Women of Means

The Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls

By: Marlene Wagman-Geller

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Glimpse behind the facade of rich and famous women....

The grass isn't greener on the other side....

Heiresses have always been viewed with eyes of envy. They were the ones for whom the cornucopia had been upended, showering them with unimaginable wealth and opportunity. However, through intimate historical biographies, Women of Means shows us that oftentimes the weaving sisters saved their most heart-wrenching tapestries for the destinies of wealthy women.

Happily never after...

From the author of Behind Every Great Man, we now have Women of Means, vignettes of the women who were slated from birth - or marriage - to great privilege, only to endure lives which were the stuff Russian tragic heroines are made of. They are the nonfictional Richard Corys - those not slated for happily ever after.

Women of Means is bound to be a non-fiction best seller, full of the best biographies of all time. Some of the women whose silver spoons rusted include:

• Almina Carnarvon, the real-life counterpart to Lady Cora of Downton Abbey.
• Liliane Bettencourt, whose chemist father created L'Oreal...and was a Nazi collaborator.
• Peggy Guggenheim, who had an insatiable appetite for modern art and men.
• Nica Rothschild, who traded her gilded life to become the Baroness of Bebop.
• Jocelyn Wildenstein, who became a cosmetology-enhanced cat-woman.
• Ruth Madoff, the dethroned queen of Manhattan.
• Patty Hearst, who trod the path from heiress...to terrorist.

©2019 Marlene Wagman-Geller (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Interesting Stories But...

There are too many trite cliches and quotes are repeated. Often the woman’s name is said in the very beginning of the story and not repeated, a few minutes in I don’t know who we are taking about. Performance was lovely, a few mispronunciations but understandable with the size of the book being read. It was amusing and gossipy but not historical. Listen if you want entertainment, not if you want History.

Enjoyable

" women of means" was an enjoyable listen. it was enlightening and alarming to hear how "being of the manor born" can destroy someone's life!

In the words of The Beatles

Money can't buy me love!
This book was a powerful peek behind the curtain of the lives of very wealthy women who found that having money did not bring happiness. It has helped me to remain grateful for what I have and the ability to be centred.

great book, well written & interesting. Good read.

Excellent performance, wonderfully written. People had too much money they nevet earned and wasted their lives away.

Fascinatingly Sad

Truly fascinating proof that "money does not buy happiness." "To whom much is given, much is required"; should be understood not only as a responsibility (required) but also as need (required).

Sad National Inquirer worthy stories

Most of these are stories about the sexual escapades and sad lifestyles of the poor little rich girl. It does make me wonder whether the poor little rich boys sexual appetites would make for an interesting story. I think in our misogynistic culture perhaps not. So I would read the book relatively interesting if you like the gossip columns of the rich and famous.

Sad Lives of Some Wealthy Women

This was an interesting account of the lives of a number of wealthy women whose lives may have seemed as charmed from the outside looking in, but were anything but on the inside looking out. Mental health issues, abuse, drug addiction and more were experienced by many. Few found or had love, many had to pay for company. A fascinating look at the ultra high net worth women of the past. I read this book using immersion reading, while listening to the audio book. Narration by Susan Ericksen was rote and monotonous.

Must read

Educational
Empowering of women throughout the ages
Informative of how woman were throughout the ages and I have shared with all the woman.

Not Nuanced.

I love stories about ambitious, complicated women constrained by the times in which they lived. And while complicated women are as often villains as they are heroes, this book takes a very broad, surface approach and fails to dive deeper into their stories, instead painting them as soap opera characters, driven only by greed and narcissism.

Author/Narrator a Match Made in Hell

There was such potential in the topic! Unfortunately, the author is apparently writing for pre-teens, and the narrator can’t actually read. Now I know why access to the book was free.