Een illustere vrouw: De opkomst van de Vanderbilts

The protagonist's struggles felt so authentic, but I'm curious whether this tension was inspired by real historical figures or purely fictional.

Her desire for independence was inspiring, but some of her actions seemed to come at a cost to her family and reputation. How did readers reconcile that?

The historical context adds so much depth, and I wonder if the author did specific research to bring this era to life or if it was more intuitive.