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US Mall 1 - Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach
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List Price: $34.99
Our Price: $25.54
Your Save: $ 9.45 ( 27% )
Availability: Usually ships in 11 to 12 days
Manufacturer: Tantor Media
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9781400110612
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 1400110610
Label: Tantor Media
Manufacturer: Tantor Media
Number Of Items: 11
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Publisher: Tantor Media
Studio: Tantor Media
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A family dis-Astor
Comment: As the old song goes, being "rich as Rockefeller" does one no good, except perhaps if one of the Rockefeller clan happens to be a personal friend....and then it can really make a difference between life and death. That's part of what happened to the doyenne of one of America's premier families, Brooke Astor, whose friend David Rockefeller, prompted by Mrs. Astor's grandson, Philip, (and a couple of other loyal friends) saved the grande dame from living her final years in increasing squalor. It's a tale that seems hard to believe on its face but as the author reminds us, siblings, children and grandchildren of wealthy people often steal from those who created or inherited that wealth. In Brooke Astor's case, that had been going on for years and her son, Tony, was the catalyst for the changes that occurred late in her life.
Meryl Gordon's story, "Mrs. Astor Regrets", often crackles with excitement. One hundred five years is a remarkable length of life, made more remarkable when so much of that wealth is invested in charity giving, real estate, art and simply being a member of the upper crust of society. It is really the last decade of Brooke Astor's life that the author focuses on, with family members, close friends and employees right off the opera stage. Or soap opera stage, perhaps. Gordon is surprisingly evenhanded in her assessments of the prevailing characters, though it's clear which ones are the naughty and which are the nice.
Gordon occasionally overplays her hand and gets carried away with hyperbole. Her descriptions of some events are made to sound much more important than they are, but her narrative is usually crisp and attractive. The real story is what goes on behind closed doors...that a public person like Brooke Astor could lead an increasingly miserable existence without the express knowledge of many who knew her well, let alone the public itself. "Mrs. Astor Regrets" is a fine offering by Meryl Gordon and I recommend it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!!
Comment: I started this book yesterday and just finished it - today! Very entertaining. Enjoyed the history and story of Mrs. Astor's life. I only wish it had been longer, although the book included many, many details.
Customer Rating:
Summary: How to make a prostitute into a hero.
Comment: The author tries to make a hero out of a common prostitute. Capote understood well that she was nothing but a gold digger. A woman self-obsessed with aggrandizing herself while neglecting her own son. It takes a naive person not to see through her mask.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Everyone's A Victim
Comment: I purchased this book since I had met Mrs. Astor along with the Oscar de la Rentas at a Metropolitan Museum party many years ago. She was very gracious and quick-witted. She asked me where I lived. I told her, "Tennessee!" She responded, "then what the hell are you doing here?!" "Supporting the museum", I retorted. I took no offense to this quick wit and laughed at her frank demeanor. I found the book to be very revealing in that trouble besets all families at one point or another...any money does not make one immune to family embarassments and trouble. In fact, money actually complicates the picture. The author has an excellent writing style. The reader feels that one is sitting at a clothed table at a nice club as the author tells the story in such a matter-of-fact manner. I recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in New York society or historical families. The book has a steady ebb and flow to the plot and the last two chapters become intensely exciting; for as the book nears the end, there is a rise in tempo that kept me transfixed beyond my bedtime. For the enjoyment that you will derive, it is certainly worth the price.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Modern Day American Tragedy
Comment: Tragic end for a New York icon. It just goes to show that money can't by happiness in the end, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. A fascinating read to all and any - well researched and documented - it reads like fiction but, sadly, it is not. A cautionary tale to those who believe in what once was the great American dream. Surely this lady deserved better?
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A family dis-Astor
Comment: As the old song goes, being "rich as Rockefeller" does one no good, except perhaps if one of the Rockefeller clan happens to be a personal friend....and then it can really make a difference between life and death. That's part of what happened to the doyenne of one of America's premier families, Brooke Astor, whose friend David Rockefeller, prompted by Mrs. Astor's grandson, Philip, (and a couple of other loyal friends) saved the grande dame from living her final years in increasing squalor. It's a tale that seems hard to believe on its face but as the author reminds us, siblings, children and grandchildren of wealthy people often steal from those who created or inherited that wealth. In Brooke Astor's case, that had been going on for years and her son, Tony, was the catalyst for the changes that occurred late in her life.
Meryl Gordon's story, "Mrs. Astor Regrets", often crackles with excitement. One hundred five years is a remarkable length of life, made more remarkable when so much of that wealth is invested in charity giving, real estate, art and simply being a member of the upper crust of society. It is really the last decade of Brooke Astor's life that the author focuses on, with family members, close friends and employees right off the opera stage. Or soap opera stage, perhaps. Gordon is surprisingly evenhanded in her assessments of the prevailing characters, though it's clear which ones are the naughty and which are the nice.
Gordon occasionally overplays her hand and gets carried away with hyperbole. Her descriptions of some events are made to sound much more important than they are, but her narrative is usually crisp and attractive. The real story is what goes on behind closed doors...that a public person like Brooke Astor could lead an increasingly miserable existence without the express knowledge of many who knew her well, let alone the public itself. "Mrs. Astor Regrets" is a fine offering by Meryl Gordon and I recommend it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!!
Comment: I started this book yesterday and just finished it - today! Very entertaining. Enjoyed the history and story of Mrs. Astor's life. I only wish it had been longer, although the book included many, many details.
Customer Rating:
Summary: How to make a prostitute into a hero.
Comment: The author tries to make a hero out of a common prostitute. Capote understood well that she was nothing but a gold digger. A woman self-obsessed with aggrandizing herself while neglecting her own son. It takes a naive person not to see through her mask.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Everyone's A Victim
Comment: I purchased this book since I had met Mrs. Astor along with the Oscar de la Rentas at a Metropolitan Museum party many years ago. She was very gracious and quick-witted. She asked me where I lived. I told her, "Tennessee!" She responded, "then what the hell are you doing here?!" "Supporting the museum", I retorted. I took no offense to this quick wit and laughed at her frank demeanor. I found the book to be very revealing in that trouble besets all families at one point or another...any money does not make one immune to family embarassments and trouble. In fact, money actually complicates the picture. The author has an excellent writing style. The reader feels that one is sitting at a clothed table at a nice club as the author tells the story in such a matter-of-fact manner. I recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in New York society or historical families. The book has a steady ebb and flow to the plot and the last two chapters become intensely exciting; for as the book nears the end, there is a rise in tempo that kept me transfixed beyond my bedtime. For the enjoyment that you will derive, it is certainly worth the price.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Modern Day American Tragedy
Comment: Tragic end for a New York icon. It just goes to show that money can't by happiness in the end, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. A fascinating read to all and any - well researched and documented - it reads like fiction but, sadly, it is not. A cautionary tale to those who believe in what once was the great American dream. Surely this lady deserved better?
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