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50th out of 253 books
—
98 voters
Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography of Martha Stewart
Based on some four hundred exclusive, candid interviews with family members, confidantes, colleagues, and present and former friends and associates, this scrupulously researched investigative biography tells for the first time the real story of Martha Stewart's personal life, and her phenomenal rise to the top. Martha Stewart - Just Desserts reveals the secrets of Stewart'...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
July 1st 1997
by William Morrow & Company
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I read this years ago before her financial scandal was public and found it very enlightening. It was amazing to me the number of people who knew her well that were willing to go on the record with their statements and observations. This shows that the "lifestyle" that she promotes is, after all, just an image created to make her money and the rest of us feel guilty for not having the time to make all of our napkins by hand or create elaborate centerpieces for dinner parties. Don't get me wrong,...more
Aunt Nancy shared this with me--a fun read--felt gossipy and voyeuristic. Stewart was portrayed as a character you just love to hate.
I picked this up at a used bookstore, not from any feelings about Martha Stewart one way or the other, but because it's fascinating to me how someone (especially a woman who comes from working class roots) achieves success and power. I have never watched one of her shows or read one of her books.
While she was teaching women how to be all la di da in the eighties and nineties, I was doing the ordinary, down to earth homemaking, cooking, baking, decorating and raising kids in my own way. I never...more
While she was teaching women how to be all la di da in the eighties and nineties, I was doing the ordinary, down to earth homemaking, cooking, baking, decorating and raising kids in my own way. I never...more
I don't know if I will ever finish this book, and not because it isn't interesting, but just because I have so many more important books to read... I love Martha Stewart for her empire of ideas, but I just don't care enough about her personal life to immerse myself in it. Sigh. Maybe one of these days...
Okay...we all want to know the dirt on Miss Martha the Perfect. I have always been fascinated by this paragon of the home who speaks in a flat affect.( Nursing Notes 101) So when I found this book on a discount table, I had to have it. I was not surprised to find that Martha has always been one to size people up and use them for her own gain. She just does not seem to relate to people in a normal way. She has always seemed more in tune to her animals than humans. At the end of the book I found m...more
Pre-prison unauthorised bio of Martha. Gives a detailed glimpse into her driven, obsessive and perfectionist personality. If you're looking for her feet of clay they're here. Almost every page has some revelation of her less than stellar behavior. I like Martha and this book did nothing to change that.She transformed herself from Martha Kostyra, grandchild of Polish immigrants to Martha Stewart, maven of WASP good taste and lifestyle.
This book was fabulous. Even if 50% of the content of this unauthorized bio is true, it was worth the time. It painted a picture of an extremely driven and motivated woman who would pull out all the stops to succeed, regardless of the consequences or collateral damage. I'm a fan of Martha Stewart and have benefitted from her programs and magazines.
Yes, it's true, I can't help but love Martha & her "good things". But I also enjoyed this unauthorized bio on the woman who seems to do it all. Interesting background on her modelling, her job on the stock exchange and getting started with her domestic empire. Of course, there's lots of relationship drama thrown in for good measure.
Feb 09, 2012
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes non-fiction
Recommended to Mary by:
Library Book Sale
I just finished Martha Stewart Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography by Jerry Oppenheimer. I thought that this book was great; it is a must-read for anyone who wants to know the 'dirt' on Martha Stewart. I give it an A+!
I keep going between 2 and 3 stars. The juicy anecdotes started to feel the same after a while. I get it; Martha abuses people. She always has, she always will as long as you keep enabling her. Still, it was hard to put down.
It was respectable as far as celebrity bios go. I find her influence disturbing. Why do people allow her to co-opt holidays and family events?
Sep 14, 2007
Liz
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Lovers/Loathers of Martha Stewart
Shelves:
non-fiction
Read this book YEARS ago and it is a page-turner for sure! Oppenheimer's many sources give us a glimpse of the real, behind-the-scenes story of Martha's rise to the top. Even after learning about this "other" side of Martha, fans of the Stewart empire likely won't be swayed. This mogul -- hate her or love her -- is a ruthless person but that doesn't stop me from enjoying her magazines and shows. Plus, she likes French Bulldogs and that's good enough for me. :)
My favorite story in this book is a...more
My favorite story in this book is a...more
Excellent book if you want to learn about Martha Stewart and I learned a lot!
Sinful read and shocking if true about the domestic queen!
I am a MS groupie so naturally I LOVED this book!
enjoyable probably truthful
Such fun trash to read....
May 01, 2009
M
is currently reading it
She is mean and sick.
haha!
Bookmooch
I was tremendously surprised at my reaction to this book. It had the exact opposite effect of what I believe the author intended. The more he bad mouthed Martha, the more I began to admire her. She truly has made something of herself and she is now an American icon. I really did not like her prior to reading this book and thought of her as a punchline to many jokes. But, this author showed me there was much to admire about her.
Incredibly interesting and not at all surprising - MS is stone cold, even if only a small fraction of the info in this book is true.
The only thing I didn't like was the negativity toward MS for what I felt should have been non-issues - dressing more provocatively and being more flirtatious after her divorce, for example. Items in the realm of normal human behaviour should have been portrayed with a far more neutral lens.
The only thing I didn't like was the negativity toward MS for what I felt should have been non-issues - dressing more provocatively and being more flirtatious after her divorce, for example. Items in the realm of normal human behaviour should have been portrayed with a far more neutral lens.
Sep 22, 2011
Janet Kahoe
added it
I'm a Martha fan. She's driven and has succeeded despite many issues. Can't help but respect her.
This was interesting! Martha Stewart is one tough cookie with enough drive for several persons. No wonder it was not "authorized"... it contained some not-so-flattering behavior of Martha's. She is presented as a control freak with no patience for mistakes and slovenly work. It was entertaining reading.
a nice look into the ocd, detailed obssessed life of martha stewart, aka, Martha Helen Kostyra. some fantastic fotos of her and her crazy daughter in the 80's- they were dating the same older man at the same time, supposedly... you know, the guy who gave martha that lame investment advice....
I thought it was rather interesting....how it depicted her as such a jerk, to everyone in her inner circle, including her husband and daughter. However learning all this, was interesting. I've never been like a huge Martha fan, but reading this I feel, has definately changed my perspective on her.
Okay I must confess, I never finished it. I tried, I really did. This book is a job. I think Martha could have been Mother Theresa and this guy would have found a way to make that negative. Not worth the paper it's printed on.
I can't stand Martha Stewart, so I really enjoyed this book. Because it was "unauthorized", it didn't exactly portray her in the best light, and it was a scandalous and fun read. :-)
Apr 14, 2009
Jessica
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography-autobiography,
guilty-pleasure
Vicious and mean spirited. I don't like Martha Stewart, but I don't think it's right to skewer her like this. I'd like to know where this author got her sources and how reliable they are.
A scandalous and fascinating look at the rise of Martha Stewart. This is an unauthorized biography that is worth the read, if you are a fan (or not a fan) of Stewart's.
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Jerry Oppenheimer is an author who has written several unauthorized biographies of public figures including Hillary and Bill Clinton, Anna Wintour, Rock Hudson, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Ethel Kennedy, Jerry Seinfeld and the Hilton family.
Toy Monster: The Big Bad World of Mattel was published on Feb 3 2009 and his latest book (as of Aug 2, 2009), will be about Bernie Madoff, titled Madoff w...more
More about Jerry Oppenheimer...
Toy Monster: The Big Bad World of Mattel was published on Feb 3 2009 and his latest book (as of Aug 2, 2009), will be about Bernie Madoff, titled Madoff w...more
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