5 comments about The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys : An American Saga.

1. A note to Mr. Kerwick and to "thomasmcgauley" regarding their opinions of The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga -- to rate a book poorly based on your opinion of the author is not necessarily the purpose of these Spotlight reviews. These reviews are intended to provide interested readers with information regarding the quality of the work -- and that's where an opinion is involved. It sounds like you've prejudged this novel according your dislike of the author and subject. How about an opinion of the book? Was it well written? Most certainly. Was it informative? You bet. Would I recommend it to someone who didn't hate the author or the Kennedys and who wanted a riviting account of American history -- it's ups and downs and good and bad? That's what the stars represent.



2. This is by far the BEST book about the young Kennedys. It tells about the history of the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. Even if you haven't got the slightest interest in the Kennedys or dislike them, READ THIS BOOK! And if you like the Kennedys YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY HAVE THIS IN YOU COLLECTION! There are so cute and adorable photos!! Never seen them elsewhere! I really hope that Goodwin will write another book about the following years, because this book stops in 1960. This is such a good book!!

   p.s. Buy the other edition, this one hasn't got any photos.




3. this is the best book about the kennedys.
   it'svery complete. the book ends when jack becomes president, i hope she will write a follow-up. there are a lot of rares photos.
   she's tells us mainly about the golden trio( jack, joejr and kathleen).
   i suggest all the fans of the kennedys to buy it.



4. I was thoroughly enthralled, gripped and engaged in this story of three generations of the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. The story begins in 1863 with the baptism of John Francis Fitzgerald in Boston and concludes almost 100 years later with the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The families' roots are traced back to the great immigration following the Irish potato famine in the 1840's. From immigration to becoming the American royal family in just three generations is a remarkable achievement that is chronicled in fascinating detail in this comprehensive, definitive narrative.
   
   Even though it is more than 800 pages, the book is not a dry history text, but rather an intriguing glimpse into the lives of the charmed and sometimes tragic lives of this huge Irish Catholic clan. Nothing is omitted, from the affairs of Joseph Kennedy, to the flirtations of Kathleen, the appalling lobotomy of Rosemary, and the sexual antics of John F. Kennedy. The political shenanigans of the elder Fitzgerald provide an interesting examination of Boston politics in the early 1900's...rife with graft and insider manipulation.
   
   The author's writing style is rich, powerful and mesmerizing. For instance, to describe the ascent of JFK into the limelight of American politics, she writes: "For his capacity to arouse the questing imagination of his fellow citizens, and of much of the world beyond America's borders, was to elevate the family saga past the borders of mythology. By the beginning of the fifties he already contained all the elements which his leadership was to be compounded, forged in tumultuous experience, anchored and given direction by his often resented but always unbreakable links to his extraordinary family."
   
   The level of detail and insightful analysis into the complex characters and relationships in the family is well worth your investment of time in reading this tome. A book you won't soon forget.



5. Dr. Goodwin writes wonderfully about American politics, the Irish Catholic immigration and integration into the polical landscape of Boston, and two families, both with terrific strengths and well noted weaknesses. The writing on Rose Fitzgerald and Joe Kennedy, Sr are particularly good. One gets a visceral feel of destiny as the desire to succeed, almost at any cost, throughout her well researched and written work. Much has been written about "plagarism" or a lack of proper footnoting (corrected in the paperback edition). I would encourage all potential readers to not allow such an unfortunate circumstance in her many years of teaching and writing to get in the way of reading this important piece of U.S. history. This book is a well researched and incredibly well written and readable account of immigration, politics and the rise of 19th Century immigrant families to economic, social and political prominence.

5 comments about American Jennie: The Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill.

1. When I say this is not a flattering portrait, it is only because, at the end of the day, I don't think Jennie Churchill was a particularly good person. She was a bad mother--even by the standards of the day; she was an unfaithful wife; she was a spendthrift; and she was, in my opinion, rather clueless as to the real world.
   
   Any portrait of Jennie could not be flattering; she's famous for being infamous.
   
   Now, beyond the topic of the "real" Jennie, my major criticism is that this book is not well written. It's just not an easy read. The thoughts seem scattered and not in depth, the deeper nuances of Jennie's character and motivations were not explored, and overall, the book does not flow.
   
   I think the subject of this book is not to make Jennie look good. It's to shed insight on why she was the way she was. In that manner, I think by the somewhat disorganized storytelling, this book misses the mark.



2. American Jennie by Anne Sebba is the story of the incredible life of Lady Randolph Churchill. American Jennie Jerome fell in love with Brit Randolph Churchill in a whirlwind courtship. After overcoming parental objections on both sides of the match, the couple wed and quickly produced son Winston. But the romance faded soon, and both engaged in affairs. They pulled together to get Randolph into the House of Commons, but for most of the rest of their lives, they lived apart. Sebba digs through newspaper accounts, family records, diaries, and letters to produce this well put together biography of an unusual woman. Jennie was well known for her beauty and her indiscretions in a time when women were still considered a husband's property. She produced a literary magazine, helped get both her husband and son seats in the House, traveled extensively, and cared for her husband at the end of his life. Randolph, who suffered from syphilis, was a difficult man, capricious even before the disease attacked his mind. Sebba tries to defend and protect Jennie where possible, but even in the best of lights, Jennie was an atrocious mother who ignored her children. In the end, the picture that emerges of Jennie is of a woman determined to live life on her own terms. She produced children, but that didn't make her a mother. She was married, but was a better wife to her lovers. She lived very much in the moment, always in debt and buying Worth gowns. Sebba does her best to make Jennie likeable, and to an extent, she succeeds. Jennie would be a wonderful addition to a dinner party, but not someone you could count on as a friend. A couple of complaints: there are not nearly enough photos of Jennie. For such a famous woman, I'm sure there are many more out there that would have shown her recognized beauty to better advantage. Also, Jennie and her sisters spoke French, so they peppered their letters to each other with French phrases. Sebba also throws several in her writing. I don't know French, so I often felt a bit left out. Sebba easily could have included translations in brackets, because the meaning was usually not easily gleaned from the rest of the passage.



3. Great new book on a wonderful and timeless life. We own and have read the two volumn work by Martin on Jennie, but this is a fresh and well researched look at the times and people who shaped her son Winston's life. If this work interests the reader there is in Jennie's own hand her book, The Reminiscences of Lady Randolph Churchill. While not in print, it can be found on the used books websites.



4. American Jennie in the US, and Jennie Churchill in the UK - the mother of Winston Churchill - the title says it all. Anne Sebba has created a character who had to triumph in two countries. The method is simplistic, almost from a 1950s children's comic. The goodie is Jennie nee Jerome, from an American, and therefore liberated background. The baddie is her husband, Lord Randolph Churchill, from an English, aristocratic background. His supposedly becoming infected with syphilis early on in the marriage increases his badness. It gets worse when his career as a Conservative politician develops and he spends long hours in the House of Commons. Beautiful, well-dressed, extravagant, piano-playing Jennie is justified in taking a lover and triumphs as the heroine.
   
   Jennie is promoted as the engineer of Winston's success as a politician and world leader during the Second World War. Yet she died in 1921, when he was still in disgrace over the failed attempt to capture Gallipoli in 1915, which plan he had masterminded. It would be another 20 years before Winston, by then in his mid-60s, would become British Wartime Prime Minister. One would have thought that his wife, Clementine nee Hozier (Clemmie), who he married in 1908, would have warranted more credit by Anne Sebba for her role in his success.
   
   And what of Winston's younger brother John (Jack) Churchill? Ignored by Winston in his writings, as though he didn't exist he died in 1947 in relative obscurity. Anne Sebba has written Jack out of her biography in a single line. He was the illegitimate son of 7th Viscount (`Star') Falmouth. In other words he wasn't really a Churchill so neither Jennie nor Winston could be expected to take any responsibility for him. Winston and Jack are as alike as two peas in a pod, both Churchillian, both grandsons of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Jack's two other children were John (Johnny) a well-known artist, and Clarissa, Countess of Avon, wife of the former Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden. Now in her 88th year, Clarissa has just written a very interesting book Memoir, published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson. Clarissa and her two siblings were in no doubt that their grandfather was Lord Randolph Churchill, even though Anne Sebba paints him as a mad syphilitic. What rot!
   
   I have it on good authority that one of the major copyright owners of the Churchill papers is so disgusted with Mrs Sebba's book that they have withdrawn permission of copyright. From the point of view of an historian, a true biography of Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill, has still to be written. In fact, Elizabeth Kehoe's book, Fortunes Daughters, the story of the three Jerome sisters, Clara, Jennie, and Leonie, is a far better read having been more carefully researched. Also, while not perfect, look at Dark Lady, the biography of Jennie Churchill by Charles Higham, for a more balanced and historically accurate portrayal.



5. to me jennie churchill was a selfish ,pleasure seeking woman who only cared about herself.she couldn't wait to get nannies taking care her sons are puting them in abusive boarding schools.she as a wife was a marriage were she couldn't stay faithful or not keeping her husband in debit.to me why winston feeling of love for her i just don't get.his nanny was more a mother to him than jennie.

4 comments about Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People.

1. Photography is extraordinary. The people featured therein, not so much. Still, it's a beautifully done publication and worth the cash but buy it at discount.
   Stylemaven



2. Flash review: The perfect gift book for this season.
   
   This new book, timed for Xmas giving, features a selection of the best homes shown in Vogue in the past several years. It is a large-scale book, filled with wonderful color photography. Although Elle Decor and Architectural Digest have come out with similar books this season, neither can hold a candle to Vogue's tome. If you are familiar with the 1968 publication, "Vogue's Book of Houses, Gardens, People", which now sells for $400 and up if you can find it, you will know what is in store for you.
   
   Maximum emphasis on homes you would love to see in person, owned by people of impeccable style: Janet de Botton in the south of France, Marella Agnelli in Marrakech, David Cholmondeley's stately, etc.; minimal number of celebrity digs done by decorators of questionable taste which you tend to see in Architectural Digest. The style and taste of the featured houses, gardens (and, yes, people) are on an entirely different plane than those shown in the new books by the other two lifestyle magazines.



3. There is no disputing that this is a sumptuous volume. Lavishly produced, its oversized 384 pages are crammed with images of exquisite rooms and lush gardens from 36 unique homes, owned by the rich and/or famous in Europe, America and North Africa and into the likes of which you and I will never set foot. (Which is the reason, thankfully, such books are produced and why we lesser mortals buy them.)
   
   There are rooms modern and rooms classic, arranged with the taste, elegance and restraint of the world's best decorators and captured by the world's greatest photographers. And yet the rooms are not museum pieces, but are demonstrably inhabited by their owners, their well-scrubbed children and their adorable dogs, such as the greyhound on page 317 filching a piece of cheese from the dinner table.
   
   My favourite room which is featured on the front jacket cover is of Janet de Botton's breakfast room in Provence, its French chateau décor a study in white, cream and faded pastel, the background, literally a wall of china - floral motifed white plates and platters displayed on white-painted, floor-to-ceiling wooden plate racks built into the walls. (Already I've been measuring my walls to see how I can incorporate something similar - though less vast - into my old house).
   
   At the opposite end of the décor spectrum is Amanda Brooks NYC loft, all kitsch and brash eye-popping colour like a Barbie Doll house with Brooks herself photographed in a Barbie Doll style gown in a Barbie Doll pose. (It's not to my personal taste but cleverly done & I had to look twice to be sure the figure lying stiffly across the bed wasn't a mannequin).
   
   If you are a fan of décor books you will find plenty more here to inspire, amuse and entertain you and your like-minded friends and family.
   
   So why did I hold back from a five star rating? My quibble is with the empty 14 pages devoted to Madonna which might have been put to better use: Madonna's cow pastures, M. with (admittedly cute) children; a gowned & high-heeled & coiffed M. feeding the chickens (as if!); M. canoodling with husband, a double-page shot of M's sheep -- & only one tiny interior shot, a sitting room that was rearranged by the photographer & does not reflect the actual décor of Madonna's house - which might have been of real interest even to a non-fan like me.
   Thus the book falls just a little short of being, for me, the epitome of the coffee-table décor genre.



4. you have to love decor and fashion to understand this book.it is Vogue after all!!!! the book is full of fabulous properties and fabulous people.I went through it already many times and got inspired by it.
   Buy it f you are a fan of vogue magazine !!!

5 comments about Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley.

1. From cover to cover, this book was absorbing. The quotes were intertwined with the fast-paced narrative. I felt as if I were living life alongside Elvis as a "fly on the wall" so to speak. This is a book every Elvis fan must own. His human flaws only make you love him more and wish we still had him with us. What a dear person he was: An original.



2. This book is a detailed account of the second half of Elvis Presley's life. Peter Guralnick has painted a vivid portrait of the man whose life should have been magnificent, but instead was so terribly sad.
   
   After reading Guralnick's first volume (Last Train To Memphis), I ran out immediately to buy this one. While I did devour it, it's a bitter pill to swallow. Many nights, I closed the book and then lay awake, thinking, or trying to stop thinking about Elvis. Why did a life with such promise turn out this way? Why did a man who should have been on top of the world, end up so low? Enormous fame and the death of his mother were major contributing factors. Drugs, prescription and otherwise, killed his spirit, his talent, his health and his relationships. And he was exploited by many, especially Col. Tom Parker who trotted him out on tour, when he should have been hospitalized and certainly long-retired.
   
   When I finished the book, I thought, "Did I really want to know all this about him?" Do you? It's your call. I do now understand many things I never did before. And I will not be so quick to idolize, judge or envy anyone unless I've walked a mile in their shoes.



3. This second volume, along with the first -- Last Train to Memphis -- are riviting. One of the absolute best biographies I have ever read. A journey through the life, from beginning to end, of one of the world's great entertainers and personalities. Highly recommend.



4. Extremely revealing portrait that makes clear that Elvis became a drug addict even before he went into the Army in 1958. This bio leaves out nothing, including all the dreary and the tawdry as well as the musical genius. While Jerry Lee Lewis lost his career for dallying with his 13-year-old cousin, Elvis got clean away with dating a 14-year-old Priscilla. All the bizarre details are here. Guralnick does it again. A must read for anyone who wants to know the story of Elvis.



5. I first read the Guralnick books on Elvis about four years ago (2004) when I was just ready to explore the Elvis World. I'm second-generation (about Lisa Marie's age) but missed all the hoopla, and my parents didn't say much. So when I decided to "research" Elvis for myself, I searched the Amazon.com reviews for guidance.
   
   I have to agree with the heavy, authoritative (but not authoritarian) reviews of other Elvis fans who felt Guralnick's work was "comprehensive and accurate." Once I read the Guralnick books, I felt -- not disillusioned -- but bludgeoned with information. Reading Guralnick's book, the reader almost has no choice but to come out not liking Elvis, not only personally but musically or artistically. It was a bitter pill; I had really liked Elvis before reading Guralnick's work.
   
   Four years later, while I'm still "researching" Elvis, what I have found is most of Guralnick's work is actually a compendium, a "Reader's Digest" if you will (a Brittanica), of nearly all major Elvis publications up to that time. In short, Guralnick's work wasn't so much the decisive definitor of Elvis' composite work, but rather the encyclopedia of combined published information. I hasten to point out that Guralnick was not deceptive in any way, but fans and interested persons may have made the mistake of thinking because Guralnick had the "most" to say about Elvis (in two large books) he may have been the most accurate or comprehensive, and that simply isn't true.
   
   As a fan, and someone who has since come to truly appreciate Elvis in all his humanity, my advice for those who want to know Elvis is to BEGIN with Guralnick, as a map, then read the books Guralnick quoted from (and attributed) and then read the little offbeat books written by people claiming to know Elvis. (Use your discernment to know which may have merit and which are entirely fictitious.) Elvis wouldn't want one author to be the judge of his life.
   
   Guralnick did a great service by collecting and basically annotating the collected written works regarding Elvis up to that point, but I think if you really read between the lines, Guralnick himself does not claim to be an expert, nor does he really draw a conclusion. Guralnick's great service is he opened a door, but he does not claim to define the beginning or end of Elvis Presley. That choice -- like the music -- is up to the individual to decide for him or herself. In short, start with Guralnick, but do not end with him. I think he himself would agree.

5 comments about Mine's Bigger: Tom Perkins and the Making of the Greatest Sailing Machine Ever Built.

1. I have been reading David Kaplan's books for over 20 years, and happily recommend his latest: "Mine's Bigger". It tells the story of the world's largest privately-owned sailing vessel and how it was conceived of and designed by its owner, Tom Perkins. Perkins is a legendary venture capitalist (known for his insight, power, and damn good luck in Silicon Valley), and Kaplan peeled a few layers of the SV onion back in "Silicon Boys". As a result, this book is much more than "here's how I built this big boat". Expect a few snarky stories (all in good fun) , helpful exposition on what exactly all those sails are called and why, and some wonderment over how much, er, stuff somebody with more money than God can acquire. Buy it. You will not regret it.



2. "Mine's Bigger" reacquaints us with Tom Perkins, to whom author David A. Kaplan had previously introduced us as one of the leading venture capitalists behind "The Silicon Boys". What follows is the story the "Maltese Falcon", the greatest sailing vessel ever built, a tale in which Perkins is no less driven (and, some might say, no more sane) than the seafaring protagonists of Melville and Hemingway. Along the way, readers will learn more about sailing and nautical engineering than they could ever have imagined caring to know. Although Kaplan literally fell down on the jibe in researching this book, his occupancy of one of the four guest staterooms on the Falcon's maiden voyage is testimony to his ability to go places that few of his readers ever will and come back with details, anecdotes and insight.



3. A great read about a fascinting and innovative yacht which merges old and new technology very gracefully. In addition, the author gives the reader great insight into Tom Perkins personality and how he earned his way into owning the Maltese Falcon.



4. Sadly, Mr. Perkins tries to compensate for his apparent 'shortcomings' in other areas by building an enormous ship. David Kaplan correctly characterizes him as narcissist who lacks the fundamental human trait of compassion for his fellow man (or woman). Like a eunuch, Mr. Perkins deserves more pity than scorn.



5. Hi Tom,
   
   It was a pleasure to work with you on the car book and I look forward to reading the boat book.
   
   Marshall

5 comments about The House of Rothschild: Volume 2: The World's Banker: 1849-1999.

1. Ferguson insults the purchaser of the Penguin Paperback by omitting the bibliography and only providing sketchy footnotes. "Serious scholars" who desire these items are advised to buy the Harcover edition. Other than that, it is a good read



2. I agree with one of the critics that the book had many facts and details that broke up the pace of the book for me. Ferguson presumes that the reader knows a fair amount about bonds, consuls and other financial mechanisms. He would have done well to slow down a bit and explain a few of the terms and concepts. And I think that Ferguson tells an utterly superficial and innocuous history of the Family. Long awkward sentences make for labored reading. That having been said, this was no doubt a delicate and ambitious undertaking.



3. This book was just way too detailed for me. It contains lots of facts and figures about biz transactions but it is just too much. It was to the point of who cares? Niall Ferguson really did his home work as far as that is concerned but it made the book boring. To me it felt like it was written by an accountant. It is the story behind the facts and figures and how they came about which make for interesting reading. But I have to give him credit for the time he spent putting this book together is unimaginable.
   
   Having said that I would have enjoyed it more if it had some stories where they made 1.2 million on this deal or lost 500,000 on that deal but it wasn't there. Just an accounting at the end of the year saying this was what they had at the end. No exciting stories like the robber barons trying to take over a railroad or JP Morgan putting together large trust deals in the US. Although chapter 11, which tells of the Rothschild involvement with mining and Cecil Rohdes and De Beers was very interesting and by far the the best chapter in the book, although it was not enough for me to give it a better rating. But that chapter for me made the book.
   
   I skimmed more of this book then I did the first one. There are a few more interesting stories in here but not enough to really keep you interested. If you like well written interesting biographies this is probably not for you.



4. A very complete book, a mine of facts but the author was unable to sort what is important from miscellaneous. The mix of general european history, business history and family events is by moments as indigestible as porridge por a non-scot.



5. What has Ferguson not told about the Rothschilds in this second volume of his seemingly exhaustive two volume set?
   
   He all too facilely dismisses Victor Rothschild's being the fifth man in the World War II Soviet spy ring of Blunt, Burgess, et. al. He dosen't discuss the Rothschilds' connection with Freemasonry at the highest level, and their gift to Israel of the Supreme Court building, a New World Order artifact, heavily laden architecturally with Freemasonry symbolism. Likewise, glaringly absent from note are Illuminati activities, which the family has been widely thought to be involved with. History Professor Ferguson could fill in his blanks on some vital but shady Rothschild history from Henry Makow, a researcher and writer--and a Jew.
   
   According to an article on Ferguson in Harvard Magazine (May/June '07), he is about to take on biographical writing of Henry Kissinger, at Kissinger's request. This should generate caution. Could Kissinger's "papers" be entirely relied on? Kissinger probably saw what sheen Ferguson could put on the Rothschild's archives as raw material, ignoring or minimising important but dark concerns.
   
   Same question on the Warburg's family papers that he is availing himself of. What will Ferguson tell us about Paul Warburg's role in establishing the egregious Federal Reserve, and Max Warburg financing the Bolshevik revolution?
   
   Let's hope that Ferguson can either put this and other allegations to rest once and for all or illuminate them if true--but now that he's shown his colors with the Rothschilds, I doubt that he will, either way.
   
   It seems that sympathetic academic interest in these elitist families and individuals is inevitable in part because that is where the big bucks for research and publishing would be, especially for a scholar who professes to have, as he says in the Harvard Magazine article, "become a thorough philo-Semite".
   
   Is there a whiff of opportunism here at the expense of objectivity?

5 comments about What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love.

1. If you are like me, you are a hopeless romantic at heart. Therefore, when you pick up a book that is based on a marriage between a real life prince and a working-class woman, you hope for a "happily-ever-after" ending for the couple. But in the case of What Remains, I knew from the start that this was no "happily-ever-after" story. I knew the ending before I knew the beginning. I knew that I probably should have a box of kleenex nearby as I read. And I knew that I had to read the book despite all of that.
   
   Because of the never-ending interest in the "American royal family"--the Kennedys, I picked this book up to read about the friend of the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. What I didn't realize was that in reading Radziwill's account of deep friendships, love and loss, I would find validation for some very real thoughts and feelings of my own.
   
   At the age of nineteen, Carole DiFalcoe left her small town existance in Connecticut to head to New York City in the hopes of a new life in journalism. A volunteer position at ABC News eventually turned into a career and the opportunity to meet a colleague who would later become her husband, Anthony Radziwill. Anthony was a member of a Polish royal family--a real life prince. He was also the nephew of President John F. Kennedy. Without the pretenses of his royal background, Radziwill worked in the news industry and was on assignment when he met Carole DiFalcoe.
   
   In fairy tales, the handsome prince marries the commoner, and they live an idyllic life. In the case of Anthony and Carole, the handsome prince is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer before they marry, and the woman who would be a princess is catapulted into a life of emotional upheaval, uncertainty, and constant fear of loss. Their marriage is a life of doctor visits, surgeries, follow-up cancer screening tests, and escapes to vacation spots to celebrate a temporary cancer-free state. They live their life in the landscape of "If we can just get through this next hurdle, we will be fine."
   
   One of the constants in their life is their friendship with JFK Jr and his wife, Carolyn Bessette. John and Anthony were friends above and beyond their family ties. Carolyn was Carole's closest friend. Together they faced the emotional and physical ups and downs of Anthony's disease. Together they weathered the constant barrage of photographers and journalists hungry for a glimpse of or a story about John and Carolyn. Life was anything but normal for either of the young couples. It held so much promise for one of the couples and so much heartache for the other couple. Together they were there for one another no matter what the emotional temperature of the moment. As Carole was coming to grips with the fact that her husband was dying from the unstoppable metastatic fibrosarcoma, John and Carolyn were there by her side. But her whole life unraveled when John and Carolyn's plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Planning for her husband's death and memorial service was hard enough to comprehend. Dealing with the unexpected loss and grief of her family and friends to the sea in such a violent manner was beyond comprehension.
   
   What Remains is the story of friends and family, of life and love, and of overwhelming grief and loss. It is told in gut-wrenching honesty with a sensitivity that can only come from one who has known the highs and lows of such a life firsthand. The book is a gift to all who read it. It is a haunting and touching tribute to those whom Carole loves and misses deeply. What Remains gives credence to the fears and constant longings of those battling cancer and wishing for a reprieve from the uncertainty, wishing for the ability to look to the future without trepidation. As one who lives daily with these same fears and concerns, the poignancy of their personal and emotional struggles rang true and touched my heart deeply. It is one of those books that must be read and then savored for the beauty even in the sadness of the story. It is one of those books that, even though you know the ending before you read the first line, you will never forget the beautiful way in which the author chose to tell her story.
   
   by Lee Ambrose
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



2. The author made you feel a part of life and was truly able to make you understand the challenges she faced without ever making you "pity" her. The story is so beautifully written and taught me so much about life.



3. Charlie Rose interviewed Carole and I remember thinking, "My, he's so dismissive of her." I can see why now. She never makes any of these people come to life.
   
   That's the tragedy of the whole thing...you never get to know any of these folks. I mean Carolyn forgets her toothbrush when she stays in the house that all of them share. So? I mean that is about as deep as she is going to get into this woman.
   
   At the end of Charlie Rose's interview with Carole Radziwill he left her feeling so miffed that SHE had to tell HIM that people thought she told her story well. He just shrugged. He was right.



4. I just finished this book and I loved it. i love carole Radzwill's story telling style, loved it! Her stories are poignant and honest. There is much humor here also. She loves information and she gives it out to others who want it too. I hope she will continue to write.



5. I didn't really care for it, from reading the front flap I thought this book would be much more intresting than it really was. I was never able to really get into the book, and was seen forcing myself to finish it. The only reason I made myself finish the book was to read the ending, about John and Carolyn's accident and the way Anthony passes away.

5 comments about The Beatles: The Biography.

1. Excellent book on the Boys! Really goes indepth about where they came from, their family and backgrounds, and how day by day the alliance was formed leading to the greatest band in musical history! Well done!!



2. i have read more beatles books than i care to admit. this one by bob spitz is the best one so far.
   if you want to read one book about the beatles and only one, this is it.



3. Let's face it: Beatles fans know their trivia after forty-five years of discussion about a group that was one of the major catalysts for societal and cultural changes in the sixties and beyond. This book, while highly interesting and well written, just gets under the skin with so many factual errors splattered across the pages. It is amazing that the text was not vetted by whatever editors were assigned to birth this book on rock and roll legends. As another reviewer has noted, the biography appears to have been rushed to market.
   
   All that having been said, it does offer fantastic stories about the Beatles that fall into various categories: stories we've all heard before but are here viewed from a slightly different narrative and psychological viewpoint; stories we've heard that have new information; and, thankfully, many stories that are brought to light for the first time.
   
   More time is spent on the band's formation than it's break-up, which seems an inexcusable error since any comprehensive biography needs to cover the entire life of its subject(s). The break-up has always been a source of great discussion, with numerous accounts as to how, when, and why the band fell apart. Even THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY proved that there are different perspectives on many aspects of the group's history from the surviving members themselves. So was it Paul's overbearing nature? Yoko's constant presence?; George's feeling that he could live quite happily without the melodrama?; or was it just that it was time for four creative geniuses to go their own ways? Was it John or Paul who pulled the plug ... or pulled the plug harder? This book doesn't delve deeply enough on a crucial era in Beatles' history. Spitz seems to favor Paul's personality over Johns's, but regardless, the end of the book skimps on too many important details.
   
   Despite its problems, this book is an important addition to the history of four very talented men who were in the right place at the right time. For a true Beatles' fan, there's no such thing as too much information about a band that still serves as inspiration for contemporary artists. It's a good book. Period.



4. Best book I've ever read about the Beatles. Bob Spitz writes very well and puts you right there in the room with them. It's a delight to have so many pages to go. I don't want it to end. It's Fabulous!



5. Bob Spitz's biography of the Beatles is perhaps the finest, best researched, and most tantalizing analysis of how and why this group intersected with history in such a powerful way. Details are lavishly arranged to give the reader a sense of the sheer talent and blinding ambition that made the Beatles a cultural and musical phenomenon. Spitz does not sugar coat the one-tracked vision that guided the group's rise to fame. The Beatles had a killer instinct for success that was evident from their earliest days. They were also prodigious learners, intent upon absorbing the lessons from other stars about how to write hits and wind up an audience. Immensely entertaining and thought provoking, Spitz's biography places us in the center of the maelstrom called "Beatlemania" and also dissects the frenzy with the keen wit and observations of a talented social psychologist. Spectacular from start to finish. A meditation wrapped in electric sparks.
   
   Donald Gallinger is the author of The Master Planets

5 comments about The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story.

1. One of the people mentioned is "Mary Stuart Alsop," who is of course Susan
   Mary Alsop, who was married to Joseph Alsop, whose brother is Stewart (not Stuart) Alsop. Sigh.



2. i was disappointed in this book. it is very generic as though it was taken from other sources and didn't really take into account people that really knew brooke.it seemed superficial. i wanted to know the details of her life more thoroughly.i love biographies but this left me unimpressed.



3. "The Last Mrs. Astor," by Frances Kiernan, is rightfully subtitled "A New York Story," as the last Mrs. Astor did, indeed, have a lot to do with building the New York we have today. Kiernan, a former editor at The New Yorker, and author of "Seeing Mary Plain: A Life of Mary McCarthy," is herself a New Yorker, and had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Vincent Astor several times, and interviewing many friends, and family members. Her book is nicely done -- and why wouldn't it be--and although short, appears to have been thoroughly researched, though other reviewers have pointed out copy editing problems within. The book is, however, noticeably "tactful and admiring," as the author herself says of the newspaper coverage for Mrs. Astor's 100th birthday; it's not going to give you the real inside scoop on New York's famous, longtime benefactor: and surely Mrs. Astor would have preferred it that way.
   
   Although Mrs. Astor, Virginia -born as Roberta Brooke Russell, only child, daughter of a naval commandant and an ambitious, flirtatious Southern belle, always did have a taste for flirting, dancing, and fun. The author quotes Mrs. Astor's good friend, television journalist Barbara Walters, as saying: "She is very kind. She is also very witty and likes being slightly wicked. She will tell a story about some young man she was sitting next to at dinner who was trying to impress her. The man said,'Mrs. Astor, how many lovers have you had?' And she said, `That's how I count myself to sleep.'"
   
   Mrs. Astor's first marriage, entered at a young age, was not a happy one: her husband drank excessively and abused her. Nor was the son, Tony, born of that marriage, who would be her only child, going to give her much joy. So she took her leave of that unsatisfactory situation, without, unfortunately, stopping to nail down alimony for herself. She moved to New York, as a single mother, and became a hard-working, talented editor at Conde Nast's magazine "House and Garden," and so supported herself and her son. She was in New York at an exciting time, after the First World War. She met Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, Osbert Sitwell, Aldous Huxley, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Linda and Cole Porter, Ezra Pound, Max Beerbohm, and the actor Brian Aherne, with whom she would have a close relationship, among others. As she worked at Conde Nast, she also became acquainted with the very beautiful young society widow Claire Booth Brokaw, an editor at Vogue, who was stiff competition in the contest of young society women looking for their next rich husband: Brokaw would eventually marry Henry Luce, founder of "Time" magazine. Astor remarked that although the other woman was more beautiful, they liked, found appealing, and were found appealing by very different men: there was no problem.
   
   Astor married again, to Buddie Marshall; it was a happy, fairly long-lived marriage, and although Marshall never adopted her son Tony, the boy did take his last name. Unfortunately, Marshall died, leaving her a widow in her late 50's, not the best age at which to snag another rich husband. But Vincent Astor was around, of a rich and famous old New York family: some years before, Mrs. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor had made herself the gatekeeper of New York society, admitting only a select 400 people to her celebrated balls. Vincent already had a wife: but he was reputed to drink heavily, was not considered too pleasant a man, and his current wife wanted out. She thought her best route to leaving with alimony was to find him his next wife, and there was Brooke. For better or worse, Vincent lasted only five more years, leaving Brooke a relatively rich, healthy energetic widow in her early 60's. Vincent left the little-known Astor Foundation behind.
   
   Brooke gained control of the foundation, and used it to pursue her charitable interests. It is fair to say that such essential New York institutions as The Metropolitan Museum, The Bronx Zoo, Central Park, the South Street Seaport, and The New York Public Library, among others, would not be what they are today without her generous support. Along the way, she wrote five well-reviewed books, and published many articles. She was 99 years old at the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and not what she had been, but then, too, she threw herself into the struggle to help her adopted city recover. Kiernan quotes Brooke's old friend Freddy Melhado as saying: "There's a term for a racehorse of known quality....The sort of horse you can always bet on. Does not disappoint."
   
   Unfortunately, at the end of her life, as many readers will know, Astor's son Tony Marshall gained control of her affairs, and dishonestly abused his power, greatly mistreating his mother. As Shakespeare said in "King Lear," "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." It's tempting to continue with Shakespeare, and quote him from "Macbeth," when Malcolm says of the Thane of Cawdor, "Nothing in /her/ life became /her/ like the leaving it," as her sad story, late in life, threw needed light on the problem of elder abuse, and undoubtedly helped many others. But it wouldn't be true: for most of her long life, she was a becoming ornament of New York social and civic life.



4. Overall, a good comprehensive look at Brooke Astor's life and trials. I didn't know much about Mrs. Astor other than from the newspapers so this gave much further insight as to her life before Vincent Astor and aspects of her childhood.



5. One would think it couldn't be done. But the author has turned the dazzling Mrs. Astor into a consummate bore.
   
   I think we'd better wait for the next biography.

5 comments about Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons.

1. Philistines at the Hedgerow traces the roots of fabulosity in New York's most famous vacation spot, providing an insider's, gossip-filled look at the scandals and quirks of the area and its inhabitants. Gaines examines the relationships between property and personality that have developed over the years at the beachfront, from building castles to accumulating mass amounts of acreage where parties can be thrown and paparazzi shots can be taken. Philistines at the Hedgerow provides yet another glimpse into the celebrity backdrop of American life in an area that has radically altered itself over time from simple farmland to idyllic playground.



2. "BUY EVERYTHING in sight! Hock your gold teeth!" says Allan Schneider the then "it" realtor of the Hamptons. "Their money is so new, the ink is wet," - speaking about the influx of: master of the universe, corporate raiders, stockbrokers, lawyers, junk bond kings and financiers that were invading the Hamptons at an increasing rate in the 1980's.
   
   Not that the book stays in the 80's. It goes all the way back to the first few settlers and their dealings with the Indians in the mid 1600's. Especially interesting is the history of Gardiner Island and the Gardiner family, who have been the sole inhabitants for generations. Then in comes the Goelet family who came to America in 1676 and later founded Chemical Bank and manages a far reaching real estate empire from an unmarked townhouse on East 67th St. while remaining out of the business spotlight.
   
   Also interesting is the history of The Creeks, a 57 acre estate with 2,000 feet on Georgica Pond (a 290 acre tidal pond) with 6 guest houses that is the largest privately held estate in the Hamptons. It's owned by Ron Perelman, who paid $12.5 million in 1993 from an estate who bought it for $35,000 in 1951. When it was sold in 1894 for $10,500 it was called Sheeps Point and the East Hampton Star called the price, "a large advance from the original cost".
   
   The book gives you a good sense of how real estate in good locations can explode in value while sharing some intrigue regarding the who's who of the Northeast and how they jockey for prominence in the "social register".
   
   By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups and Downs From Wall Street to Real Estate Leading to Phenomenal Returns
   
   Blog: bloglines.com/blog/KevinKingston



3. An interesting and easy to read book that gives some basic early history on the area and towns known as the Hamptons, a wealthy waterfront area of Long Island in New York state, and profiles a number of notable residents and properties through the years. Initially settled because of it's natural beauty and fertile soil, the area became a haven for the wealthy who flaunt their wealth by trying not to appear that they're flaunting it. And over the years it attracted various groups such as artists, gays, Jews, and the newly-rich of the 80's stock markets, much to the chagrin of earlier residents who viewed such late-comers as outsiders lacking their good taste and refinement (Philistines). Several people are profiled such as artists Jackson Pollock and Alfonso Ossorio (and his partner Ted Dragon); successful businessmen Evan Frankel and Jerry Della Femina, and old-money Robert D. L. Gardiner. But the history is much more than just the people who lived there, it's the properties, too, and many homes and places and the changes that happened are covered.
   
   Many reviews here mention the gossipy feel of the book, and I'll agree with that. But with the nature of the Hamptons and the people it attracts it's probably natural. Some of it becomes downright comic, especially with the legal codes that are really only used by those with a bit of authority to enhance their own social standing or pay back some perceived slight. As it says in the book, in the Hamptons everybody is somebody and each more important than the rest. To call some of the people 'eccentric' is putting it very mildly, though, when 'weird' might be more accurate. But it's all very interesting and hard to put down sometimes, and you can't help but shake your head at some of the ridiculous stories and people. There are a number of good historical photos included, although no maps, which would have been nice for those of us who aren't familiar with the area. And to echo another common sentiment in other reviews, it's a fun summer read.



4. My husband & I wanted to read this book together. We couldn't get into it. Perhaps if you are more familiar with the Hamptons, all the detail would be interesting to you, but we weren't compelled to continue... We found the writing 'thick' and the story laborious.



5. Philistines at the Hedgerow was one of those books that was the read of the summer when first released. It still an interesting read but in the nine years since it was written it has become very out of date. Maybe its time for the author to add some new chapters. If not a whole new book.