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The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark Hardcover – May 27, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Gordon (Mrs. Astor Regrets, 2008) attempts to unlock the secret life of heiress Huguette Clark. When the fabulously wealthy Clark, the daughter of copper magnate William Andrews Clark, died in 2011 at the age of 104, she had not been seen in public for years. Owning and staffing luxury homes and properties on both coasts, she chose to live out her final 20 years in hospitals, despite the fact that she was in relatively good health. Intrigued by what turned a former socialite into a publicity-shy recluse, Gordon digs through journals, correspondence, and memorabilia, peeling away the “poor little rich girl” persona that captured the collective imagination of the public. While it is difficult to fully understand Clark’s unusual lifestyle choices, a well-rounded portrait of an eccentric and talented woman who chose to go her own way eventually emerges. A perfect choice for the Grey Gardens set. --Margaret Flanagan
Review
"[Gordon] is a tender and clear-eyed biographer; "The Phantom of Fifth Avenue" teases out the ways in which some human relationships, at their core, may always be transactional."—New York Times
"How a vibrant young woman morphed into a doll-collecting recluse who spent her afternoons watching The Flintstones sounds like a dreary tale...But as Gordon's fine reporting reveals, it's also a deeply fascinating one."—Entertainment Weekly
"[E]xcellent."—The Wall Street Journal
"A thrilling read...Meryl Gordon delivers quite a page-turner for this true-life mystery."—USA Today
"Insightful and intriguing, Gordon's book offers a rare glimpse into a privileged world--and twisted personal psychology--beyond imagining."—Kirkus
"A perfect choice for the Grey Gardens set."—Booklist
"Meticulously researched, Gordon's account catalogues every juicy detail and eccentricity amassed over a century....a rigorous, authoritative account of a 20th century enigma."—Publishers Weekly
"An engrossing account for those interested in the lengths that family, professionals, and others will go to appropriate the wealth of a seemingly desolate heiress."—Library Journal
"[F]ascinating...Gordon's research is impeccable."—Sacramento News and Review
"Meryl Gordon masterfully depicts the life and times of one of New York's most eccentric millionaires...you won't want to put this book down."—HamptonSheet.com
"Through her assiduous research...and canny analysis, Gordon gives us, yes, Clark's perplexing eccentricities and the ins and outs of the fight between family members and loyal-but-incompetent friends and helpers. But The Phantom of Fifth Avenue also offers a believable, sympathetic portrait of a vulnerable perfectionist with an artistic temperament."—Bookpage
"Meryl Gordon...paints a human, often heartbreaking portrait of the woman behind the legend. In her capable hands, Mrs. Clark's story becomes both page-turner and time capsule for an era gone by."—Glamour.com
"...an alluring, enigmatic portrait."—New York Observer
"How a vibrant young woman morphed into a doll-collecting recluse who spent her afternoons watching The Flintstones sounds like a dreary tale...But as Gordon's fine reporting reveals, it's also a deeply fascinating one."—Entertainment Weekly
"[E]xcellent."—The Wall Street Journal
"A thrilling read...Meryl Gordon delivers quite a page-turner for this true-life mystery."—USA Today
"Insightful and intriguing, Gordon's book offers a rare glimpse into a privileged world--and twisted personal psychology--beyond imagining."—Kirkus
"A perfect choice for the Grey Gardens set."—Booklist
"Meticulously researched, Gordon's account catalogues every juicy detail and eccentricity amassed over a century....a rigorous, authoritative account of a 20th century enigma."—Publishers Weekly
"An engrossing account for those interested in the lengths that family, professionals, and others will go to appropriate the wealth of a seemingly desolate heiress."—Library Journal
"[F]ascinating...Gordon's research is impeccable."—Sacramento News and Review
"Meryl Gordon masterfully depicts the life and times of one of New York's most eccentric millionaires...you won't want to put this book down."—HamptonSheet.com
"Through her assiduous research...and canny analysis, Gordon gives us, yes, Clark's perplexing eccentricities and the ins and outs of the fight between family members and loyal-but-incompetent friends and helpers. But The Phantom of Fifth Avenue also offers a believable, sympathetic portrait of a vulnerable perfectionist with an artistic temperament."—Bookpage
"Meryl Gordon...paints a human, often heartbreaking portrait of the woman behind the legend. In her capable hands, Mrs. Clark's story becomes both page-turner and time capsule for an era gone by."—Glamour.com
"...an alluring, enigmatic portrait."—New York Observer
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By
H. Barlow
on May 29, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
When Huguette Clark passed away in 2011, many people were shocked by the story. The last child of William Andrews Clark, once the second richest man in America, had spent the last 20 years of her life living at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City while spending millions to maintain a 42-room Fifth Avenue apartment, a 23-acre Californian estate and a 52-acre estate in New Canaan, Connecticut. Her death also led to a huge legal battle between distant family members, one of her private nurses and the executors of her will.
The Phantom of Fifth Avenue spans decades. It was a dense read! Difficult to sit at length and read due to all the information. I had to break it up into smaller chunks and so it took me a lot longer to finish than I anticipated. It is evident how much research and work Meryl Gordon put into writing this biography. In fact her Author’s Notes detail the interviews and exclusive access she was given to Huguette’s estate.
Overall I am glad that I read The Phantom of Fifth Avenue it was one of the most interesting biographies I have read to date and it’s pushed Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman (another Huguette Clark biography published last year) further up my wish list.
When Huguette Clark passed away in 2011, many people were shocked by the story. The last child of William Andrews Clark, once the second richest man in America, had spent the last 20 years of her life living at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City while spending millions to maintain a 42-room Fifth Avenue apartment, a 23-acre Californian estate and a 52-acre estate in New Canaan, Connecticut. Her death also led to a huge legal battle between distant family members, one of her private nurses and the executors of her will.
The Phantom of Fifth Avenue spans decades. It was a dense read! Difficult to sit at length and read due to all the information. I had to break it up into smaller chunks and so it took me a lot longer to finish than I anticipated. It is evident how much research and work Meryl Gordon put into writing this biography. In fact her Author’s Notes detail the interviews and exclusive access she was given to Huguette’s estate.
Overall I am glad that I read The Phantom of Fifth Avenue it was one of the most interesting biographies I have read to date and it’s pushed Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman (another Huguette Clark biography published last year) further up my wish list.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By
Dana Keish
on June 19, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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The Phantom of Fifth Avenue
I really enjoy reading about rich people. I have no idea why. It feels like a character flaw, a guilty pleasure. But I embrace it and regardless it as no worse than someone else watching “Dancing with the Stars”. That confession out of the way, I have to say I really enjoyed this book. The story of Huguette (pronounced u-get) Clark, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in America, is one of those “wow “books about the wealthy. Meaning every time they mention something like the purchase of an antique doll for $100,000, you say “wow-that is a lot of money!” But poor Huguette isn’t a typical rich girl. Married once and divorced within nine months, it is clear that Huguette never found a satisfactory human relationship. She had friends but their means of communication was always via telephone or letters. In the latter years of her incredibly long life (she died at 104), she spent twenty years living in a hospital room, with nothing really wrong with her. She befriended a nurse who ended up with over $30 million in gifts before Huguette died. Huguette was generous but her generosity extended more to people, not organizations. The most fascinating part of the book (and that which brought the most attention to her life) was the fact that she owned one of the largest private apartments in New York City, an amazing estate in Southern California and a beautiful rural retreat in Connecticut, all of which she had not visited in decades. Yet she continued to keep the properties in “ready to live” condition, meaning every year millions of dollars were being spent to keep up homes where no one lived. She also spent hundreds of thousands commissioning artists to create detailed miniature doll houses, which she lost interest in as soon as they were completed.Read more ›
I really enjoy reading about rich people. I have no idea why. It feels like a character flaw, a guilty pleasure. But I embrace it and regardless it as no worse than someone else watching “Dancing with the Stars”. That confession out of the way, I have to say I really enjoyed this book. The story of Huguette (pronounced u-get) Clark, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in America, is one of those “wow “books about the wealthy. Meaning every time they mention something like the purchase of an antique doll for $100,000, you say “wow-that is a lot of money!” But poor Huguette isn’t a typical rich girl. Married once and divorced within nine months, it is clear that Huguette never found a satisfactory human relationship. She had friends but their means of communication was always via telephone or letters. In the latter years of her incredibly long life (she died at 104), she spent twenty years living in a hospital room, with nothing really wrong with her. She befriended a nurse who ended up with over $30 million in gifts before Huguette died. Huguette was generous but her generosity extended more to people, not organizations. The most fascinating part of the book (and that which brought the most attention to her life) was the fact that she owned one of the largest private apartments in New York City, an amazing estate in Southern California and a beautiful rural retreat in Connecticut, all of which she had not visited in decades. Yet she continued to keep the properties in “ready to live” condition, meaning every year millions of dollars were being spent to keep up homes where no one lived. She also spent hundreds of thousands commissioning artists to create detailed miniature doll houses, which she lost interest in as soon as they were completed.Read more ›
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By
Mrs.Morgan
on May 31, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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I wanted to like this book. I mean really like this book. However, it left me feeling empty. I could have read the Sunday newspaper and felt more engaged. I disliked rereading excerpts from previous chapters. I wish more copies of her art work could have been included. A picture of her handwriting. Just something to make this book less about money and more about the woman. The research is tremendous.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By
J Dot
on June 6, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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Although we hear a lot about the historical millionaires of America, I don't think the public is aware of many of them. So this book, and its wide reaching examination of the time and world surrounding of Huguette's life, sheds a lot of light on a whole mechanism of America that largely goes undiscussed. I am enthralled by her as a character, so this was all very interesting to me in that it really gave me a lot of context for her story. But I do tend to think you need to have a certain level of fascination with her for it to be a fulfilling read. Otherwise I can see someone getting bogged down by all the extraneous information. As another reviewer stated, I missed the lack of pictures, but it didn't detract in too heavy of a way. Although it does surround all the events of her life, I do think there was some essence of the person of Huguette missing in this book. She is there constantly, of course, but I felt as if I were learning about her as one might learn about a historical figure in a textbook. What makes me think of a biography as spectacular is that I walk away with not only the facts and figures of a life, but having a real sense of who the person was in a personal way. That may have been somewhat lacking in this. Nevertheless, it was still a fascinating read and a real discovery of a whole way of life that I didn't know much about. (Now that I have all the proper historical context, this book honestly makes me hope for someone to do a fictionalized account/based on the life of novel for Huguette that would really bring to life all the documents of a person we have detailed here.)
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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