When She Was Bad: The Story of Bess, Hortense, Sukhreet & Nancy [Hardcover]

Shana Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1990

From Publishers Weekly The compassionate, well-reasoned analysis Alexander applied to convicted murderer Jean Harris in Very Much a Lady is missing in this facile, unbalanced account of events leading up to and including the 1988 trial of Bess Myerson, the Miss America of 1945 who went on to careers in television and public life, notably as Manhattan's Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Edward Koch. Myerson, her wealthy younger lover Andy Capasso and Judge Hortense Gabel were charged--and acquitted--with conspiracy in the pretrial motions of Capasso and his wife Nancy's messy divorce, over which Judge Gabel presided. During that time Myerson gave Gabel's daughter Sukhreet a job in the Cultural Affairs office. These are the bare bones of the complex, often sordid story Alexander fleshes out with overwriting and glib psychologizing about her subjects, the extent of whose cooperation in this group portrait is unclear. Although Alexander hits her stride reporting the courtroom drama--the intricate lawyerly machinations and the pathetic self-condemning testimony of Sukhreet Gabel--it's too late to redeem this patchy, sensationalized, hastily assembled report. First serial to People; author tour. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The compassionate, well-reasoned analysis Alexander applied to convicted murderer Jean Harris in Very Much a Lady is missing in this facile, unbalanced account of events leading up to and including the 1988 trial of Bess Myerson, the Miss America of 1945 who went on to careers in television and public life, notably as Manhattan's Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Edward Koch. Myerson, her wealthy younger lover Andy Capasso and Judge Hortense Gabel were charged--and acquitted--with conspiracy in the pretrial motions of Capasso and his wife Nancy's messy divorce, over which Judge Gabel presided. During that time Myerson gave Gabel's daughter Sukhreet a job in the Cultural Affairs office. These are the bare bones of the complex, often sordid story Alexander fleshes out with overwriting and glib psychologizing about her subjects, the extent of whose cooperation in this group portrait is unclear. Although Alexander hits her stride reporting the courtroom drama--the intricate lawyerly machinations and the pathetic self-condemning testimony of Sukhreet Gabel--it's too late to redeem this patchy, sensationalized, hastily assembled report. First serial to People; author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"It's like Rashomon , Mother. We now have three different versions of the same mess." So said Sukhreet Gabel to Judge Hortense Gabel, about the "Bess mess," the scandal involving a possible deal between Bess Myerson and Judge Gabel to reduce alimony in the divorce case of Andy Capasso, Myerson's lover, in return for giving mentally unstable Sukhreet a job in Myerson's New York City Cultural Affairs office. Sukhreet's Rashomon reference applies to these two books as well; both authors trace Myerson's spiral down from her heyday as first Jewish Miss America and crusading New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner, yet they tell slightly different versions of her life's events. Perhaps the most disturbing example of this is Preston's use of a pseudonym to identify a former lover harassed by Myerson; Alexander uses the man's real name. On the whole, Alexander provides the more interesting analysis by painting psychological portraits of the women involved (all, it seems, are infected with the female social disease of Desire To Please); Newsday reporter Preston often gives more facts than readers will want and relies on a more linear, objective, and sometimes dry narrative. Given that both authors had little access to Myerson, it is hard to tell if either has the truth, or if neither does. Like the jurors of the alimony-fixing trial, one is left with the sense that something illegal and/or unethical happened, but that it can't be proven. Since Alexander's version will be serialized in People , and her previous psychobiography of Jean Harris , Very Much a Lady, was popular, expect her book to be more in demand. Alexander's book, previously called When She Was Good, was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/89; Preston's was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/90. --Judy Quinn, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 305 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (March 24, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394576063
• ISBN-13: 978-0394576060
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,827,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still more scandal from the author of "Anyone's Daughter", August 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: When She Was Bad (Mass Market Paperback)

Ms. Alexander,(the Kitty Kelly of New York political scandal)writes an entertaining yet frenetic tale of the fall of Bess Meyerson, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs of the city of New York, and former Miss America. Much attention is paid to Judge Hortense Gable's emotionally unstable daughter, Sukhreet, the catalyst of the scandal involving her having obtained a city job in exchange for leniency in the divorce case of Ms. Meyerson's lover (Andy Capasso, the most famous sewer man since Ed Norton.)For those who have put down Nancy Drew, but are not yet ready for Jackie Susann novels.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bess Mess Revisited!, October 21, 2006

By 

Sylviastel - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When She Was Bad (Mass Market Paperback)

I like Shana Alexander as an author. This book is quite interesting and detailed about Bess Myerson, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Jews and her life. Alexander details Bess' childhood and poor upbringing in the Bronx with a nasty mother and a loving father. She became the First Jewish Miss America in 1945.

From then on, she became a public figure in both media and New York City politics. Bess herself was a mess from the beginning. She was not a very good mother to her only daughter Barra nor a very good wife to her husbands. I remember Bess more for the scandal that involved a highly respected judge Hortense Gabel, her bizarre daughter Sukhreet (born Julie Bess) Gabel, and Tony Capasso. At that time, Bess was having an affair with married father Tony Capasso.

Judge Gabel was trying her best to be a good mother to the outrageous daughter Sukhreet by helping her get a job. It was the job of being Bess' assistant that helped get Bess into her mess. Ironically, the Gabels are painted much better here than anywhere else. Sukhreet is probably still outrageous as ever but she told the truth. She was a smart woman with psychological problems from the beginning. She wasn't crazy but she was brilliant and capable of so much more. Surprisingly, it is Judge Hortense Wittstein Gabel that I feel the most sympathy for of all. Judge Gabel was in fact one of the most respected judges on the bench in New York City. She was also very dedicated to her profession and she was honorable, respectable, and dedicated to her profession. She would have made an excellent supreme court justice. The Gabels lived quite modestly in a rent-controlled apartment. Her husband and dentist, Milton Gabel, was retired but not Hortense. She was determined to do what she loved. She helped in affordable housing and she was the kind of person to make the city a better place.

Sadly, this scandal affected an otherwise wonderful perfect career. While some lawyers would seek fame and fortune, Hortense was satisfied in her life and position. One can only imagine what might have been. She was probably on the shortlist for the supreme court that I could imagine. This book could use pictures that is why I am giving it 4 stars. I have the hardcover edition and there are no pictures.

I feel sorry for Nancy Capasso who was the woman left behind in the Bess Mess. Her husband's infidelity with Bess was a cruel affair without any indiscretion. I can imagine that Sukhreet is still alive and living her life. She was never capable of being your average daughter. Even her parents forgave her for acting like a spoiled child but she did tell the truth but she got laughed out of court and she got attention that she may have wanted all along. I don't think she was much to blame. I think Hortense was just trying to be a good mother and Sukhreet was offended by the notion that she couldn't get a job on her own.