8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
THE FOUNDER, THE BUILDER AND THE STAR, October 19, 2000
Did you ever wonder how Donald Trump could have been so knowledgable and astute at so young an age. How did he do it? Who taught him? Family that's who. Unbelievably true. Ms Blair's research spans three generations. Friedrich who eventually earned a fortune in Alaska; his son Fred Jr. who made millions from U.S. government housing programs and his grandson, "the Donald" real estate developer and promoter. The book gives us an up close view of Donald Trump's ego, his wives and their role, his survival after near-bankruptcy, his eagerness for publicity and his "midas" touch. The man can close a deal. Well written and fascinating. Once upon a time there was the Rothchilds and the Rockefellers. This era it seems belongs to the Trump Dynasty.
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interest Is Not Where You Might Expect, June 26, 2002
The first generation you will read about was never allowed to reach its conclusion, due to an unfortunate early death. The second and third generations of this grandfather, father, and son trio are much longer. The second generation too has recently come to a close after a very long and successful life, in excess of 93 years, and the verdict on the third is still evolving. There is no question where the business acumen was at its greatest, the talent rested with Mr. Fred Trump, the second of the three men, and his story is the one of substance. The grandfather never had a chance to play out what likely would have been a very successful life, but during the time he was a businessman he was creative, bold, and gutsy as any pioneer.
Donald Trump is certainly the most well known, for marketing himself is a large part of whom he is and what he does. He is a man who can only speak in superlatives about anything he is involved in, even if some grand and prominent project bears his name and little else. The name on a building has very little to do with who owns it, who paid for it, or who made it happen. Donald Trump's primary business is Donald Trump. His flair for promotion and obsession with how he is perceived has become his career. There is no question he has had his successful projects, but the question of would they ever have happened without his father is a legitimate one. And he probably would have had much more success and a much larger fortune had he stuck to the business he knew, developing real estate. He got sidetracked with buying an airline, paying absurd prices for casinos that still are far from trophy properties, and while he may have benefited, the holders of stock and various bond issues have not.
Fred Trump is the man you would have given your money to and slept soundly at night. He was an astute man of business, he was self-made, and he spent no time promoting who he was. In this manner he was like many other long time major developers in the NYC area that developed massive amounts of real estate and fortunes to match without having any interest in the world knowing what they were worth.
Forbes Magazine often documents the calls they receive from Donald Trump complaining about where he is listed on their richest people list. This is not something his father or grandfather ever would have contemplated, nor would they brag to anyone listening how they increased their net worth by failing to honor financial commitments. In the end his charismatic style allowed him to get financial institutions so grossly over invested in his view of the world that he could never be allowed to go bankrupt, as the lenders could not afford it.
His predecessors in the family rate much higher on substance, and the newest Mr. Trump rates highly on style. But for all of the perceived satisfaction he would have the public believes he enjoys, in the end the author portrays a man that craves publicity to the detriment of his personal life. Squiring around beautiful women makes for nice pictures, but he and it and getting a bit old.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New York through the lives three fascinating Characters, September 28, 2000
This is a wonderful book. Ms. Blair has taken a complex and difficult subject and made it exciting and fascinating. The Trumps have always deserved analysis beyond the scandal-sheet treatment they usually get in the press. Ms. Blair has provided an account of all the real adventures behind their successes and failures: political, financial and even personal. After reading this book, one feels that the links between strong individuals and the unfolding of history beome clear and alive. The writing is great, the story even better.
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