A biography of the sole heir to the A&P supermarket empire describes Hartford's upbringing; his life of excess; his womanizing; his relationships with Nixon, Howard Hughes, Lana Turner, Hugh Hefner, and others; and his fall. Reprint. NYT. K.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Gubernick, a Forbes magazine senior editor, presents a comprehensive, disturbing biography of the playboy heir to the A & P grocery chain fortune. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Now almost 80 years old and living in a dilapidated New York City brownstone, Hartford is a broken relic of what once was one of the richest men in America. Heir to the A&P fortune, Hartford led a sordid life of bad business deals, dysfunctional marriages, sexual trysts, and substance abuse, all of which have rendered him physically and financially crippled. Though Forbes senior editor Gubernick delivers an extremely well-researched chronicle of Hartford's life, along with an interesting chapter on the rise of the A&P chain, she less than effectively explores the heart and soul of the man. This is a mostly removed, factual presentation of events, rather than a probing examination of the troubled psyche that made Hartford destroy his wealth, his family, and his physical and mental health. Was it the spoils of unbridled wealth and privilege, a neurotic and overbearing mother, or an untempered libido on an unfocused and weak individual that resulted in such a tragic existence? Unfortunately, Gubernick gives no answers.
- David Nudo, New York
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- David Nudo, New York
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, but not terribly deep,
By A Customer
This review is from: Squandered Fortune (Hardcover)
Gubernick has written a very concise biography of Huntingdon Hartford, the heir to the A&P fortune. A man who had it all and squandered it. The prose is lively and the story is interesting, but one wishes the author had spent more time getting us inside Hartford's head. The result is that we learn a great deal about WHAT he did, but very little about WHY he did it. Not a bad book to kill an afternoon with but nonetheless a book that falls short of its potential.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
