Glimpse Behind the Fa ade of Rich and Famous WomenIf you liked The Last Castle and Lean In, you’ll love Women of Means.The Grass Isn’t Greener on the Other Side: Heiresses have always been viewed with eyes of envy. They were the ones for whom the cornucopia had been upended, showering them with unimaginable wealth and opportunity. However, through intimate historical biographies, Women of Means … unimaginable wealth and opportunity. However, through intimate historical biographies, Women of Means shows us that oftentimes the weaving sisters saved their most heart-wrenching tapestries for the destinies of wealthy women.
Happily Never After: From the author of Behind Every Great Man, we now have Women of Means, vignettes of the women who were slated from birth–or marriage–to great privilege, only to endure lives which were the stuff Russian tragic heroines are made of. They are the nonfictional Richard Corys–those not slated for happily ever after.
Women of Means is bound to be a non-fiction best seller, full of the best biographies of all time. Some of the women whose silver spoons rusted include:
- Almira Carnarvon, the real-life counterpart to Lady Cora of Downton Abbey
- Liliane Bettencourt, whose chemist father created L’Oreal… and was a Nazi collaborator
- Peggy Guggenheim, who had an insatiable appetite for modern art and men
- Nica Rothschild, who traded her gilded life to become the Baroness of Bebop
- Jocelyn Wildenstein, who became a cosmetology-enhanced cat-woman
- Ruth Madoff, the dethroned queen of Manhattan
- Patty Hearst, who trod the path from heiress… to terrorist
more
“Women of Means” by Marlene Wagman-Geller is an interesting read, detailing the lives of twenty-eight women who were born into or married into wealth. Some of the names are familiar; Patty Hearst, Doris Duke, Ruth Madoff while others are not as well-known. Each chapter details a different woman and her rise and, more times than not, fall from wealth, grace, or both. While by no means a literary classic, Wagman-Geller’s writing does keep the stories entertaining and it was interesting learning about the various “poor little rich girls”. A light summer read for anyone wanting to bust out some random facts at the next family get together.
From the bibliography at the back, and the sparse facts, I can only assume that the entire book was written on secondary sources. No one who knew these people was interviewed as far as I can see, no historical research was done–it is simply a compilation of facts garnered from other books and news articles, both of which might be incorrect. Added to this is the author’s showy style; full of simile, metaphor, numerous literary references, and, of course, plain old cliche, it was wearing on this reader. Looking up these women in Wiki might be time better spent.
Marlene Wagman-Geller’s latest is a scintillating look at 28 ultra-wealthy women whose lives flowed with “champagne and bile.”
Her addictive book unfolds shocking tales of troubled luminaries. We learn the real real about Patty Hearst; Almira Carnarvon, spiritual twin to Lady Cora of Downton Abbey; Liliane Bettencourt, whose L’Oreal-founding chemist father was a Nazi collaborator; and Peggy Guggenheim, who lusted insatiably for modern art and sexy men, among many intriguing others. It’s like watching Princess Diana that last night in Paris; you just can’t look away.
If anything, I came away shaking my head but still wishing for the winning lotto ticket, remembering a quote from Rita Davenport: “Money isn’t everything…but it ranks up there with oxygen.”
Highly recommended for lovers of elegant true stories and cautionary tales! Out now.
5 of 5 Stars
Thanks to @marlenewagmangeller for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
Welcome back to Whimsical Wednesday my Wonderful Wordy Wyverns. Today’s Gem is a Diamond the size of the Ritz with just as many facets and in the light will knock your eyes out. It is all too often envied more than the Sorcerer’s Stone or the Arkenstone of Thrain. Women especially delight over it and men will do everything to capture the woman who has it, killing for it, to bask in it’s glow. It’s curse makes the Hope Diamond look like a mere spell taught by a teacher of The Black Arts to his Hogwart’s First Years. This is “Women of Means: The Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls, ” cultured, created and formed exquisitely by Gem Maker Marlene Wagman-Geller.
I was asked a question today. “What would you do if you had a billion dollars?” A week ago, a week before I read this book, I can assure you my answer would have been quite different. Dear Marlene has pulled the, pardon the pun, scales from my eyes. “Women of Means” is a book filled with the stories of the richest royals, heiresses, eccentrics and other ‘poor little rich girls’ in history. Many you know. You have heard their names, bought their products (whether you knew it or not) or watched their lives play out in the evening news. If you are over 40, you have probably salivated, wanting what they had. Let’s do a bit of name dropping here: Gloria Vanderbilt heiress to a fortune, designer of the first designer jeans, and mother to the now famous Anderson Cooper. For the over 50 set, remember Sunny Von Bulow? I love the way she is portrayed as the modern Sleeping Beauty. I had never thought of her that way until now. The Guggenheim Museum? Ah, there is little Peggy Guggenheim, who grows up to discover the famous Jackson Pollock and collect dogs and paintings and lots of men. Let’s try one more. Do you love Downton Abbey? What a silly question, you are my Book Dragons, of course you love Downton Abbey, so you have of course heard of Almina Victoria Marie Alexandra Wombel, dear Julian’s basis for Lady Cora Crawley. What did all these women have in common?
Money, inherited money, the vast sums of which would make most women pass out if they thought about what they could do with it, if they thought about it longer than as a passing fancy. Imagine being born to wearing silk’s, satin’s, lace, only ever leather shoes, fur coats, never cloth, the best of everything. Never ever watching your parents trying to make ends meet. But then perhaps rarely ever seeing your parents at all. These women often knew their nannies, butlers and chauffeurs better than they ever knew their parents. Often shuffled off to boarding schools they often lost touch with grandparents or extended family they might have had a relationship with. Or worse yet, over protective or tight-fisted family who held everyone a slave simply with purse strings instead of balls and chains.
Some of these women tried to marry their way out. One took up such a bohemian lifestyle her parents completely disowned her. One painted portraits of her mother as beheaded. Another was killed by her own offspring when he ran a knife through her heart. One sat on the vast L’Oreal Empire quiet and reserved until her 90th year when all Hell broke loose in a scandal.
In the pages of this book are extravagances beyond imagination and heartaches beyond bearing. Adventures that would have made Jules Verne envious and parties that would have made Paris Hilton at her height weep with joy. Sorrows that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy and tragedies that only Job, himself, would have understood. If you only read one true book this year with stories of real women, doing real things, and sometimes actually thriving, this is it. It’s like walking into a closet in an old manse and finding a pile of famous diaries. You will be sorry if you don’t. I guarantee it. It’s currently available on Amazon. If you have that person on your gift list who loves steamy romance novels, hot gossip, can’t get enough of day time talk shows or Hollywood News…this is the book for them! And check out Marlene Wagman-Geller’s other titles. I know I’m going to!
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.