Empty Mansions

The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune

By: Bill Dedman, Paul Clark Newell Jr.

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

When Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly 60 years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the 19th century with a 21st-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, and Connecticut, why had she lived for 20 years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing her money?

Dedman has collaborated with Huguette Clark’s cousin, Paul Clark Newell, Jr., one of the few relatives to have frequent conversations with her. Dedman and Newell tell a fairy tale in reverse: the bright, talented daughter, born into a family of extreme wealth and privilege, who secrets herself away from the outside world.

Empty Mansions reveals a complex portrait of the mysterious Huguette and her intimate circle. We meet her extravagant father, her publicity-shy mother, her star-crossed sister, her French boyfriend, her nurse who received more than $30 million in gifts, and the relatives fighting to inherit Huguette’s copper fortune. Empty Mansions is an enthralling story of an eccentric of the highest order, a last jewel of the Gilded Age who lived life on her own terms.

©2013 Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

" Empty Mansions is a dazzlement and a wonder. Bill Dedman and Paul Newell unravel a great character, Huguette Clark, a shy soul akin to Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird - if Boo’s father had been as rich as Rockefeller. This is an enchanting journey into the mysteries of the mind, a true-to-life exploration of strangeness and delight." (Pat Conroy, author of The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son)

SNORE

Any additional comments?

The premise of this book is great--empty mansions all over the place, owned by a woman who may or may not actually be alive. And the book starts off well, too; the history of Huguette's family and the rise of its fortunes is fascinating. Unfortunately, Huguette herself--the subject of the story--is a bore. She's a recluse, likely mentally challenged in some way, shape, or form, and seriously difficult to connect to as a listener, despite the author's heavy-handed attempts at showing off her "generosity." While this story is a great piece of investigative journalism, some things just aren't worth investigating.

Very Interesting

I drive a lot and I'm always looking for audio books to make my trips more enjoyable. This a fascinating story. Truth is stranger than fiction

Fascinating!

Who knew that among the great tales of Vanderbilt, Carnegie and Rockefeller was this largely unknown story of a woman descended from another one of the great, early entrepreneurs in American history? An amazing story supported by a mountain of detailed research and presented in a most entertaining manner!

Starts out well, descends into gossipy

I am interested in the Gilded Age and was looking forward to hearing about some of the more obscure characters. It started off just as I'd expected, but then descended into long lists of what she had paid for what, and endless material about her dolls. This would have benefited from a more thorough edit or perhaps abridgement of some of those lists for the audiobook. I gave up with four hours to go.

Sad. Mentally Ill

The hospital, the nurses and family should be ashamed of themselves. She deserved a better life.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Mysterious

This book is fascinating. It opened with an incredible story about an empty house in Connecticut. The mystery only builds from there. I found this book to be interesting as I was provided a glimpse into the lives of the very rich. Huggette Clark is an enigma who preferred to stay out of the spotlight...yet she owned some of the most beautiful real estate in the US. If you love all things Guilded Age...you will enjoy this book.

A Wowzer Book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended this book to two friends, and I purchased it as a gift for a third one (who is 99-1/2 years old and thrilled with it). The time period is like a history book with living characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Empty Mansions?

It's hard to narrow and rate the good parts of the book and I don't think it was the kind of spellbinding book that has a big zinger. The entire plot was a money brain teaser. That is, I cannot imagine such opulence. (I do realize things were much different before the establishment of the IRS, but still, Mr. Clark's riches were breathtaking. For the audio book (which I guess, the hard copy will not have), the telephone recordings between Huguette and one of the co-authors was truly enticing. It allowed me to hear her reasoning and judge her mental alertness first hand. A rare privilege for book reading. It added a whole different dimension to the story.

Which character – as performed by Kimberly Farr – was your favorite?

Well, of course, Huguette was the centerpiece of the book as she had been for her Mom and Dad. When I finished the book, I felt that I had the opportunity to know her as well as anyone. For sure, she had her quirks (putting it lightly) but nevertheless was well defined. Maybe the next interesting character was Huguette's personal nurse who enjoyed Huguette's wealth to the tune of millions of dollars, multiple homes, and a Bentley. The nurse was an immigrant who had married a taxi driver.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

You couldn't possibly listen to the book in one sitting because it is detailed and chock full of so much good information that a bit of reflection to absorb it is really a must.

Any additional comments?

The book is well worth the investment. I love the gilded era and that's where this one begins. It ends nearly 104 years later. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of history, society changes, and a world of which most folks have never glimpsed. The reader did a very good job, as did the authors.

I Read Both . . .

I'm embarrassed to admit I bought and listened to both Huguette Clark books. They are different. Meryl Gordon understands things Bill and Paul do not, such as that the dolls and dollhouses, when mixed with photography, became art. But then Bill and Paul had viewpoints that Meryl missed. Also, in this audio-recording, we hear Huguette 's voice, which was wonderful.

One reviewer says "I still don't understand Huguette Clark." I feel I DO understand her (I have relatives like her). Part of it is that's she's an ordinary fallible human being just like everyone else, only her excesses are magnified because she was so rich. Every community has Huguette Clarks, but they live behind piles of newspapers and Chinese food containers instead of Monets and Manets. There are also many, many Hadassah Peris, so this is a cautionary tale. As the bloggers Grossman and Friedman write "Big money and advanced age can be a dangerous, poisonous, explosive combination. Beware."

Great!

Would you listen to Empty Mansions again? Why?

Getting to hear the actual conversations was great! However, it could've been a bit shorter.

Interesting story but a little slow at the start

I had a hard time staying engaged at the beginning, but as it got into Hughette's life a bit more, later in the book, it became much more compelling. It was interesting to learn about Hughette's unusual life, how she came to be so reclusive, and the many controversies that came about throughout her life and after her death, revolving around her fortune.