A review by karenchase
All the Money in the World by John Pearson

4.0

The money possessed by the Getty family is unfathomable, so inconceivable that it seems impossible that it could bring anything but immeasurable happiness. After all, who among the common folk would deny that money, even a mere fraction of the sums accrued by this family, would solve all their problems? However, the figure of J.Paul Getty as described here was so miserable that the inevitable legacy of his family was an extension of that misery, with or without fabulous wealth. I have not seen the movie that is based on this book, but I gather it focuses on a single episode—the kidnapping of Getty’s grandson. This book covers the entire history of four generations of the family. It was originally published in 1995, but the 2017 edition includes a postscript bringing the history up to date. It is an interesting read— history and biography that reads like fantasy, being so far from most people’s experience.