House of Versace

The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival

By: Deborah Ball

Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin

Versace. The very name conjures up images of outrageous glamour and bold sexuality, opulence, and daring. All of course true, but only half the story. Versace is also the legacy of a great creative genius from a poor, backward part of southern Italy who transformed the fashion world through his intuitive understanding of both women and how a changing culture influenced the way they wanted to dress.

The first book in English about the legendary designer, House of Versace shows how Gianni Versace, with his flamboyant sister Donatella at his side, combined his virtuosic talent and extraordinary ambition to almost single-handedly create the celebrity culture we take for granted today.

Gianni Versace was at the height of his creative powers when he was murdered in Miami Beach. The story was headline news around the world and the manhunt for his killer a media obsession. His beloved sister Donatella demanded no less than a funeral befitting an assassinated head-of-state to be held in Milan's magnificent cathedral. In what was the ultimate fashion show, the world's rich and beautiful - Princess Dianna, Elton John, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Anna Wintour, and others - gathered to mourn a man already considered one of fashion's great pioneers.

©2010 Deborah Ball (P)2018 Tantor

Great Overall

Absolutely enjoyed listening to this book! I recommend to anyone who loves memoirs. I would not consider myself a fashion guru, but this book motivated me to get more knowledgeable about these great fashion houses

blood is thicker than water

Donatella was a victim of the industry... her drug abuse was a symptom of being overwhelmed and uneqquiped for success. She is a survivor and ballsy!

Quite the epic story

The audio book is excellent for listening while doing mundane work. The fashion world is pretty foreign to me for the most part, but I remember the murder, etc. The bigger story was more interesting than expected.
The narrator mispronounced way more words than one would expect, but hey, even that became entertaining.

Great story, ok performance

I learned a lot and enjoyed this book. I didn’t know much about the designer or fashion industry. It’s a little slow in some of the history but the large majority of the story is intriguing.

I’m iffy about the performer reading it. Great pronunciation of various languages but some of her cadence is weird and a little irritating. But I still very much enjoyed the book.

The Narrator

The narrator seem bored.... Very monotone. I also feel like the narrator should’ve been had a British or Italian.