The OTHER Huguette Clark Book

I reviewed "Empty Mansions" as well, since I read both. This book achieved something that the other did not - it brought us into Huguette's world. She takes the reader into her early unfulfilled romances and shows the connection between the dolls, dollhouses, painting lessons, photography, frame-by-frame cartoons and how, put together, they became art. Whereas the "Empty Mansions" authors see the glaring oddity of buying houses with no intention of even visiting them, Gordon sees the creative inner life of Huguette within her own walls.

There should be a Huguette Clark art show, at the Corcoran maybe. It could finish the work Meryl Gordon started - showing the results of a lifetime of creative collecting, modifying and documenting aspects of the material world (i.e., dolls and dollhouses, Japanese design and architecture). I would love to see the photographs she took of the staged settings in the dollhouses. Architecture played a major role in her life - houses huge, empty and forbidding, houses under construction, houses built for pride, bought as buffer zones and manned like gatekeepers to a distant castle, houses that Huguette tried to keep frozen in time, her world growing smaller and smaller around her . . . and the placement of the dolls in the photographs she staged may say something about her role within this world. Huguette documented her own life via photography - that may be her real "voice."

32 people found this helpful

The Rich Are Different

This is the story of a wealthy heiress who shunned the spotlight and used her vast resources to maintain the illusions that kept her delicate psychology intact. The Clarks were the Kardashians of their day: famous for being famous, the minutiae of their lives scrutinized by the media. People are as interested to find out what happened to Huguette Clark as they would be if Kourtney or Kim Kardashian suddenly decided to hide from the public eye for decades.

I have three criticisms of the book: First, in an effort to connect far-flung events and explain why Huguette Clark became a recluse, the book suffers from too many time jumps that don't really add much to the story.

Second, the quotes from people who knew Huguette don't add much to the story, either. It's possible that, working from historical documents, the author didn't have much choice in regard to quotes. But even the people she interviewed in person come across as not having anything interesting to say.

Last, too much of the story focuses on the early life of Huguette's father, his first wife, and the children from that marriage. The book doesn't really find its stride until well over halfway through, when it begins to examine the forces in Huguette's young adult life that drove her to become a recluse.

In summary: this book had the opportunity to delve into Huguette's unusual psychology, and the psychology of recluses in general. There are hints throughout of psychological analyses, but no real focus on them. So, ultimately, the book left me disappointed.

23 people found this helpful

Wow! What an interesting story!

What did you love best about The Phantom of Fifth Avenue?

Just learning about what it may have been like to be a wealthy socialite in the earlier part of the century. Its something that very few people could ever relate to. I found Hugette's like so interesting and of course at the same time so sad.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hugette of course.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

She read the book really well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think a lot about how quickly life goes by. Hugette wanted to live forever. It was a strange feeling in general at the end of the book.

Any additional comments?

There is another book about the same topic that I have thought about reading to compare notes. May be worth it:)

6 people found this helpful

Great story

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

3 people found this helpful

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

3 people found this helpful

Couldn’t stop listening!

Great narration.
What an incredible story .....I couldn’t wait for my next listening session and one of those books you don’t want to end!
Fascinating and true story with many perspectives.
Highly recommend!!

2 people found this helpful

Very Entertaining

What did you love best about The Phantom of Fifth Avenue?

That my 8 year old daughter was as interested in listening to the book as I was.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Obviously Huguette Clark!

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

Very well spoken and great delivery.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good book.

Any additional comments?

We live near Santa Barbara, CA which is where one of the properties that Huguette Clark owned all of her life and we thought it was fun to have that bit of a tie in. Honestly I probably never would have touched the book if not for that fact, and I think it would have been a loss for me had I not taken the time to read it. A very fascinating story and very well written.

2 people found this helpful

Better than Empty Mansions

Well worth wading through the difficult beginning. Hugette's life is explained by her parents history and she is seen as an eccentric artist.

Fascinating

Comprehensive and well composed. Narrated very well. Many of these type pieces don’t translate well. This was a pleasure.

Fascinating and Poignant

This is truly a remarkable story of a damaged woman and her uncommon life. I can't help but think what a disservice her father did when he told her no one would ever care for her, apart from her money. I wonder what she might have accomplished with less poison and fewer riches....