The Phantom of Fifth Avenue

The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark

By: Meryl Gordon

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Born in 1906, Huguette Clark grew up in her family's 121-room Beaux Arts mansion in New York and was one of the leading celebrities of her day. Her father William Andrews Clark, was a copper magnate, the second richest man in America, and not above bribing his way into the Senate.

Huguette attended the coronation of King George V. And at twenty-two with a personal fortune of $50 million to her name, she married a Princeton man and childhood friend William MacDonald Gower. Two-years later the couple divorced. After a series of failed romances, Huguette began to withdraw from society--first living with her mother in a kind of Grey Gardens isolation then as a modern-day Miss Havisham, spending her days in a vast apartment overlooking Central Park, eating crackers and watching The Flintstones with only servants for company.

All her money and all her real estate could not protect her in her later life from being manipulated by shady hangers-on and hospitals that were only too happy to admit (and bill) a healthy woman. But what happened to Huguette that turned a vivacious, young socialite into a recluse? And what was her life like inside that gilded, copper cage?

Mesmerizing Story

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed listening to this book. Due to the propensity of the subject to save all correspondence, paperwork of any and every kind and keep a journal, the story was filled with genuinely accurate details, both personal and historical. Given the volume of materials, the author did a masterful job of picking out the ones she used and did a beautiful job of weaving it all together. This I one of the most pleasurable "reads" I've ever experienced. The narrator was excellent and added greatly to that experience.

Did her wealth rob her of getting to have a life?

This book is a cautionary tale on just about every level and every stage of life. Listen and draw your own conclusions. It would have been great if pictures had been included but a simple online search provides plenty. Narration was excellent and easy to listen to. Book could have been a couple hours shorter without the repetitiveness and ample minutiae regarding side people who you will forget about as soon as you have finished the book.

Sad and revealing history

A very interesting dad and revealing history of a mysterious woman and the money grubbers who fought for their I’ll gotten gains

Great story

Intriguing story, I could listen to it again, hope they make a movie sometime soon, highly recommended to anyone interested in history.

Well written biography

Where does The Phantom of Fifth Avenue rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 25%

What did you like best about this story?

That it is true

Which character – as performed by Bernadette Dunne – was your favorite?

Huguette Clark

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Any additional comments?

I love biography and this was a very interesting one