A deliciously wicked take on casino/real-estate mogul Donald J. Trump. Drawing on a wealth of sources, Hurt (For All Mankind, 1988, etc.) offers an exhaustive, gossipy rundown on a golden boy of the so-called greed decade who lost his touch—and way—in the hard realities of the 1990's. Capitalizing on political contacts made by his father, who amassed a fortune building and managing apartment houses for working-class residents of N.Y.C.'s outer boroughs, the erstwhile Wunderkind made a flashy name for himself in Manhattan property development. Moving on to Atlantic City's glittery gambling dens, the cocksure Trump (who turns 47 this June) took a great fall when his faith in ever-rising asset prices proved unfounded. In the wake of an acrimonious divorce that ended a 13- year marriage to the Czech-born Ivana (inducing bankers to review Trump's balance sheet with greater care), the ambitious hustler's leveraged empire and its trophy holdings now languish in undeclared bankruptcy. While Hurt doesn't wholly dismiss the possibility of a comeback, he leaves little doubt that Trump is bucking tough odds. Nor does the author overlook many opportunities to dish the dirt on his subject's star-crossed personal life and dubious business practices. Cases in point range from the Trump family's long- standing ties to organized-crime figures through The Donald's fling with Marla Maples; inability to weigh a deal's downside risks against its potential rewards; midnight demolition of a Manhattan landmark; and world-class talent for manipulation. Lacking the insider's edge of John R. O'Donnell's Trumped! (1991)—but, still, a slick, informed account of an upstart wheeler-dealer whose brass may be exceeded only by his reach. (Photographs—not seen)
Pub Date: June 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-393-03029-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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