Wicked Newport: Sordid Stories from the City by the Sea

by Larry Stanford, Larry Stanford

Take a trip with Larry Stanford through 350 years of Newport's hidden, dark history. Founded by a small band of religious freedom seekers in 1639, Newport, Rhode Island, subsequently became a bustling colonial seaport teeming with artists, sailors, prosperous merchants and, perhaps most distinctively, the ultra-rich families of the Gilded Age. Clinging to the lavish coattails of these newly minted millionaires and robber barons was a stream of con artists and hangers-on who attempted to leech off their well-to-do neighbors. From the Vanderbilts to the Dukes, the Astors to the Kennedys, the City by the Sea has served as a sanctuary for the elite, and a hotbed of corruption. Local historian Larry Stanford pulls back the curtain on over 350 years of history, uncovering the real stories behind many of Newport's most enduring mysteries, controversial characters and scintillating scandals.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ronnie Cramer]

A short book that seemed long; I guess it wasn't my cup of tea. Lots of stories about spoiled, Gilded Age New Yorkers spending their summers in Rhode Island. Zzzz.

[Gabriella]

I liked the little snap shots of tea surrounding one of my favorite places.

[M.J.]

This book is an easy and entertaining read, but there are some problems with the content organization and cohesion to the theme that undermine it's potential. Throughout the book, there are numerous paragraphs where the flow of the material is a problem because the author drifts away from the main idea of the paragraph and goes off on a tangent. This problem could have been avoided if footnotes had been used. Moreover, not every chapter in the book strongly connects the theme of Newport's "sordid" or "wicked." past. Finally there are some technical errors and moments where it seems the author doesn't entirely understand the words he's using.

Wicked Newport is filled with tales and tidbits that are dishy and fun to read, but I wouldn't consider it an authoritative source on Newport's history.

[Jocelyn]

Some of the histories and stories were very interesting while others seemed to just be filler...almost as if Stanford had a page minimum he was trying to meet. Many typos found were distracting but overall a pleasant, quick read and fun for anyone interested in Newport, RI

[Amanda Mitchell]

Diverting enough to read while staying in the town of Newport, although some of the stories don't really have much to do with the town itself. Written at the level of "local town historian is very enthusiastic about Newport."

[Reader]

A very easy read, yet produced detailed and enticing stories from Newport. One would have to visit the city to fully understand, but this would be an amazing book for light reading at the beach for just for fun!

[Flynnie]

Fun quick read for people who love to visit Newport like me!

[Margaret Ann]

Tales of Newport told in a folksy narrative. Very camp.

[Marsh]

Very dry and poorly written but interesting tales .

[Linda]

Quick read. Delightful tales of Newport Elite and Infamous over the years. Wish I had read before I traveled there.

[Pat]

This is a very quick read, and a light view of Newport's history, famous and infamous residents, and assorted scandals and anecdotes. Each chapter is a separate story, although with some prominent families, different members get different chapters. I was familiar with some of the stories, but several were new to me.

The writing rambled a bit, and the writer seemed to lose focus periodically in ways that made it hard to follow. Footnotes might have helped! I was also distracted by typos and irregular editing. This is by no means great literature or scholarly history, but it's an interesting read that offers a view of an interesting city.

[Lisa]

I picked this book up after touring one of the mansions. It was an interesting read and I learned a lot of rich and scandalous history.

[Angie]

I can't decided if I'm more amused or worried that I already knew most of the stories in here. I either watch too much Mysteries At The Museum or else I have a steel trap mind when it comes to scandalous stories and weird folk. Both? Both is good. Needless to say, this is a fast read and an easy one, full of just what it says on the cover.

[Beth Bedee]

I read this as a companion to my recent trip to Newport. It offered a lot of fun information and gossip that made my tours more meaningful. A quick and fun read for anyone planning on visiting the area.

[Tina]

Great book if you're looking for some juicy Newport stories - though most of them were fairly well known if you know your Gilded Age history. I was also disappointed to see quite a few grammatical errors. Still, a fun read and very entertaining.

[Jennifer]

Interesting to learn a little bit about the Gilded Age of Newport and some of the crazy people that summered here. Quick and easy read but not that well written.

[Nora]

Very entertaining and scandalous stories of NewPort's gilded age residents.

[Marguerite]

Come on - you have to love the gilded age Newport

[Tina]

Very basic read, but still has lots of interesting/fun facts about one of my favorite places to visit.

[TJ]

Interesting set of tales of people that made Newport the social mecca it was. Some great photo's and illustrations included.

[Stef]

Not as good as Wicked Washington, but a very interesting read nonetheless!