Leans More Towards the Gossipy Side, But Very-Well Written
349565
This is not an in-depth analytical or technical art history. Its more about the social and economic backdrop and the relationships that guided the lives of these then-emerging artists and many tangential figures that made up their circles.

The signpost ideas and events that ushered in twentieth century modernism are all here: The interest in African and Spanish primitive carvings and exaggerated depiction as a counterbalance to the hyper-realism of photography and reaction to decades of traditional painting.

The influence of film  a genuinely new art form  on narrative that influenced temporal arts such as music (Stravinsky) and Gertrud Stein (prose) as well as cognitive perception and the philosophical role of the observer in visual art - both in terms of scanning and psychological projection  this was also the age of Freud.

The timespan here is roughly the first decade of the twentieth century and admittedly it was only in the later 3-4 years that Cubism and increasing Abstraction emerged as influential streams, so were really talking about a fairly compressed several years.

For readers interested in the art life and business, the competitiveness and some of the intrigue  not to mention the role of typically wealthy collectors and managers in determining careers, its an engaging book that reads like a literary novel.

Those looking for a more analytical discussion of techniques about Cubism and Abstraction as seminal movements in twentieth century arts will probably find the book less satisfactory.
1775736
This book is an interesting look at the social mores of upper class Edwardian life and how many people in that strata had to either hide their true feelings or live their entire lives in a lie. The end-goal for women in that class was to secure a husband who had a title and money, have children, and live a vibrant social life.  It was unconscionable and social suicide to get divorced but it was absolutely OK to have affairs (whether same sex or opposite sex) or give birth to children that were a result of the affair.  Mrs. Alice Keppel (the mother) was the last mistress of Edward  VII and her husband (as many husbands in those days) knew about her affair(s) (she had others prior to the King) and totally thought it was acceptable.  It's odd, but Mr. Keppel was kind of proud that his wife was the future King's mistress since it elevated their social standing even more.  And, of course, children of the upper class hardly knew their parents since they were really raised by nannies and governesses.  This book ultimately focuses more on her daughter, Violet Keppel who was gay and Violet's long-standing romance (and short-term affair) with the writer Vita Sackville-West.  Understanding all of this social manipulation, Mrs. Keppel, Violet, and Vita and the surrounding bit players in this book appear to be selfish, self-absorbed, mean, and flighty individuals who had no regard for anyone but themselves -- "throwing" people away when they no longer served their purpose.  Having said that, the book is a very quick read since it pretty much glides through their lives.  It doesn't get as detailed as I'd like in terms of what really makes them tick.  And, it is mostly devoted to the affair between Violet and Vita Sackville-West although Violet had other lovers who impacted her life also.  You do feel some empathy for Violet (and others like her) who had to hide their true selves and live most of their lives in a lie, however, she did have options to live her life true to herself but was too much of a chicken to do anything about it.  Even in her older years, her mother was supporting her and Violet, like a 10 year old, was still following her mother's instructions.  Seriously, cannot believe these people were given a place on this planet and totally wasted their time here.
4185696
Sad story but very well written, filled with juicy gossip and great descriptions of the characters.
Wonderful look back in time to a world much less glamorous than it seemed on the surface.
Turns out these people were human. Capable of feelings and flaws that we all can relate to.
This won't appeal to everybody but if you remember these people you will find it fascinating.
2961859
I was trying to get information on Victorian architecture when I picked this up, and was not looking all that hard for stories about the Queen.  But I found myself drawn in by King's well-researched gossip, by turns giddy, catty, and sorrowful.

Ordinarily, when I am impressed by writers of history, it is because they have been able to humanize and make more sympathetic characters I thought I knew. Here we have the opposite: King has something nasty to say about EVERYbody.  Were you raised on the story of saintly Queen Alexandra, long suffering wife of the playboy prince? Weep no more, she was selfish and nasty, something of a dim bulb (would take her children out of the school room whenever she felt like it, including extended tours to Denmark) and, for infantalizing her children, made her mother in law look like a poser. Do you oooh over the love story of Vicky and her Kaiser? Don't--she verbally abused her son the Crown Prince over his physical handicap.  Albert's sexual conservatism? Doubtless the result of growing up in the shadow of his roue uncles, etc.

To Victoria, he is, grudgingly generous, admitting that with her shaky start and education, she still had some good insights, eg Vicky might have been a better ruler if she'd acclimated to Germany before having children,  and that class stigma is an artificial construct (way ahead of her time in this regard).

This book was delightful, like 5th grade with an index.

The preparation for the Jubilee, and her death soon after, were OK, but not nearly as fun as King's take on the family structure.  King also treats the servants with the same amount of derision and respect, outing the alcoholics and admiring the hardest workers, which sometimes were the same person.  He acknowledges several occasions that nervous breakdowns resulted from being in direct contact with the exacting, often contradictory, orders of HRH.

Do we need a while book on the one year preparing for her Jubilee, and on her death soon after? No, but it was fun.

Now I don't want to give it back to the library.
4125312
This book was published before the internet made the repercussions of gossip seem far more menacing, which I have realized in many ways, but most recently in an article in the Times about how anonymous postings (whose authors could, in some cases, be guessed at) had virtually destroyed life in a small town in the American West, and forced several people to move.  Despite these facts, this volume was a good mixture of essays that took on a gossip positive "functional" approach, focusing on the benefits to knowledge, self-knowledge, and social networking gossip facilitated.  There were two other essays that adopted a moral stance, and one in particular focused on how the "gossipee" was not likely to be thrilled to hear that other people were taking about her behind her back.  The author asked the pertinent question of how moral or right is was to take it upon ourselves to (mis)represent others who we know.  I myself have noted that gossip is harmful, as it is usually driven by mixed motives at best.  It seemed the book was overly concerned to produce a counter-image to contradict what has traditionally been made of gossip.  The book needs an update that includes research on the transformation of gossip by the internet.
4931506
I've been fascinated with Wallis Simpson since I first heard of her as a teenager, but the more I read about her, the less I like her. Seeing The Crown made me want to read this book, which left me even more disgusted with both her and Edward.

This book is well written and Morton does a good job piecing together the life of a person who basically never told the truth or was honest about anything. Given that, it's hard for him to paint a completely clear picture, especially of the man in her life (not the abdicated King) who she supposedly truly loved. Still, this book leaves one feeling that both of these people (Wallis and Edward) got what they deserved.
4572154
Dying to read a book filled with small town gossip about people you don't know?  This is the book for you.
2883901
Good story, written well as far as her story goes. She tells many details, but it's really just her story. I admire how she works through some of her anger and hatred and takes control of her life. However there is really no information as the title suggests about how to deal with people with antisocial behavior. In fact she doesn't seem to blame Joe as much as one would think, she blames Amy Fisher, but appears to cut Joe a great deal of slack. Maybe for the sake of her children, maybe because she's worked through the issues with Joe. But she appears to enjoy and like Joe, when during the reading i was always thinking RUN! I enjoyed the story through her eyes. She was very candid. And I'm glad for her that she has come so far, and seems truly happy and healthy. It makes me see her differently than when the scandal was happening. She seems much kinder and stronger, when at the time she seemed so dilusional as to the extent of her husband's involvement with Amy, which looked like denial at it's finest. And that's not to suggest he had anything to do with her being shot, just that she seemed to believe he wasn't even having an affair. Although her anger is still primarily directed at Amy. I believe one would think, wasn't he the one ultimately responsible for bringing her into their lives?
4886186
This first part of this book is an interesting look at the training and life of flight attendants. But as it goes on it becomes more and more about the author's relationships, living arrangements, relatives, etc. The book is written for those who will be interested at least as much in catty gossip as in behind-the-scenes airline information.
1111790
This is a well written book.  It's lively and interesting.  But before you buy it, you should know that it's not really a biography of John D MacArthur in the traditional sense.  It's the story of Bob Sanford who worked at MacArthur's hotel as the beverage/bar manager.  Sanford does tell a lot of stories about his own experiences with MacArthur (for example the book begins with Sanford being interviewed by MacArthur for a position at the hotel), but most of the book is limited to Sanford's firsthand experiences.  And from that perspective the book is interesting (as a collection of experiences that a working man has with one of the wealthiest men in the world), but this is not a biography in the traditional sense.  I just wanted to add that to the book's description.
1936048
I have just finished this book, and overall it was an enjoyable read.  It wasn't so much about poker as it was the men who play (and played) it.

The prose was well-written, and to the point.  I question some of the facts that he presented, but as I am not sure that my own opinion of what these facts were, I don't really consider that a detriment.

My major beef is this.  The author seems unable to keep his left-wing political opinions to himself.  It is subtle, but unmistakeable, and it detracted from my enjoyment.  If this won't disturb you, rate it a 5.
4443389
Ms Kaminer does a first-rate job of covering the more common sorts of things people believe in, often passionately, even though there are excellent reasons to laugh at them instead of channeling Grover Cleveland. I thought her account of how her piece for the New York Times on Hillary Clinton channeling Eleanor Roosevelt was heavily red-lined by the newspaper editors not because it ridiculed the idea that you could have chats with dead first ladies, but because she pointed out that there wasn't all that much difference between that and talking to Jesus -- dead for centuries -- which millions do every day. This led to an interesting discussion of how the one thing you absolutely must not seriously criticise in America is our majority religion, but that it hasn't always been like that.
I found her discussion of how we have evolved into a culture where truth is determined by how you feel about something, not by what the facts are. Turn on any boob tube, especially daytime talk shows, and you will see what she means.
2775788
He deals quite well with a subject that many do not want to talk about these days.  A well written book.
4306698
I read a lot of celebrity autobiographies.  On the whole, British celebs tend to be a bit more reserved and less likely to go into vivid details, especially about their sex lives and problems in dealing with partners, co-workers etc.  This book fits that generalization.  Wilding was a much bigger star in the U.K. than he was in the U.S. where he seems now to be remembered  mostly as chapter in bios of Elizabeth Taylor.  He writes with charm and wit, if without much detail.  I would have liked to know more about things he could have shared without violating that code: the jobs, his own health (he was epileptic but discusses that very little) and his friendships.  All in all, I think it feels like a written version of talk show interviews or a dinner party;  charming, interesting but not at all an in-depth idea of  Wilding.  Frankly, as the book states 3 of the most beautiful women of his time loved him and two married him; I suspect that was because of more than just his charm.  I would have liked to know a bit more about what they saw that he chose not to share on the printed page.
3630335
I gave this book a 3 1/2-Star Rating because it is very well written, and there was quite a bit of action and adventure. What I didn't care for that much were: (1) the graphic descriptions of the protagonist's sexual encounters with her deceased friend's ex-boyfriends (even though one encounter was never actually consummated); and (2) the way she kept alluding to the fact that she had SO MUCH MONEY! People used to that kind of money very seldom have a need to keep distancing themselves from others by constantly referring to having millions and millions of dollars. There was a condescending, almost patronizing attitude I found annoying in that regard. Nevertheless, I finished the book and did find it quite enjoyable in other aspects, such as the author's knowledge regarding expensive antiquities and financial investments. The book is basically about a very wealthy heiress who discovers her best friend's so-called suicide was most likely a murder. She uses her vast amount of unending riches to hire detectives, set up mock investments, and even threw in quite a few philanthropic gestures to the needy.  Anyway, I would definitely read more books from this author, even though I am not a huge fan of romance novels. Good job K.A. Tucker!
2293166
You, the reader, are like one more neighbor hearing about the scandal from the biased (=human) perspective of five women.
At first, you might think this could be a cautionary tale to dissuade parents or teenagers from careless behavior.
The end, however, wraps up too sweetly and neatly, and might be interpreted to validate the mistakes made by all involved.
Plus, as with any one-sided presentation, even when given by 5 different characters, you don't have the whole story to truly judge who are truly the bad guys.

Still, I enjoyed this and it made me think.

That said, I must point out a few annoying issues with this paperback edition.
--The photo on the cover show teen lovers in a quiet moment.  But this noisy book is about women, including teens, who are struggling with minimal male support, each alone for different reasons.
Never do you see the teen boys treated tenderly.
--The back cover refers to high school juniors as central to the scandal.  In fact, they are seniors.
--The discussion guide intro made me roll my eyes.  Get this!:
"No writer captures the tender rewards and the unique challenges of family life better than Barbara Delinsky."
Really?!! NO writer ever or now??  I could see that blab as promo on the back cover, but to set up the readers' guide??
--The author's dedication is to her READERS, SOME of whom might be fans-- but not all, as evidenced by the low rating here.  Yet she thanks us all for "undying loyalty."  Yes, I wish to read more of her work, but undying pursuit of her books?  I was a little insulted by the sweeping generalization.
--Come on, editors:  don't you know the proper use of inFERring and imPLYing??  Please, do your job!
207232
An interesting read, but didn't like the way it treated the affair so casually.