The Loveliest Woman in America: A Tragic Actress, Her Lost Diaries, and Her Granddaughter's Search for Home – An Intimate Memoir and Biography of Mothers, Grandmothers, and Legacy

by Bibi Gaston

Her name was Rosamond Pinchot: hailed as "The Loveliest Woman in America," she was a niece of Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot; cousin to Edie Sedgwick; half sister of Mary Pinchot Meyer, JFK's lover; friend to Eleanor Roosevelt and Elizabeth Arden. At nineteen she was discovered aboard a cruise ship, at twenty-three she married the playboy scion of a political Boston family, but by thirty-three she was dead by her own hand. Seventy years later, her granddaughter, a noted landscape architect, received Rosamond's diaries and embarked on a search to discover the real Rosamond Pinchot. Unearthing what appeared to be a glamorous fairy-tale existence, Bibi Gaston discovers the roots of the ties that bind and break a family, and uncovers the legacy of two great American dynasties torn apart by her grandmother's untimely death. This is a tale of three lives and five generations, mothers and grandmothers, longing, holding on and letting go, men, beauty, diets, and letting beauty slip. This is the story of how we make the most of our brief, beautiful lives.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, History

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1975

About the author

Bibi Gaston's stunning memoir about the search for understanding in a divided family and the joy of discovery."

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sobriquet of loveliest woman in America was bestowed by the press on Rosamund Pinchot, grandmother of the author. A member of a wealthy family, she was discovered by a Broadway producer onboard a luxury liner when she was 19 and became a star in 1923. Pretty, outgoing, with plenty of money, she seemed to have it all. But in 1938 she went into her garage, ran a hose from the tailpipe of her car in through the window, started the car and lay down in the back seat to await death.

Bibi Gaston is Rosamund’s granddaughter. Gaston never met her grandmother and really knew nothing of her; her father, only 9 when his mother died, did not wish to speak of her. Gaston didn’t really begin to find out things about Rosamund until after her father died and she got hold of Rosamund’s diaries.

This is not just the story of Rosamund; it’s the story of Rosamund’s family, her marriage, her sons, and Gaston herself. The actions of one family member can affect the other members for years, and this is an examination of that. Rosamund married a man who was constantly sleeping around and was emotionally abusive and controlling. While she separated from him, she never divorced him and continued to try and get him back all her life. Her older son grew up to be equally unable to commit to a woman- he left Gaston’s mother because she put on weight and he couldn’t abide that. He didn’t like his father; his children (with the exception of Bibi, who didn’t like the things he did but forgave him) didn’t like him.

I expected a simple biography and was disappointed in how little of the book is actually about Rosamund. While her suicide greatly affected the family, I feel that her husband, William Gaston senior was more influential in forming their son’s personalities. His narcissism was handed straight down to William Jr, Bibi’s father. William Jr. in turn produced children who refused to help their sister Bibi care for him as he died, yet when she was out of town right after the death, came in and ransacked the house, helping themselves to whatever they wanted. One can only hope that they haven’t had children. William Jr’s brother managed to gain sole control of the property and money that was their mother’s. That branch of the family seems to be marked by greed and self centeredness.

The book is uneven and slow. I almost gave up on it a couple of times, both because of this slowness and because so many of the people were so unpleasant. Rosamund herself was interesting, as was her uncle Gifford Pinchot (the first chief of the US Forest Service). But most of the rest are pretty pathetic.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story of family, wealth, betrayal, show business and the revelations of at least two beautiful souls; the subject and the author.

[Sher Alltucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely writing and weaving of lives and landscapes. I'm old enough to recognize many of the famous names in theatre, film, art, and politics so I was captivated.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up in the gift shop at Grey Towers, the Pinchot family home in Milford, PA. Rosamund's story is fascinating; she suffered from depression (I do too, so I related to her struggles), was in a terrible marriage with an unrepentant narcissistic drunk, and wanted more than a woman of her time could conceivably have. Her suicide was shockingly unexpected and reverberated through the family for decades. The book prompts a lot of insights and introspection. The Pinchot family, particularly James, Gifford, and Cornelia (Rosamund's grandfather, uncle, and aunt, respectively) were huge philanthropists, but also kept the wealth within the family. Gifford's brother Amos, the younger son, was left out of the loop and never had quite the wealth of older brother. He passed that attitude to his children; some were cared for while others were left out in the cold. Rosamund's sons fell into the same trap. Bottom line - wealth is no guarantee of happiness. Wealth keeps to itself, no matter how many charitable donations are made.

The book rambles from Rosamund's story to her son Bill's story to Bibi Gaston's own story, which can be a bit disconcerting at first if you're expecting a straightforward biography. However, as you get into the story, the rambling style makes sense. Bibi Gaston grew up knowing practically nothing about her grandmother. She didn't even know she was related to the Pinchots and the Sedgwicks (Edie Sedgwick was a cousin). As she discovered her past through her grandmother's diaries, she was able to start piecing her own family history together and making sense of a pattern of tragedy that had dogged the Pinchot/Gastons for generations. The book feels like her discoveries, with one fact leading to enlightenment which leads to more facts. It's a great read.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book very much---it kept my interest. With that being said, I think the author had a hard time keeping her focus and couldn't decide who the book was about. I think she really wanted it to be about her most of the time, and a good deal of the book was spent exploring her pain and the pain that comes from being the ancestor of a suicide and some very negligent parents. At times I would have liked to have gotten much more of the history of her paternal grandmother, the subject of this book, as Rosamond Pinchot moved in some amazing social circles with some of the greatest names of her time. But for some reason, I forgave her lack of focus because, in reality, one of the points of the book was to show how a suicide will impact a family for several generations, and she successfully proved just how damaging Pinchot's suicide was to the lives of her children and grandchildren. Bibi Gaston actually demonstrated some very eloquent and elegant writing, esp. on the themes of love and parental relationships. Even though the book was lacking in focus, in a way it was kind of metaphorical for the jumbles, messed up life wreaked upon the off spring of some very selfish, rich and semi-famous and very connected parents. I enjoyed the book.

[Amie Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not the greatest writer, Bibi Gaston has crafted an interesting portrait of her family's multiple generations - and multiple dysfunction. I was hoping for more direct diary excerpts, but she did do a fantastic job piecing together her Grandmother's life, and juxtaposing it with her father's and her own - and really, the sweetest moments come at the end when Bibi's writing about her dad. Definitely worth a read.

[Marilynmessinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather fascinating story of a woman trying to live within the confines of her time and yet break free. That she suffered from depression and that her story affected her family through the next generations made for an interesting read.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gossipy, meandering, and pointless.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd held a copy in my hands instead of reading it on my Kindle. Because Rosamond's story is told through the narratives of various people, including several generations of her family, it was jarring when a new voice appeared unexpectedly with off-center headings that confused me. And, I found the title completely misleading. Unless I missed something, Rosamond's life as an actress was fun and fortunate, not tragic; two of her many diaries were likely pilfered by her husband to use against her; and her granddaughter's search for home wasn't much of a theme until the end of the book, when she allowed her own voice to become sure and strong.

I found it all a bit of a jumble. There were siblings who never spoke as adults, family members who were feared yet joined for lone outings, and property that didn't belong to the people living in it, which was peculiar in a tribe that was often characterized by greed.

At times, I wasn't even sure which generation was being written about.

I also felt that the "mystery" of Rosamond went on far longer than necessary. Her story was actually fairly straight-forward. She was gorgeous and rich and married the man of her dreams, who was also gorgeous and rich. And an unfaithful alcoholic. They never divorced, and though Rosamond went on to have other relationships, she never stopped yearning for her husband to return to her. I don't know if Bibi Gaston is so enamored with her grandmother that she couldn't stop writing about her or if a publisher was pushing her for more Rosamond, but at times that storyline seemed thin. The woman scorned drama seemed to go on for so long that I was surprised to realize Rosamond had only been married for 10 years when she died.

Perhaps with a hardcover book I would have felt Gaston's writing coming together more seamlessly and it would have been easier to keep the family members straight. At times, her writing is quite lovely; I think somf of these reviewers were a bit harsh. This isn't a bad read; it was just disappointing after a title that promised so much intrigue. Give it a try and see what you think.

[Starr Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written by granddaughter Bibi Gaston, meticulously researched, the book is written about American actress and socialite Rosamond Pinchot, her career, her death and its effect upon her loved ones.

Filled with hundreds of hours of family and friends interviews and their accounts as well as the story of multi-generations affected by Rosamond and her death and how those connections can affect all so deeply, it is quite poignant and moving. The story also transitions through the Jazz age and each subsequent timeline seamlessly .

A glorious novel, delicately handling painful topics and an absolutely worthwhile read

[Jean Gillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The story of someone searching her family history and finding out things she never knew about. Doing family tree for my own family I have found patterns and things that kept coming up in all the generations.

Bibi Gaston tells the story of her grandmother so well, she never knew her in life but having the fortunate event of finding her grandmothers diaries she learned about herself and her father as well.

Excellent book to read

[Michael Golightly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Endless lists of parties, the "top people" that were there and all the lovers that were used and discarded along the way. Rich people who struggle during their foreign travels and put up with full time cooks and maids. Fights over furniture and New York townhomes, could never find much to feel sorry about, despite all the tragedy.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was slow-moving. It dealt more with her granddaughter than Rosamond herself. And since Bibi is a landscape architect, not a writer, sometimes the writing was repetitive or convoluted.

[Maryann · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a boring waste of my time. I waded through most of it then started skimming. The author went all over the place with this story. Ugh

[Lulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointingly only about 20% of the book is actually about Rosamund Pinchot, the rest is about the mainly rotten list of characters in her life that I had no interest to read about. Perhaps in better hands this could have been handled well as it is interesting how suicide affects multiple generations. The author just went on tangents and it made for a frustrating read.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rosamond Pinchot Gaston was born in NYC in 1904 and seemed to have it all. At 19, while on an ocean liner, she was "discovered" and cast in a Broadway play that rocketed her to stardom and gave her the title that is the title of this book. She married "Big Bill" Gaston in 1928 and they had 2 children. They separated in 1933, but he would never divorce her. In 1938, she committed suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning and her funeral was on what would have been her 10th wedding anniversary. Bibi, her granddaughter, looks into her diaries and begins to piece together Rosamond's short and tragic, but wildly diverse life.

This story could have been about 200 pages shorter. While it is interesting for Bibi to have been given these diaries that cover decades of Rosamond's life, it is completely uninteresting to dredge through page after page of repetitive whining on a lackluster marriage, the "poor little rich girl" story and a mother who can't keep it together for the sake of her two small children and chooses the most selfish option - suicide. While Big Bill was a cad, Rosamond was not a sympathetic character as she never took a stand or had an honest conversation with anyone.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a thrift show. I picked it up and put it down a few times. Wound up buying it, because there were so many famous names mentioned from the worlds of showbiz & politics, as well as Andy Warhol's Edie Sedgwick. I had to know how they were all tied in. The book felt disjointed most of the time, Bibi kept switching between lives. She did tie things up in the end.

Bibi's story reminded me how many lives can be affected by just one.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been trying to read this book for about two weeks now...its just not grabbing my attention and isn't very captivating. Still trying to get through it, only on the first few chapters, if it could hold my attention, I would have been done with it days ago

[Neeka27 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is almost like a director's cut of a movie. I think it would be improved upon if it had about 100 pages edited away for the reading public. It has too much information on too many people that does not really add to the main character's story.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book are fascinating and give you a clearer understanding of the interplay of relationships (and nonrelationships) that continue through the generations of entrenched families who wield influence on the East Coast.

[Ricki · Rating 1 out of 5]

see [url]http://bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.a...

[Devon · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a word BORING. I don't know what gave the author the idea that she should write a book.

[Kelly]

Someday I'll get around to reading this.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I guess i just found it so tragic I just skipped through it. Kind of silly. I say this respectfully to the granddaughter who put a lot into this whole journey.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably more interesting to members of the family than the general public. Parts of the book are very slow. Likely I would not have finished it were it not a book club choice.

[Amy]

great book!! lots of interesting history

[Nancy Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting topic. Some of the worst writing I have encountered, especially the second half of the book.