinion on this type of thing: You really can't hold people responsible for knowledge they don't have. That is like saying, "Well, for heavens sake, why didn't all those geniuses of the Renaissance invent electricity so we could all use it?" They didn't have the knowledge. It is my firm belief that you have to read in context of the time it was written (Hello, The Holy Bible). Nevertheless...this scene, whatever you think about it, DOES date the book.
I loved so many things about this, though. I literally felt transported to another time, and at the moment, I need a little escapism. There is a lot of humor here. The characters are all wonderfully flawed and wonderfully admirable. The plot moves along quickly with no dissertations. I took a long time reading this one. Not because I was bored or found it lacking in any way. Quite the opposite. I wanted it to last a long time.
Now I'm going to read the only one of hers that I haven't; "Cimarron."
October 30, 2020
I had a hard time getting through this book, since for 100 pages straight, it's nothing but "Clio is so pretty!" "Clio cries pretty!" "Clio is such a pretty sensation!" "Clio is pretty AND unconventional!" "Oh, no, pretty Clio is smoking!" "Pretty Clio is holding his hand!" "Such a pretty, ruthless girl!" "What's Clio wearing now?"
The beginning blatantly tells you how it all turned out and then proceeds to show you how they got from being pretty to still being pretty and rich.
There is nothing but telling when it comes to pretty Clio and dashing Clint. The writing comes to life as soon as Cupide and Kaka come on the scene. Cupide is easily the best character. It's like the writer loved him, but couldn't make him the main character in the day and age she wrote the book, so Clio and Clint are there as buffers so Edna Ferber can freely write about the obvious favorite.
The writing insults Cupide and Kaka constantly, since they're the servants and they're not white and not ever so ultra pretty and perfect, yet their parts are the most exciting. It's too bad the book didn't revolve around them.
The whole book is unbearably dull. Only the snippets of Cupid and Kaka are fun. When they interact with anybody, it's only fun when they interact with Clint. When Clio finally gets to Saratoga, all you find is an 1800s version of Twitter. Old hens bickering and smiling, claws out, and flowers of society "warring" with one another in the most boring fashion.
One chapter finally gets good and exciting when the story moves over to Clint and Cupide fighting for the railroad. And then back to Clio, who finally tells Van Steed off. And then the ending, everybody's old as dirt and still so beautiful they can pass for thirty year old people in their dashing prime.
Literally, the last thing said is about Cupide, the best one in the story.
The beginning blatantly tells you how it all turned out and then proceeds to show you how they got from being pretty to still being pretty and rich.
There is nothing but telling when it comes to pretty Clio and dashing Clint. The writing comes to life as soon as Cupide and Kaka come on the scene. Cupide is easily the best character. It's like the writer loved him, but couldn't make him the main character in the day and age she wrote the book, so Clio and Clint are there as buffers so Edna Ferber can freely write about the obvious favorite.
The writing insults Cupide and Kaka constantly, since they're the servants and they're not white and not ever so ultra pretty and perfect, yet their parts are the most exciting. It's too bad the book didn't revolve around them.
The whole book is unbearably dull. Only the snippets of Cupid and Kaka are fun. When they interact with anybody, it's only fun when they interact with Clint. When Clio finally gets to Saratoga, all you find is an 1800s version of Twitter. Old hens bickering and smiling, claws out, and flowers of society "warring" with one another in the most boring fashion.
One chapter finally gets good and exciting when the story moves over to Clint and Cupide fighting for the railroad. And then back to Clio, who finally tells Van Steed off. And then the ending, everybody's old as dirt and still so beautiful they can pass for thirty year old people in their dashing prime.
Literally, the last thing said is about Cupide, the best one in the story.
October 5, 2019
While I am generally the biggest booster of Ferber's short stories (you can find a post on this on my blog Pams-Pictorama.com or at: https://pams-pictorama.com/2019/02/09...) I just loved this novel and was sad to see it end. It is fairly short (as novels go) and I would have been happy to stretch it out. The characters are deeply etched in memory (as is the time and place) - although again, I find her character development better in her short stories than her novels) but I say settle in for a great ride on this one. As always, a truly great female character defines the story - Edna never lets me down in that regard! Enjoy!
August 4, 2019
Having lived just outside of Saratoga Springs for many years, I really enjoyed this book. Filled with familiar places and stories, in many ways this felt like a visit home. The story was enjoyable, but a bit predictable. The author made it clear from the start that Clio would marry Clint, so it's not a spoiler to tell you that she did. This was a lovely, light, summer read for someone interested a historical romance novel or Saratoga Springs.
November 15, 2011
I could barely finish this. I've loved other Ferber books (Giant and So Big) but this was so much weaker. The dialogue is beyond repetitive and the story is really slow. I did enjoy the atmosphere she evokes in her descriptions of New Orleans and Saratoga but not enough to tolerate the characters.
November 23, 2012
Apart from a few zingingly memorable phrases, this novel fell flat.
October 18, 2023
The movie version of Saratoga Trunk has been a favorite since I was a child, so I decided it was time to read the book on which it was based. What a treat - first of all, the movie followed the book very faithfully, which has never been particularly prevalent in Hollywood.
For those unfamiliar, Clio DuLaine has returned to America after having lived in France most of her life. She had gone there with her mother and Aunt Belle - both of whom were courtesans if you read between the lines. Clio is determined that will not be her fate - she will marry a millionaire. So she and two servants (a black woman (Kakarou) and a dwarf (Cupide) come back to New Orleans, to her mother's house on Rampart Street, where her father had accidentally been shot and killed many years before. Eventually, she meets Clint Maroon, a Texan who is determined to get back at the railroad men who effectively killed his father. He falls under her spell and is caught up in her antics, all of which are to horrify her father's family. Sure enough, she is soon approached by a lawyer who pays her to leave New Orleans and never again use the name DuLaine.
Eventually both she and Clint head north and land in Saratoga, New York, a summer retreat for the wealthy and socially respectable crowd from New York. All the while she is scheming to charm one Bartholomew Van Steed who owns a railroad trunk line between Albany and Saratoga (thus the inspiration for the title of the book). She is the mysterious countess from France, a recent widow. She follows her own rules, and as a result, everyone begins to copy her. She walks to the waters rather than ride. She goes to casinos, though women are not typically allowed. She eats breakfast outside the dining room - al fresco at the hotel - and more shockingly at the stables.
Scheming continuously she finally tires Clint who has decided he has an idea to help Van Steed save his trunk line. Cupide decides to follow him and help out and both are injured in the ensuing melee between Maroon's gang and the gang belonging to Jay Gould. As part of his pay, Clint has been awarded shares of the Saratoga trunk line and has become a millionaire - one who Clio can actually love.
The only major difference between the book and the movie was the beginning and ending. It actually begins 60 years after the events of the book, in Saratoga, where Clint tries to unburden himself to reporters, who only want to know his story and not anything else he wants to confess. Eventually, he finishes the tale and the reporters leave as he and Clio decide to go to the races.
For those unfamiliar, Clio DuLaine has returned to America after having lived in France most of her life. She had gone there with her mother and Aunt Belle - both of whom were courtesans if you read between the lines. Clio is determined that will not be her fate - she will marry a millionaire. So she and two servants (a black woman (Kakarou) and a dwarf (Cupide) come back to New Orleans, to her mother's house on Rampart Street, where her father had accidentally been shot and killed many years before. Eventually, she meets Clint Maroon, a Texan who is determined to get back at the railroad men who effectively killed his father. He falls under her spell and is caught up in her antics, all of which are to horrify her father's family. Sure enough, she is soon approached by a lawyer who pays her to leave New Orleans and never again use the name DuLaine.
Eventually both she and Clint head north and land in Saratoga, New York, a summer retreat for the wealthy and socially respectable crowd from New York. All the while she is scheming to charm one Bartholomew Van Steed who owns a railroad trunk line between Albany and Saratoga (thus the inspiration for the title of the book). She is the mysterious countess from France, a recent widow. She follows her own rules, and as a result, everyone begins to copy her. She walks to the waters rather than ride. She goes to casinos, though women are not typically allowed. She eats breakfast outside the dining room - al fresco at the hotel - and more shockingly at the stables.
Scheming continuously she finally tires Clint who has decided he has an idea to help Van Steed save his trunk line. Cupide decides to follow him and help out and both are injured in the ensuing melee between Maroon's gang and the gang belonging to Jay Gould. As part of his pay, Clint has been awarded shares of the Saratoga trunk line and has become a millionaire - one who Clio can actually love.
The only major difference between the book and the movie was the beginning and ending. It actually begins 60 years after the events of the book, in Saratoga, where Clint tries to unburden himself to reporters, who only want to know his story and not anything else he wants to confess. Eventually, he finishes the tale and the reporters leave as he and Clio decide to go to the races.
August 4, 2019
Oh dear. I wanted to like this novel as I admire the plays that Ferber wrote, especially with George S. Kaufman, and the Emma McChesney stories. However, this is dated, melodramatic, and tedious. Clio Dulaine is a conniving young woman who wants to get back at her New Orleans relatives. Her mother, the mistress of Nicholas Dulaine, tried to kill herself, he wrestled the gun away, and died. So she, and her mother, and aunt were all exiled to France. Now that she’s grown up, she’s decided to get back at her father’s family and marry someone rich just so she can thumb her nose at everyone. She comes to New Orleans with her African American maid/duenna Kaka and the dwarf Cupidon who serves as jack of all trades for them. She then meets Clint Maroon, a Texan, who also feels his family was taken advantage of, and they decide to work together to fleece suckers, and she to hunt for a rich husband. They go to Saratoga in August because that’s where the rich are. The description of Saratoga was lovely (I lived near there for years), but Cleo’s petulance is truly annoying. All the men find her fascinating and when they don’t she pouts. Of course she really loves Clint, but he wants to make money, eventually by engaging in the railroad wars. The novel is framed by the older couple looking back on their life for reporters and saying that democracy is better with fewer rich grasping people. I agree with that, but little of the rest of the novel which often deals in racist and sexist stereotypes.
February 21, 2025
I have only recently discovered how incredible Edna Ferber is, and I don't understand why she isn't still more widely read.
Saratoga Trunk is set in the late 1800s, and tells the story of Clio Dulaine. She was born in New Orleans, the illegitimate daughter of a French Creole man and light-skinned Creole woman of color. She was schooled in Paris, and only recently returned to the United States. Her hope is to avenge her mother who was treated horribly by her father's family, after she accidentally killed Clio's father.
Clio brings along her maid and manservant. She soon meets a tall Texan named Clint, and they soon begin courting. Unfortunately she is obsessed with revenge and he with gambling. Neither is looking for real commitment. Clint becomes frustrated with Clio's focus on revenge and leaves for Saratoga Springs, New York.
What follows is an interesting tale of miscommunication, machinations, and eventual reconciliation.
I enjoyed this book for all of its unique and extremely flawed characters. The dialogue was filled with wit and sarcasm, and was at times quite funny. I enjoyed the drama, and the histrionics of these characters. I found the story entertaining, but once again my favorite part of a Ferber book is the facility she has with description. She uses language in a delicious way, painting the image in my mind. It was beautiful.
I followed the book by watching the movie which starred Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper, which certainly reflects the time in which it was filmed, but is wonderful nonetheless.
Saratoga Trunk is set in the late 1800s, and tells the story of Clio Dulaine. She was born in New Orleans, the illegitimate daughter of a French Creole man and light-skinned Creole woman of color. She was schooled in Paris, and only recently returned to the United States. Her hope is to avenge her mother who was treated horribly by her father's family, after she accidentally killed Clio's father.
Clio brings along her maid and manservant. She soon meets a tall Texan named Clint, and they soon begin courting. Unfortunately she is obsessed with revenge and he with gambling. Neither is looking for real commitment. Clint becomes frustrated with Clio's focus on revenge and leaves for Saratoga Springs, New York.
What follows is an interesting tale of miscommunication, machinations, and eventual reconciliation.
I enjoyed this book for all of its unique and extremely flawed characters. The dialogue was filled with wit and sarcasm, and was at times quite funny. I enjoyed the drama, and the histrionics of these characters. I found the story entertaining, but once again my favorite part of a Ferber book is the facility she has with description. She uses language in a delicious way, painting the image in my mind. It was beautiful.
I followed the book by watching the movie which starred Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper, which certainly reflects the time in which it was filmed, but is wonderful nonetheless.
March 19, 2019
This is the third Edna Ferber book I've read, and while I loved So Big and detested Giant, Saratoga Trunk was in the middle of the road for me. The writing and characterizations are still very good, especially of Clint and Clio, but there wasn't much to the plot. The book starts with Clint and Clio as a wealthy, elderly married couple, when in an interview Clint starts to rant about how their wealth is ill-gotten gains or something. But the rest of the book follows them from their first meeting to their engagement. The setting is mainly in an expensive Saratoga hotel, with Clio trying to land a rich husband and Clint assisting in her plans.
So this is the main plot thread of the whole book, but since it was already revealed from the start that Clint and Clio get married, there's not much incentive to keep turning pages since the reader already knows they end up together. I wish the focus had been more on all the "robber baron" stuff since that was such a big element in the beginning. I wanted to see how they accumulated their wealth, and why Clint considered it to be dirty money.
Ultimately, I doubt I would re-read Saratoga Trunk, but the quality of the writing and characters was high enough that I still want to try more of Edna Ferber's books.
So this is the main plot thread of the whole book, but since it was already revealed from the start that Clint and Clio get married, there's not much incentive to keep turning pages since the reader already knows they end up together. I wish the focus had been more on all the "robber baron" stuff since that was such a big element in the beginning. I wanted to see how they accumulated their wealth, and why Clint considered it to be dirty money.
Ultimately, I doubt I would re-read Saratoga Trunk, but the quality of the writing and characters was high enough that I still want to try more of Edna Ferber's books.
December 2, 2020
The characters and the atmosphere make Saratoga Trunk a fun read. From the sights and tastes of New Orleans to Saratoga and the races and springs, a motley band of characters were a sideshow wherever they went. The cowboy, the dwarf, the witch woman, and the countess. Kaka, Cupid, Clio, and Clint - even the names have a nice ring to them like a group of entertainers. And entertain they did in their quest to climb the social ladder from Louisiana to New York.
Ferber was a great writer of many books that were made into movies including Saratoga Trunk, Giant, Show Boat, and her Pulitzer winner, So Big. Saratoga Trunk is not on par with So Big and some of her other books but they are really very different reads from a very talented writer. Saratoga is easy and entertaining and So Big is much deeper in its’ storyline. I rarely see the name Edna Ferber anymore in lists of classics, which is kind of sad. I recommend checking out her work and, especially, So Big as Ferber’s writings should not be allowed to pass into obscurity.
I read Saratoga Trunk on Kindle and synced the audio on Audible. I highly recommend the audio or syncing the two medias as the audiobook really did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. Kudos to the narrator.
Ferber was a great writer of many books that were made into movies including Saratoga Trunk, Giant, Show Boat, and her Pulitzer winner, So Big. Saratoga Trunk is not on par with So Big and some of her other books but they are really very different reads from a very talented writer. Saratoga is easy and entertaining and So Big is much deeper in its’ storyline. I rarely see the name Edna Ferber anymore in lists of classics, which is kind of sad. I recommend checking out her work and, especially, So Big as Ferber’s writings should not be allowed to pass into obscurity.
I read Saratoga Trunk on Kindle and synced the audio on Audible. I highly recommend the audio or syncing the two medias as the audiobook really did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. Kudos to the narrator.
March 1, 2023
I was introduced to this story by way of the film adaptation. I was lucky to catch it on cable television station Turner Classic Movie and I loved every thing about this movie. Every member of the cast seemed so well thought out from their wardrobes to their vocal techniques. I loved the movie so much I knew I would have to find the book, of course this was sixty years after its publication and before audible and amazon could have a book to you at your demand. A few weeks of waiting for the library to find a copy led to disappointment because I find that Cleo was not a white woman as the film suggested and Angelique, the Haitian maid, was cast as a white woman in dark make-up. This changed everything and I could not get passed the first few chapters. A few years passed before I succeeded with completing the book. I found that much of the script, which I have memorized, is borrowed directly from Edna Ferber's writing in the book. I was able to predict to the next sentences and read the book in a matter of hours. My only desire is that a new film is made with a brown-skin Cleo and Angelique, and just for good measure, make Clint, the main love interest, a black man.
March 19, 2025
Saratoga Trunk is the fifth of Edna Ferber’s novels I’ve read recently. Since it is almost nine decades old, I was struck by how potent the satire still is. Ferber’s sendup of high society is pointed and resonant. She skews rich people and their attitudes hilariously. An early feminist, Ferber once again has a strong woman as her leading lady. But this time, unlike the other four novels I’ve read, her Clio Dulaine is a deceptive, self-centered, con-woman. And thus Ferber, in portraying a strong woman, departs from the virtuous women in the other books I read. Saratoga Trunk’s point, Ferber is making, is that we believe what we want to, no matter the truth. And that is how this book is so relevant after all these years, for we are experiencing that kind of thing today in the US, especially.
March 15, 2022
I really enjoy reading these older books with tight plot lines and interesting characters, BUT in 2022 it is very difficult to hear service people all called “boys,” a man with dwarfism treated as a child and a primate, and envision a woman in black face being taken out of her costume by a loyal and steadfast Black maid. I know these were all part of the culture then but it sure rankles now.
One blurb called Saratoga Trunk one of a few women books of the time. Well yes, the book’s main characters are women. But these women make their good fortune by seduction and deception and, yes, their wit. But really the simpering beauty got tiresome as did the manly Texan who was often threatening bodily harm to the women.
Three stars for a good story.
One blurb called Saratoga Trunk one of a few women books of the time. Well yes, the book’s main characters are women. But these women make their good fortune by seduction and deception and, yes, their wit. But really the simpering beauty got tiresome as did the manly Texan who was often threatening bodily harm to the women.
Three stars for a good story.
August 5, 2024
“Women… are a hundred years behind the times. They don’t know their own strength. Someday they’ll catch up with themselves. And then this will be a different world.” (Ch. 14) 🥥
The first part of this period drama is terrific, as “bastard” child Clio Dulaine returns to her ancestral home of New Orleans and thrillingly enacts revenge upon her father’s stingy family. But then we relocate to Saratoga Springs, and the action gets mired in repetitive social drama and long descriptions of how to – literally – run a railroad. Despite this midway death of momentum, Edna Ferber is a fabulous writer, and she will always catch you off-guard with a brilliant description, startlingly incisive description, and poignant examination of how America is always changing. Strongly recommend her Pulitzer-winning SO BIG as an equally well-written but much more compelling-start-to-finish example of her immense talent.
The first part of this period drama is terrific, as “bastard” child Clio Dulaine returns to her ancestral home of New Orleans and thrillingly enacts revenge upon her father’s stingy family. But then we relocate to Saratoga Springs, and the action gets mired in repetitive social drama and long descriptions of how to – literally – run a railroad. Despite this midway death of momentum, Edna Ferber is a fabulous writer, and she will always catch you off-guard with a brilliant description, startlingly incisive description, and poignant examination of how America is always changing. Strongly recommend her Pulitzer-winning SO BIG as an equally well-written but much more compelling-start-to-finish example of her immense talent.
July 24, 2017
In the 1880's, Clio Dulaine moves to New Orleans to plot her future in seeking revenge for her Mom and Aunt. Her plans deviate when she meets and falls in love with Clint Maroon, a self-made Texan who lives by his own rules. Clio poses as a countess and hopes to marry a millionaire; Clint follows the shadows of the law and is far from a millionaire. Included in the plot is the emergence of the railroad. Clio's whining and bizarre comments can wear on the reader. The novel doesn't flow smoothly. Ferber's Giant was a masterpiece, this novel isn't.
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January 22, 2020Somehow I don´t know. I read it many times as teenager and I loved it, I admired the independent characters of Clio and Clint, the colourfull scenes... I came to it many years later, and somehow it sounds false, the whole world of New Orleans demi-mondaines seems to me like a pipe dream of Northener spinster Ferber, without autenticity. Clio, brought up in a French convent school, outsmarts all Americans, in country she doesn´t know, in language she hadn´t used? And those pitoresque figures od Kaka and Cupidon are SO over the top! I´m sorry, I really wanted to love it again, but I can´t.
January 24, 2022
What a delight
My first Ferber (after perhaps thousands of others). How silly of me to have not sought her out. This story is just fun; the characters are over the top and yet lovable, almost believable; the story is uncomplicated but involves such fanfare that it becomes true entertainment. The high society of that era are made into a comedy...you know there is evil under the surface but what we see is a rather clever punishment of that evil by humorizing their behaviors. Loved it.
My first Ferber (after perhaps thousands of others). How silly of me to have not sought her out. This story is just fun; the characters are over the top and yet lovable, almost believable; the story is uncomplicated but involves such fanfare that it becomes true entertainment. The high society of that era are made into a comedy...you know there is evil under the surface but what we see is a rather clever punishment of that evil by humorizing their behaviors. Loved it.
February 28, 2022
I saw the movie with Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper, which was really good, so I decided to read the book. You really need to do it the other way around in order to give the book a fair shake. Bergman and Cooper were so captivating in their roles that the book characters kind of paled in comparison. Which is unfortunate, because this is a good book and the characters are strong. In any case, if you enjoy all things New Orleans, don't miss this one. It puts you right there with a steaming bowl of gumbo.
March 5, 2022
This is the story of a young girl whose mother was banished to France and returns to New Orleans seeking revenge by marrying rich. She meets a Texan man with similar wishes and they set out for Saratoga Springs to obtain fortune. Realizing that this book was written in 1941 is important to better understand the stereotypes presented in the narrative as well as the style of the story which reads like a movie from the time period, which is exactly what occurred two years later. But in spite of this, the book does present a portrait of the railroad's newly rich and famous.
June 11, 2022
A story set in the Gilded Age and a sharp piece of social and economic criticism. Parts of this book feels very contemporary, especially the feminism and the way Clio and the other female characters take charge of their lives and outwit the men. Unfortunately some of the characters are superficial and stereotypical and some of the language around Black characters is dated. But Ferber’s no racist and this story about America’s past is, in many ways, a portrait of our present and it’s a sophisticated, cosmopolitan read that I hugely enjoyed.
January 16, 2023
I read Showboat when I was in high school and mainly found it depressing. So I was curious about this book and if it would make me feel the same way.
Ferber is a master at dialogue, which makes sense since her favorite thing to write was plays. And the characters in this book were mainly acting so that fits. The characters were well-defined and memorable, the scenes interesting. I especially enjoyed the part set in New Orleans. But I gave it 3 stars because ultimately it didn't do much as a whole for me.
Ferber is a master at dialogue, which makes sense since her favorite thing to write was plays. And the characters in this book were mainly acting so that fits. The characters were well-defined and memorable, the scenes interesting. I especially enjoyed the part set in New Orleans. But I gave it 3 stars because ultimately it didn't do much as a whole for me.
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