The Bling Ring

How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World

By: Nancy Jo Sales

Narrated by: Kathleen Mary Carthy

The true story that inspired the Sofia Coppola film

Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson: robbed. More than $3 million in stolen clothing, jewelry, shoes, and handbags reported missing. Who is behind one of the most brazen string of crimes in recent Hollywood history? Meet the Bling Ring: a band of club-hopping teenagers from the Valley with everything to lose.

Over the course of a year, the members of the now infamous Bling Ring allegedly burglarized some of the biggest names in young Hollywood. Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, these seven teenagers made headlines for using Google maps, Facebook, and TMZ to track the comings and goings of their targets. Many of the houses were unlocked. Alarms disabled. A "perfect" crime— celebrities already had so much, why shouldn't the Bling Ring take their share?

As the unprecedented case unfolded in the news, the world asked: How did our obsession with celebrities get so out of hand? Why would a group of teens who already had so much, take such a risk?

Acclaimed Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because each stolen T-shirt or watch brought them closer to living the Hollywood dream . . . and because it was terrifyingly easy. For the Bling Ring the motivation was something deeper than money—they were compelled by a compulsion to be famous. Gaining unprecedented access to the group of teens, Sales traces the crimes minute by minute and details the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy, and troubling, world of the real young Hollywood.

Interesting and Shocking

What did you love best about The Bling Ring?

It had a lot of specific details about the events that occurred.

What does Kathleen Mary Carthy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She humanized the characters. I could really see these kids distinctly.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How did kids get so crazy?

The narrator is distractingly bad, story good

What did you like best about The Bling Ring? What did you like least?

The story was interesting, but the pseudo-sociology about why the kids did what they did was overwrought. The narrator has this weird accent, sort of north eastern, and can't pronounce Hermès, which is something that should have been caught.

Definitely an interesting look.

I remember seeing ads for the film this book is based on because it had Taisa Farmiga and Emma Watson acting in it. I didn't see the film but I now wish I had. I decided to pick up the book because I didn't have anything else to read at the time that I was interested in.

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The release of this book coincides with the release of the 2013 film by Sophia Coppola named "The Bling Ring" and details the exploits of a group of teenagers who break into the homes of celebrities and steals several million dollars' worth of valuables and sentimental items from said celebrities.

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I thought this book was interesting but there was so much filler. I thought half the book could have been scrapped but that's just me. I was hoping for more information about the crimes themselves and what was going on in the teenagers' minds at the time.

I know Nancy Jo wasn't able to interview Rachel for the article or the book, which was a damned shame, because that's what I wanted to hear about, really. I wanted to hear her side of the whole thing or even just a statement from her or her attorney. Oh well. Such is life, I guess.

I still want to know why Nick ratted out the other co-conspirators in the burglaries, though. I still want to know why he snitched on them. I know most folks in my generation (I'm the same age as the Bling Ring) have the mindset of "snitches get stitches" nine times out of ten.

It makes me wonder what Nick thought he was going to get out of it. I know his former attorney, who I laughed at ultimately when he was disbarred for life for a separate incident, told him to confess to it all but still. I was hoping for more of an explanation on why he ultimately confessed.

I don't know if I'm asking for too much in that area or not. Who actually knows what went on in Nick's head or the minds of the other young people involved. The wildest thing for me, I think, is that these kids are my age!

I wasn't expecting to hear that when I was listening to the audiobook while on the road. I heard when they graduated high school and I was floored because I graduated right around that same time across the country.

I don't remember following the court case after the Bling Ring was caught or anything but I do remember hearing snippets about the burglaries. I don't remember expressing any interest in following along with what was going on with it at the time. I was too focused on my mental health.

I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in true crime or are interested in hearing about crimes against celebrities. I think that's what interested me most about this book: it's the fact that these kids went after celebrities in particular. It makes for an interesting story for sure.

Interesting

Good book, author's east coast accent tends to be somewhat distracting at times, but otherwise good listen

Wild Story About Teens - Really Good Narration

If you could sum up The Bling Ring in three words, what would they be?

Wild - Insightful - Bold

Which character – as performed by Kathleen Mary Carthy – was your favorite?

I really liked the narrator. I thought all her characters were clear and distinct.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes - It was shocking to hear how extreme some teens behave. It made me question pop culture.