Customer Reviews

The Richest Girl in the World: The Extravagant Life and Fast Times of Doris Duke

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Doris Duke enjoyed being a recluse and keeping out of the spotlight. Reading this book by Ms. Mansfield, it appears Duke did a good job at maintaining her privacy. Most of the information appears to be drawn from old newspaper articles, magazines, and other public documents. There is very little first hand information except for the occassional quip by Zsa-Zsa Gabor (!) -- a rival for one of Doris' many paramours. As mentioned in a previous reader's review, this book goes off on many tangents regarding folks other than Duke -- as if the author was required to produce a specified number of pages. I found myself skipping over many pages at a time. Perhaps biographies are supposed to reveal deep, dark secrets, but clinical descriptions of Doris' lovers' genitalia seem a bit excessive. Skip this book and watch the made-for-tv movie with Miss Bacall.

I read the book because I had seen the miniseries on TV and was interested in more information. It included a lot of facts and was interesting from an historical perspective. However, I didn't think it was particularly well written from a literary perspective. It was also hard to follow because it jumped around. It included a lot of information that was interesting, but not directly related to the subject. Sometimes it seemed like it went off on tangents. Overall I would rate it average, it was informative, but not very enjoyable to read.

This bio does what the title says it will. It tells us about the extravagance and the fast times of Doris Duke. On the plus side, there is a lot of material here and it reads better than a tabloid, but the many quotes from people with axes to grind hamper its credibility.

According to this book, DD believed most people, esp. potential husbands were after her fortune, and from this book, one would have to agree with her.

DD had to have another side that is not presented at all. She did manage to keep and grow her wealth at a time when her peers were losing theirs. In this book, the lawyers and financial advisors work off stage. For instance, the book would have you believe that DD's lawyers miraculously appeared minutes before her second marriage to secure a pre-nup to save her fortune.

DD not only increased her fortune, she won almost every legal battle, even when the facts were stacked against her. To do this she had to have a stable dialog with professionals and devote time, that the author would have you believe she spent partying, to managing the estate.

DD, one of Hawaii's most intriguing citizens, needs a more serious and comprehensive treatment.

It was a poorly written, disorganized book. Not worth the paper it was written on or the money spent on it.