Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Genre: historical fiction
Review: If asked, I wonder which aspect of Marjorie Post's magnificent lives Allison Pataki would name as more meaningful: her 4 marriages (and 4 divorces), her astounding wealth, her philanthropy, or her ability to design, build, and inhabit multiple luxurious properties. Because as far as I can tell from this hagiography, Pataki doesn't think there's much else to say about her (aside from a bit about her refusal to be subservient to any man).
Somehow, Pataki has managed to fill up 400 pages with descriptions of jewels and houses and travel and marriages going down the drain. To be fair, there's also a lot about Post's drive to give back, to make her wealth useful not just to herself, but to her country. But all of it, from Fabergé to feminism, is given only the most surface treatment, which is a shame, because the worthiness of Post as a subject comes through loud and clear. I think I'll have to read one of the biographies recommended at the end if I want to get anything like a real sense of the woman, though.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
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