Article updated: 12/9/2012 7:06 AM

‘American Lady’ fine portrait of socialite

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"American Lady: The Life of Susan Mary Alsop" by Caroline de Margerie

ASSOCIATED PRESS/VIKING

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At its heart, this engaging, gentle biography is a tale of how a particular slice of the other half lived in the mid-20th century. With its focus on class, events of the day, and love affairs, it's a one-woman "Downton Abbey" for the Yankee political class. Dubbed an "American Lady" by biographer Caroline de Margerie, Susan Mary Alsop (1918-2004) certainly fits both words.