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By Gerry Lore
Five Sisters: The Langhornes
of Virginia, by James Fox
From after the Civil War
through World War II, the Lang-
home sisters of Virginia - Lizzie,
Irene, Phyllis, Nancy and Nora -
were at the center of power, mon-
ey and influence in business, pol-
itics and society in two conti-
nents. James Fox, the grandson of
one of the daughters, had com-
plete access to the voluminous
correspondence of the sisters and
has recreated the saga of a re-
markable family and era.
Throughout their entire lives, the
sisters wrote each other almost
dally, pouring out their innermost
feelings of love, anger, jealousy
and disappointments toward each
other and their husbands, chil-
dren, lovers and enemies.
Fox entertains us in this sweep-
ing panorama with fascinating
details of a bygone way of life,
which reads like a combination
grand romantic novel and a PBS
series of English nobility.
Like other excellent biogra-
phies, Fox tells about the times
and culture surrounding his sub-
jects. He takes us on an intimate
tour of the power centers in New
York, Washington, London, Paris
ters' wealth,
beauty and
fame made
them true
Southern
belles. They
went on to be-
come darlings
of New York
society. LORE
Fox de-
scribes how Lizzie, the oldest,
stayed in Virginia all her life, em-
bittered and unhappy. Nora, the
youngest, had a troubled life with
many marriages and affairs, and
needed her family to bail her out
of her enormous debts. Irene mar-
ried the famous New York artist,
Charles Dana Gibson, who creat-
ed the Gibson Girl. She reigned
for many years as one of New
York society's denizens. Phyllis,
by many accounts the prettiest of
the sisters, after an unhappy first
marriage, had a long and happy
marriage with one of England's
most renowned economists and
government officials.
Fox makes Nancy, the most fa-
mous and controversial of the sis-
ters, the centerpiece of his story.
After her disastrous first mar-
riage, Nancy married Waldorf As-
tor, one of the richest men in the
world. In his heyday, his income
was $60 million a year. With this
fortune, Nancy ruled over Clive-
don, England's largest and grand-
est estate (in addition to other
mansions in the United Statand
Europe). The Astors were famous
for their Clivedon weekends
where the world's most powerful,
richest and glamorous people
gathered.
While renowned as a hostess,
Nancy was also noted for ker out-
rageous and cruel comments, and
her acerbic wit - which gained her
many critics. One of the most
quoted exchanges was with her
dinner guest and antagonist, Win-
ston Churchill. She: "If t was
your wife, I'd put poison ihl' your
coffee.'" He: "And if I @as your
husband, I'd drink it."
Fox relates how, as the first
woman voted to Parliament, she
overcame her colleagues' resent-
ment and humiliating tl'eatment.
Nancy was also noted for her anti-
Catholic and anti-Semitic views
and for her passionate belief in
Christian Science. Fox indicates
that several family members suf-
fered severe-illnesses because
Nancy would not allow conven-
tional treatment, due to her be-
liefs.
Fox also demonstrates how in
the end, money, jewels, mansions
and servants could not prevent the
sisters' bitter and unhappy lives.
Many of their children became
estranged and suffered mental
disorders, brushes with the law
and alcoholism (a family trait).
and Berlin; and we meet such fig-
ures as Churchill, Stalin, Hitler,
King George, Queen Elizabeth,
George Bernard Shaw, F. Scott
Fitzgerald and many many others.
The Langhorne sisters (and
their three brothers) were born in-
to poverty in Danville, Va. After
their father became wealthy in
railroads, the family lived in a
large estate near the Blue Ridge
Mountains and became a center
for Virginia society. The daugh-
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CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, April 14 - April 20, 2000 - 79
Fox speculated that one major
cause of the children's problems
was that from an early age, the
children were essentially raised in
boarding schools, often a conti-
nent away.
In the end, the sisters became
estranged from each other, bick-
ering over petty jealousies and
accusations. Fox has written an
entertaining and absorbing chron-
icle of an American family and
their way of life. "Five Sisters" is
available at local libraries.
Gerry Lore retired to Rehoboth
Beach in 1996, following a career
with Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. He
is a graduate of Purdue Universi-
ty and Harvard Graduate School
of Business.
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