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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
Fascinating life…but, by the end of the book, we never had a complete picture of Marjorie Post—there were gaps — such as, when she first married Ed Close, she was so unsure of who she was; the murky transition to the self-assured woman she is at the end of the book left all of it ringing hollow. Perhaps who Marjorie was remains unknown to everyone, including herself.
Fascinating life…but, by the end of the book, we never had a complete picture of Marjorie Post—there were gaps — such as, when she first married Ed Close, she was so unsure of who she was; the murky transition to the self-assured woman she is at the end of the book left all of it ringing hollow. Perhaps who Marjorie was remains unknown to everyone, including herself.
Historical fiction AND family saga??? You had me at hello! I did not know anything about Marjorie Post before reading this book but what a life she led! Rich beyond belief, generous to a fault, first female board member of a major company (and complete fool when it came to love) - fascinating story. Loved it!
As an Australian, I’d never heard of Marjorie Post but she certainly lived a fascinating life which made for interesting reading. From humble beginnings in the small community of Battle Creek, Michigan, her go-getter father created a modest packaged cereal company which eventually grew into a multi-million dollar food production empire. Adhering to her beloved father’s ethos of hard work and vision, Marjorie took over the business, expanding it, bringing in untold wealth. Despite a private life strewn with heartbreak, she remained resolute in her goals, becoming a generous philanthropist and playing a role in major political events on the US and world stage. Indeed a remarkable woman. However, despite her savvy business acumen, it was difficult to comprehend her poor judgment in choice of husbands. Married and divorced four times, it was hard to believe how she could fall hopelessly in love repeatedly, almost at first meeting of each of these men and then dive headlong into marriage so quickly. Then to have what were constantly related as matches made in heaven with perfect men, turn so incredibly sour, was a bit much to fathom, especially with all four husbands portrayed as absolute cads. I also have to agree with other reviewers that telling her story in first person, made Marjorie come across as extraordinarily self-absorbed and pretentious. There was a little too much emphasis on her courtships, home purchases with their astounding renovations, dazzling galas, extraordinary clothes and jewels, tables laden with sumptuous banquets and name dropping. These descriptions occupied many of the pages with much focus on the “I” and the “my”, my girls, my Joe, my boat, my home, my work. A bit repetitious. I would have preferred more detail on her actual deeds which were truly remarkable.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow what an incredible woman Marjorie Post was! I absolutely loved learning about all of her extravagant experiences and ultra-famous friends, and her love for family and philanthropy was equally touching. I can’t wait to visit her home the next time I’m in DC! I will say that the author clearly did deep research and included so many fabulous details, but her writing style was nothing earth-shattering or especially literary. A quick and interesting read!
I learned so much from listening to this audiobook. It’s absolutely incredible how many lives were touched by Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress to the Post cereal empire. Her life was interesting from a very young age, and this book is long but interesting throughout. (An interesting tidbit: the author is Allison Pataki, the daughter of former NY Gov. George Pataki.)
The number of connections Post had throughout her life was immense, and you will learn random facts that will fascinate you. For example, she commissioned the design and construction of Mar-a-Lago… you know, the place where Donald Trump now stays? Yeah that one. She lived there for decades. Oh, and her youngest daughter was movie star Dina Merrill.
To me, it was wild to learn so much about Post and wonder if I ever learned about her in history class. Her life was extraordinary, full of ups and downs, love stories and tragedies, and I thought Pataki did a nice job focusing on the details you would care about. I always wonder how much of historical fiction books are accurate, but I’ve done some googling, and it seems like this is pretty truthful, at least for the big details. I’d much rather read about historical figures’ lives this way than through a biography because it’s fun to experience it through first-person narration. Marjorie broke many barriers, and while she used her wealth for her hobbies and many collections and homes, she also was a wonderful philanthropist. I think this book does a nice job balancing her strengths and flaws, painting what I hope was an accurate picture of the magnificent woman.
The number of connections Post had throughout her life was immense, and you will learn random facts that will fascinate you. For example, she commissioned the design and construction of Mar-a-Lago… you know, the place where Donald Trump now stays? Yeah that one. She lived there for decades. Oh, and her youngest daughter was movie star Dina Merrill.
To me, it was wild to learn so much about Post and wonder if I ever learned about her in history class. Her life was extraordinary, full of ups and downs, love stories and tragedies, and I thought Pataki did a nice job focusing on the details you would care about. I always wonder how much of historical fiction books are accurate, but I’ve done some googling, and it seems like this is pretty truthful, at least for the big details. I’d much rather read about historical figures’ lives this way than through a biography because it’s fun to experience it through first-person narration. Marjorie broke many barriers, and while she used her wealth for her hobbies and many collections and homes, she also was a wonderful philanthropist. I think this book does a nice job balancing her strengths and flaws, painting what I hope was an accurate picture of the magnificent woman.
The real-life woman behind this story is inspiring, from her business sense to her philanthropic ventures. However, I felt this book tried to cram too much content in, which resulted in huge leaps in time during which big changes happened to Marjorie's life, and didn't spend enough time on the founding of CW Post's company or inventions. Instead, it got repetitive with Marjorie's love life and detailed descriptions of charity work.
An enjoyable enough read. Learned a lot about this woman. Unapologetic is a god word to describe her- the first person narrative was a little much, though. But I am a big fan of grape nuts so loved hearing how that came to be!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide