Gorgeous Disaster: The Tragic Story of Debra Lafave [Hardcover]

Owen Lafave & Bill Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Told by the one person best qualified to tell it, this is the story of a 24-year-old teacher who seemed to be on the Golden Path to the good life but went so far wrong, and how her decision impacted not only her own life, but her husband, her victim, and many others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William L. Simon is a screen and television writer and bestselling author.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 293 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597775347
• ISBN-13: 978-1597775342
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #981,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book is not a 'disaster', November 3, 2006

By 

L. Jonsson (Charleston, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gorgeous Disaster: The Tragic Story of Debra Lafave (Hardcover)

"Gorgeous Disaster" is a true crime book that chronicles the relationship between accused and convicted child molester Debra Lafave and Owen Lafave, her husband of less than one year. The book gave a lot of details concerning the case and concerning Owen's marriage that have not been made public knowledge before. Owen is a good writer and because he played a part in the story (unknowingly of course) the book is a riveting read. The only thing that I would recommend concerning this book would be a part with pictures in the middle. It would have been interesting seeing pictures of the Lafave wedding, and of Debra when she was younger.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest and thorough.....a good read., November 26, 2006

By 

R.M. (Naperville, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gorgeous Disaster: The Tragic Story of Debra Lafave (Hardcover)

I have to admire Owen Lafave's honest, direct chronicling of this story, this horrible thing that he lived through. I would have expected a lot of bitterness on his part, but surprisingly he delivered the details on the whole teacher-student affair with little animosity. True, he certainly deserves to have some animosity...but he seems to be above it, and I applaud him for that. It would not be easy to be the spouse of a person who cheats on you with a pre-teen.

It's sad that Owen Lafave, who seems like a down-to-earth, all-around good guy, had to fall in love with Debra Lafave, a spoiled brat in every sense of the word. It was difficult for Owen to tell this story, as he says, but I think he did a fantastic job and even though he went through the ultimate betrayal, it was touching that he still spoke of her redeeming qualities, and he was honest enough to admit that he will always have feelings for her. In my opinion, Debra deserves none of this, but this just goes to show how deeply Owen was in love with this woman.

My only real gripe about this book, even though it is not a big one, is the almost constant descriptions of Debra's looks: gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking, and the like. He claims that in any room, all eyes would be on her. Strangers wanted pictures taken with her. Everyone fell in love at the sight of her. While it is wonderful that a man could describe his wife in this way, I do think that Owen put her on much too high of a pedestal. Online pictures of Debra show a cute girl, yes....but 'cute' is as far as I would go. In this book, her looks are described as being on par with a supermodel's....which is certainly generous. The problem is that the media takes somebody who is cute in a very ordinary way, and escalates that to 'gorgeous' and 'model-like.' While I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, the incessant complimenting of her looks in this book grew tiresome.

Still....very well-written overall. I admire Owen Lafave for telling this story and having the courage to bring awareness to this topic through the projects he has become involved in. He took a bad situation and is using it to help students all across the nation, and for that, many are thankful.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tough Subject - Great Treatment, September 13, 2006

By 

Mack Lincoln - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gorgeous Disaster: The Tragic Story of Debra Lafave (Hardcover)

Despite the fact that this tale pushes the frontier of lurid to new continents, the authors were able to find fresh angles and new ways of looking at this societal nightmare. LaFave & Simon seem to go out of their way to take the relative high road in the telling. The details are shocking but the retrospective thoughts and observations of this hapless ex-husband are made food for thought by co-author, William Simon. "Could this happen to me or anyone I know?" is the question that keeps cropping up as the plot unfolds and once again proves the ancient adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction." The story, as well as the writing style, is captivating.