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2.99 AVERAGE
2.99 AVERAGE
Reading this book felt like reading a long People magazine puff piece. Do not recommend.
2.5 stars. I heard the author on Fresh Air and was intrigued. To be fair, I listened to this as an audiobook, and my attention wavered a bit. The author does not cast Trump, his parenting style, or even his children, really, in any kind of a favorable light. The most telling thing she highlighted was Trump's statement that he wanted to have 5 kids so that one of them would be guaranteed to turn out just like him. Yikes!
A dishy, interesting read about the offspring of the freak in the Oval Office. It's like a long Vanity Fair article, which is great because I have always liked Vanity Fair.
It loses points because I listened to the audiobook read by the author. Literally the worst audiobook narration I've ever heard. She narrates and sounds like a 7th grade reluctant reader. She sounds like she's 11, stumbles over words (actually says "Cadanian" instead of Canadian at one point), and her phrasing is maddening. Every phrase sounds like it has a period. At the end.
Ex.
"She no longer wanted to miss her family Christmases for rehearsals for The Nutcracker, which she would appear in at Lincoln Center. As part of the New York City Ballet's production."
I definitely recommend this book - to READ, especially at the beach or on vacation.
It loses points because I listened to the audiobook read by the author. Literally the worst audiobook narration I've ever heard. She narrates and sounds like a 7th grade reluctant reader. She sounds like she's 11, stumbles over words (actually says "Cadanian" instead of Canadian at one point), and her phrasing is maddening. Every phrase sounds like it has a period. At the end.
Ex.
"She no longer wanted to miss her family Christmases for rehearsals for The Nutcracker, which she would appear in at Lincoln Center. As part of the New York City Ballet's production."
I definitely recommend this book - to READ, especially at the beach or on vacation.
informative
medium-paced
Poorly edited. Filled with errors, Ivana and Ivanka used in place of each other, spelling errors, incorrect names and words. So many errors looks like a self-published book!
I picked up this book only after I saw two television interviews with Ms. Fox. I was impressed with her and so I decided that I would dive into a book about the--gulp--Trump family that aptly features a gold foil book jacket.
I was not disappointed. The book is deeply and carefully researched. One can see why Ms. Fox is at Vanity Fair as opposed to some less reputable outlet. In the book, we get the chance to meet the Trump progeny and see how they grew up. This helps us to understand who they've become. You also learn about Ivana and Marla and their motivations and parenting styles. In short, Ivana seems to be the narcissistic female equivalent of Trump himself--driven by money and power. She's portrayed as largely an absent but controlling parent, much like Donald. Marla, by contrast, seems nearly opposite in terms of parenting. She is devoted to her daughter, present and very (too?) involved. I, for one, questioned how someone in her position could have been surprised by Donald's behavior as husband and father, given that she had the benefit of a preview. Then again, this is someone who found Donald Trump attractive!
Despite being a person who finds Donald Trump and most things surrounding him to be appalling, I found things to like about each of the kids. Don Jr. sought to prove himself through grunt work and wanted to distance himself from the "rich kid" stereotype by going so far as to drive a pickup truck and take up hunting. He also seems to be an angry asshole (at least by reputation) who repeated some of his father's personal mistakes. Ivanka is portrayed as a deeply disciplined media object who has carefully curated an image as a hard-working, serious, smart, working mom. It seems at least somewhat true. Finally, Eric, who was my favorite, is portrayed as the true builder who worked hard to develop his skills starting back in boarding school with his wood shop classes. He is described as quiet and curious and seems like he might have avoided the narcissism. We learn less about Tiffany (who is portrayed as mostly normal) and nothing at all about Barron. Kudos to Ms. Fox on that one.
The book is dishy and chock full of details about each Trump. Given the highly public nature of a Trump life, surely some of this could be found and compiled using an internet browser were one willing to invest the effort. Luckily, someone as competent as Emily Jane Fox has done it for us. And to it she added scores of interviews with people in a position to know. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the Trump kids and see the nuance.
I was not disappointed. The book is deeply and carefully researched. One can see why Ms. Fox is at Vanity Fair as opposed to some less reputable outlet. In the book, we get the chance to meet the Trump progeny and see how they grew up. This helps us to understand who they've become. You also learn about Ivana and Marla and their motivations and parenting styles. In short, Ivana seems to be the narcissistic female equivalent of Trump himself--driven by money and power. She's portrayed as largely an absent but controlling parent, much like Donald. Marla, by contrast, seems nearly opposite in terms of parenting. She is devoted to her daughter, present and very (too?) involved. I, for one, questioned how someone in her position could have been surprised by Donald's behavior as husband and father, given that she had the benefit of a preview. Then again, this is someone who found Donald Trump attractive!
Despite being a person who finds Donald Trump and most things surrounding him to be appalling, I found things to like about each of the kids. Don Jr. sought to prove himself through grunt work and wanted to distance himself from the "rich kid" stereotype by going so far as to drive a pickup truck and take up hunting. He also seems to be an angry asshole (at least by reputation) who repeated some of his father's personal mistakes. Ivanka is portrayed as a deeply disciplined media object who has carefully curated an image as a hard-working, serious, smart, working mom. It seems at least somewhat true. Finally, Eric, who was my favorite, is portrayed as the true builder who worked hard to develop his skills starting back in boarding school with his wood shop classes. He is described as quiet and curious and seems like he might have avoided the narcissism. We learn less about Tiffany (who is portrayed as mostly normal) and nothing at all about Barron. Kudos to Ms. Fox on that one.
The book is dishy and chock full of details about each Trump. Given the highly public nature of a Trump life, surely some of this could be found and compiled using an internet browser were one willing to invest the effort. Luckily, someone as competent as Emily Jane Fox has done it for us. And to it she added scores of interviews with people in a position to know. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the Trump kids and see the nuance.
A low three stars for this one. I thought this might have some interesting information on the Trump children, and I have seen the author on a number of news programs -- she is a legitimate journalist, so I thought this would have some worth. Unfortunately, it's very gossipy and tabloid-y. The writing is poor, there are errors (such as sometimes, but not always, naming the wrong town as the location of the Hill School, where two of the Trump children attended. Also, this town is referenced as being in central Pennsylvania, and while it is close, it is not -- it is really in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Minor, but it makes me wonder what other errors are there that I don't know about it. This should have been an easy one to catch.) I could have done without all of the judgment that's included throughout the book, and the numerous repetitions of things the author did not approve of. I think their stories could stand alone. I would have preferred a more neutral approach -- something more journalistic. There were, though, some interesting tidbits in this book, and I do feel like I generally have a better understanding of the oldest Trump children.
You can get infinitely better writing, less repetition and greater insight from just about any news magazine profile of the Trump kids.
Ok. Has some insight into how the various Trumps get along. Stops just after the 2016 election.
Well written, but tends to be a bit scattered at times. Thorough research, and all in all, a once read before Trump becomes a little too much
I listened to an NPR interview with the author and was intrigued enough to read her book. While she is a great storyteller and I enjoyed reading the book, her proofreader/editor should be embarrassed. There are so many mistakes in the book, between missing or duplicate words, mixing up names (she spent a paragraph saying "Ivana" when she meant "Ivanka", at one point she says "Ivana" when she meant "Melania"), and simple typos. I picked this book up at the library, but if I had actually purchased it, I'd be extremely annoyed.