The fate of Brooke Astor, the endearing philanthropist with the storied name, has generated worldwide headlines since her grandson Philip sued his ...
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Mar 05, 2009
Kathleen
rated it: 
Schadenfreude to the max. Woe to the society grande dame who ignores her only son and lives to be 105. Woe to the son who consciously or unconsciously gets her back by firing her staff and leaving her to fester on a dog-urine stained couch in her palatial Park Avenue apartment. Woe to the grandson who decides that his father and her scheming third wife must be removed as guardians. Detailed, super-juicy account of one of the big society page scandals of the last decade. Highly recommend, i
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Mar 22, 2009
Judith
rated it: 
Unlike many famous wealthy people, Mrs. Astor appears to have devoted most of her time and most of her millions to investing in charitable and artistic organizations and projects. Her philanthropy was simply incredible and she seems like she was an interesting character as well. However, as a mother, she was a total flop. She ignored her only son, to devote time to socializing and taking care of her 3rd husband, Vincent Astor. She allowed her husband to fire the nanny, who had the only close
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Mar 12, 2011
E
rated it:
I thought this was a biography of Brooke Astor, but it was an account of the last decade
or so of her life when she suffered from Alzheimers and her son, Tony, and his Wife, Charlene
started to dip into his inheritance in advance. Then they got greedier and amended her will to
benefit themselves instead of the charities which had originally been the primary beneficiaries.
Although the treatment of his mother by Tony sounds truly despicable, I can More...
May 13, 2010
Tanya
rated it:
More like 3 1/2 stars. In some ways the book seems like a gossipy, inside view of a wealthy family and their troubles. I listened to this on CD while cleaning and doing laundry. I thought the reader and the book went well together.
I found it to be very interesting, and ultimately a very good read because of the lessons to be learned. It is actually heartbreaking that Anthony Marshall was mothered the way he was... it's sad that a woman who was such an amazing philanthropist helpe More...
I found it to be very interesting, and ultimately a very good read because of the lessons to be learned. It is actually heartbreaking that Anthony Marshall was mothered the way he was... it's sad that a woman who was such an amazing philanthropist helpe More...
Jul 31, 2009
Jeanette
rated it:
What a pitiful, sorry tribe!! Mrs. Brooke Astor was a wonderful philantropist, but a really inconsistent mother. Her only son, Tony Marshall, was protrayed as damaged from the start with slights and bursts of warmth. Brooke had endless charm for society's darlings, but was totally confusing for her son who seemed to long for her attention and love. When he left his wife to marry Charlene (their minister's wife), he become more difficult than ever to love. The two women made each other crazy
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Apr 20, 2009
Terry
rated it:
This is a behind-the-scenes account of the scandal sparked when the grandson of world-famous philanthropist Brooke Astor sued his father for neglecting to properly care for his grandmother. Gordon (New York magazine) conducted 230 interviews for the book and interweaves Astor family history with insights provided by Astor's family, friends, caregivers, and servants. Shortly after Astor's death, Tony Marshall, her 83-year-old son, was indicted on 18 counts of grand larceny, falsifying business re
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Jan 11, 2009
NPR: Five Books to Give Yourself
Brooke Astor was charming, witty, infinitely generous and as much a part of New York City as the stone lions on the steps of the public library (a building that was one of Astor's favorite beneficiaries). The widow of pedigreed multimillionaire Vincent Astor, she was unfailingly attentive to her guests — especially male ones — and remained a huge flirt well into her 100th year. But by her own admission, Astor hadn't been so great as a mother to her only More...
Brooke Astor was charming, witty, infinitely generous and as much a part of New York City as the stone lions on the steps of the public library (a building that was one of Astor's favorite beneficiaries). The widow of pedigreed multimillionaire Vincent Astor, she was unfailingly attentive to her guests — especially male ones — and remained a huge flirt well into her 100th year. But by her own admission, Astor hadn't been so great as a mother to her only More...
Jan 10, 2009
Roger
rated it: 
I found this book gripping and a sorry tale of predators trying to feast on the wealthy elderly. It is hard to believe Mrs. Astor was taken advantage of by her son and attorneys. The attorneys know better and should have displayed a moral outrage and a strong show of ethics at the requests and actions of Tony Marshall. But in the ned it is all about the money. Her grandson Phillip showed the requist courage to take a stand and although he may be sorry about the unintended consequeces, he did
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Feb 15, 2010
Alex
rated it: 
Not enough material for a book and it reads like the magazine article it was (not that that's necessarily a bad thing per say, but for some reason I picked up on the fact that it was a magazine article before it was anything else).
What's more, the author does this incredibly odd thing of inserting herself into the narrative ever ever so slightly (and maybe this is the "magaziney" thing I was picking up on?). Specifically she'll cite an interview she conducted and write s More...
What's more, the author does this incredibly odd thing of inserting herself into the narrative ever ever so slightly (and maybe this is the "magaziney" thing I was picking up on?). Specifically she'll cite an interview she conducted and write s More...
Oct 22, 2011
Dear
rated it:
I followed this story in Vanity Fair, so I was happy to pick up a copy of this at the bookstore. Brooke Astor is interesting to me, as is her circle and the lost world of the social register she lived in. I was shocked to learn of her treatment by her only son and his wife, and then saddened by the circus of his trial.
The only complaint I have about the book is that it was published before Anthony Marshall's sentencing (though information on that is readily available online). I have More...
The only complaint I have about the book is that it was published before Anthony Marshall's sentencing (though information on that is readily available online). I have More...
Feb 08, 2009
Mrs. Astor Regrets: the hidden betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach , by Meryl Gordon, narrated by Lorna Raver, downloaded from audible.com, produced by Tantor Media.
This basically is a sad story of an heiress who, while known and loved for her generosity to charities and the arts, was fairly distant to her own child, did not treat him very well, but expected him to look after her, including keeping track of her money. When her son married for the third time, his wife started influ More...
This basically is a sad story of an heiress who, while known and loved for her generosity to charities and the arts, was fairly distant to her own child, did not treat him very well, but expected him to look after her, including keeping track of her money. When her son married for the third time, his wife started influ More...
Jan 25, 2009
Debra
rated it:
I am always reading about Truman's swans. Mrs. Astor died last year at age 104. Her last years were rife with scandal about the conditions in which she was kept by her only child. Unlike Vanity Fair magazine,this book presents both sides of the story.
Jul 19, 2009
Judy
rated it:
Brooke Astor was well known as a philanthropist and for marrying well. That is until her grandson sued his father for the mistreatment of his 103 year old grandmother charging that she was being kept in miserable conditions in her New York apartment despite her millions of dollars. Supported by friends of his mother's such as the Rockefeller brothers, Henry Kissinger, and Annette de la Renta (who was named by the court as Brooke Astor's guardian after her son was removed from that role), Philip
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May 26, 2009
Kate
rated it:
Like a loaf of sourdough bread baked at 200 degrees for 3 minutes, this book took a lot of preparation but is still a half-baked mess. Did author Meryl Gordon accidentally publish her interview notes rather than her biography manuscript? She tiptoed through the war zone of upper East Side's society so carefully that the book could be called "Mrs. Astor Regrets: How to Write About Scandal Without Offending Anyone." I glimpsed the glamorous world of Mrs. Astor, but as through a scrim
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Dec 17, 2009
Michele
rated it:
A quick and not-too-detailed account of the death of Brooke Astor. I wouldn't recommend it to a serious reader. Mrs. Astor was probably not the best mother and grandmother, though there aren't enough facts to make a judgement. Her son, over 80 by the time she died at 105, helped himself a little bit to money she wasn't intending to give him. He was not an Astor, having been born from her first marriage to an abusive alcoholic. When she began to deteriorate (Alzheimer's), son Tony stepped in and
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Jan 11, 2009
Lisa
rated it:
Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach by Meryl Gordon is the story of the end of the Astor family fortune and the sad end to the life of a great philanthropist.
Brooke Astor did not lead a fairy tale life, but she had brilliant moments of excitement, great leadership, good friends and a terribly sad family life. A tragic first marriage ended in divorce, a second marriage (which provided her only child) to the love of her life ended in tragedy and then More...
Brooke Astor did not lead a fairy tale life, but she had brilliant moments of excitement, great leadership, good friends and a terribly sad family life. A tragic first marriage ended in divorce, a second marriage (which provided her only child) to the love of her life ended in tragedy and then More...
Aug 05, 2011
Christinem
rated it:
Great read... a glimpse into the life of wealthy philanthropist and society grand dame, Brooke Astor, and the true story of the scandal that rocked the Astor family, when her grandson filed suit against his father, claiming he embezzled millions from his mother over the last few years of her life. While the prose is non-fiction, the book is so engrossing that you feel as if it is fiction. Meryl Gordon exposes the human sides to these seemingly untouchable characters, the ultra-wealthy, high s
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Dec 25, 2009
Nancy
rated it:
Meryl Gordon has done a more than admirable job of (seemingly) objectively writing about the notorious elder-abuse case of Brooke Astor. The sad drama centers around Mrs. Astor and her only son and neither party comes off well in this dreadful family saga.
It was riveting to read and although many elements of the story were extensively covered by newspaper, magazine and television reports, Gordon presented an in-depth look into Mrs. Astor's last years. The author cleverly added persp More...
It was riveting to read and although many elements of the story were extensively covered by newspaper, magazine and television reports, Gordon presented an in-depth look into Mrs. Astor's last years. The author cleverly added persp More...
Mar 16, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
This book just made me sad--first, for Brooke Astor's son, Tony Marshall, who seemed to live his entire life trying to get his mother to love him and then, for Brooke Astor herself, who spent the last ten years or so of her life in a slow decline that all the money in the world couldn't remedy. The book was well-researched and Gordon seems to have snagged interviews with everyone who ever spoke to Brooke Astor--but I wished she had devoted a little more time to the early lives of Brooke Astor an
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Jan 26, 2009
Gwen the Librarian
rated it:
Mrs. Astor Regrets is not so much a biography of Brooke Astor as it is an in-depth examination of how her life devolved into the scandal over her care and her estate at the end of her life. A sensational society story by any standard, this particular modern tale has kept New Yorkers gripped by its twists and turns for the last few years. The author was granted unique access to all of the players and many of the documents that no one else has seen or written about. It's an absolutely fascinati
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Mar 02, 2010
Kristin
rated it:
Tony Marshall, the 85 year old son of Brooke Astor, is headed to jail for the next one to three years. Maybe he should pick up “Mrs. Astor Regrets” by Meryl Gordon to occupy his time. This biography is filled with scandals of titanic proportions. Oh, wait, that was John Jacob Astor, the patriarch of this family, who went down with the ship. Money stolen, a beloved Childe Hassam painting sold and neglectful relationships make for an interesting inside look at this wealthy, highly dysfunctional Ne
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Jul 16, 2009
Denise
rated it:
This book is like treading the National inquirer, complete with embarrassment at the fact that I read it. I will grab any junk at the Goodwill and justify reading it. The truth be told, if you get past the "who believes who was the most evil and greedy" there is actually some interesting facts about how the final months of a fraile elderly human being, were magnificently improved upon through the advocacy of a grandson and those who believed his intentions were pure. Estate planners
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Jul 28, 2011
Debra
rated it:
I was loaned this book by a friend who has never led me astray. Not so much w/ this book. It took me forever to really get interested. Once it finally got done laboriously introducing every character and started telling the story - it picked up. Thinking I had several chapters left the book suddenly came to a screeching halt before the trial was over. What? Did the author suddenly have a surprise deadline? You've been in this thing for years and years and you can't get to the end of the tr
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Aug 09, 2011
Danielle
rated it:
Oh, there's nothing better than a good family drama, and the real-life Astor family had drama in spades: turbulent marriages and divorces and a billion dollar fortune to squabble over. Mrs. Astor Regrets outlines the final days of Brooke Astor's life, and the court cases in which her only son, Anthony Marshall, was charged with criminal abuse of his mother, who was over 100 years old and senile. Throw in a few disgruntled grandchildren, an evil stepmother, and a shady lawyer - well, sometime
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Jan 23, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
If you love narrative nonfiction, books about NY society, and family drama, this is for you. I can't stop thinking about this book. Author Meryl Gordon did an outstanding job. It's a very haunting story and stays with you. I live (Westchester Co.) and work (NYC) very near where Brook Astor lived out her last days so it was eerie reading the story about her taking carriage rides with the Rockefeller family on the same trails in the Rockefeller Preserve where I now ride on weekends. It's a great b
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Nov 04, 2010
Megan
rated it:
I could say this book addressed the downfalls of trusting other people with your money, or the growing concern with elder abuse, but really I just read it to see the salacious backstory of the one page articles I read in the NY Post back when I worked at the racino. Brooke Astor's son Anthony Marshall reminded me of Tiberius, grown bitter as his mother kept living and spending his inheritance. So why not use his power of attorney to have a few nice things while she was alive but slipping into
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May 24, 2011
Eileen
rated it:
For those of us who will never tell stories about the dashing Yale graduate from a well-to-do family that we met on a fox hunt, this book is a glimpse inside the fabulous Park Avenue apartments and country estates. From there, you may be able to see forever even though the view is not pretty. It doesn't take long for the voyeuristic pleasure to become secondary to the real story -- of family, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. Few of the actors in this story are undamaged, with the possible e
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Feb 10, 2011
Shellie
rated it:
Meryl Gordon did a fabulous job writing this book in a completely neutral tone. Given the subject matter, any author could easily have chosen sides and presented the case for them. Ms. Gordon remained level headed and gave a play by play thoroughly investigated view from all sides, giving the reader the option to form their own opinion. In a writing symposium I attended, the speaker stressed that in writing you must "TRUST" your reader. Invest in your story without forcing your opinion
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Mar 02, 2009
Gail
rated it:
I had to force myself to finish this book. It is about Manhattan royalty at its worst. Self important, greedy, corrupt (and who knew Henry Kissinger was so immature & snarky???). It almost makes you understand why America use to have a 95% income tax on these people. And none of them should be allowed to inherit money....it really breeds some low life off-spring. Anyway, with everything going on with investment bankers, Madoff, etc. I'm sick of hearing about these whining little jerks.....I
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Apr 23, 2010
Maureen
rated it:
Fascinating story. Chronologizes the life of Brooke Astor detailing how she rose from a woman of very modest beginnings to the head of NY Society and one of the greatest philanthropist in our century. While she lived to 105 and loved being the the limelight, her last few years found her being neglected and deceived by her son who sought to nullify any wills leaving money to foundations and forced her to revise them naming him and his wife as main beneficiaries.
