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Too Rich: The Family Secrets of Doris Duke
Too Rich: The Family Secrets of Doris Duke offers a fascinating and honest inside portrait of a woman whose life and death are shrouded in mystery. This highly entertaining biography, written by Jason Thomas and culled from the recollections and family records of Duke's godson, Pony Duke, represents the only candid record of Doris Duke's remarkable life and highly controversial death. From early childhood—too rich to play with other children for fear of disease, kidnapping, or mixing with those of less desirable lineage—Doris was virtually imprisoned in a cold, sterile mansion on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue (the house reeked of ammonia used to keep her environment germ-free) with a powerful father and a bitter, blue-blooded mother. As she broke free into adulthood, Doris inherited a massive fortune and learned to live life on her own terms. She entered into an arranged marriage and later divorced (her first); she learned the ways of sex and desire in the arms of a muscular Hawaiian Olympic champion; she followed her next love into World War II and returned alone. And amid her numerous and headline-making affairs, Doris Duke increased her vast wealth. Her investments in real estate, art, and business allowed her to leave behind far more money than she inherited, something few heiresses can boast. She learned from an early age that those who befriended her mind or romanced her body more than likely desired her wallet, and this realization left Doris Duke a lonely woman.
From interviews, private family documents, and the words of Doris herself, Too Rich provides facts and insights never before unearthed by the outside media. Her bizarre adoption of a thirty-five-year-old woman, Chandi Heffner, and, in later years, sensational events surrounding Duke's death and suspected murder in 1993—including the inside story of her butler, Bernard Lafferty—are meticulously documented in this uniquely intimate portrait of one of the most interesting and controversial celebrities of the twentieth century.
PONY DUKE is Doris Duke's cousin and godson and one of the surviving members of the Duke clan. He is a self-employed businessman and rancher living in Montana. JASON THOMAS is a novelist and former nationally syndicated columnist.
She was the richest child born in America; she had the president's private phone number; her scandalous marriages and affairs—with an ambassador, Olympian, musician, politician, general, international stud, and movie star—were legendary. But who, really, was Doris Duke? Who was the mysterious woman behind the billions, who took private pleasure in singing gospel music, loving nature, and seducing men? What insurmountable rules and expectations of wealth corralled her life into the world of the lonely elite—and led, at the age of eighty, to her alleged murder?
Too Rich was made into a successful CBS television mini-series entitled Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke starring Richard Chamberlain and Lauren Bacall.
From interviews, private family documents, and the words of Doris herself, Too Rich provides facts and insights never before unearthed by the outside media. Her bizarre adoption of a thirty-five-year-old woman, Chandi Heffner, and, in later years, sensational events surrounding Duke's death and suspected murder in 1993—including the inside story of her butler, Bernard Lafferty—are meticulously documented in this uniquely intimate portrait of one of the most interesting and controversial celebrities of the twentieth century.
PONY DUKE is Doris Duke's cousin and godson and one of the surviving members of the Duke clan. He is a self-employed businessman and rancher living in Montana. JASON THOMAS is a novelist and former nationally syndicated columnist.
She was the richest child born in America; she had the president's private phone number; her scandalous marriages and affairs—with an ambassador, Olympian, musician, politician, general, international stud, and movie star—were legendary. But who, really, was Doris Duke? Who was the mysterious woman behind the billions, who took private pleasure in singing gospel music, loving nature, and seducing men? What insurmountable rules and expectations of wealth corralled her life into the world of the lonely elite—and led, at the age of eighty, to her alleged murder?
Too Rich was made into a successful CBS television mini-series entitled Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke starring Richard Chamberlain and Lauren Bacall.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1995
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May 7, 2014
Let me share with you two true stories.
The first one I read in a website not too long ago. A couple met when they were very young. From their photos at that time when they were already sweethearts they looked like they were just in their early 20's. They were in love, got married, and had eight children. He was a teacher as she was, but I think the story says she had to give up her career to devote her time to her duties as a wife and as a mother. They stayed together until old age, holding hands everyday while having breakfast together, sharing the simple meals afforded by their modest means and demanded by their simple tastes. Then one day, when she was already 92 years old, she died. Her husband then told their children: "your mother is dead." Fifteen hours later he himself passed away, aged 91. Their children surmised that their father, to the end, couldn't let his beloved wife go by herself to wherever she was going. He had to be with her.
Now the other story is that of Doris Duke. When her father passed away leaving his great tobacco-based wealth to her, his only child, she was just a little girl. The world press dubbed her the richest girl in the world. She grew up surrounded by wealth and unimaginable opulence which, perhaps because she had inherited her father's business acumen, even grew as she began to take active control of the various businesses and investments left to her (although her own mother, who became her lifelong enemy, once blurted out in anger that she was not really her rich father's child but the fruit of an extramarital affair she had had). She, however, never experienced true love or friendship. People were after her money, and she knew it ("don't trust anyone," she remembered her father saying while she sat on his knee), and even had there been a few who may have felt genuine love and friendship for her these never really developed to lasting ones as she treated them with extreme suspicion. Even her butler who had been at her deathbed had been suspected of slowly poisoning her, causing her death at the age of 80, to get hold of a chunk of her wealth after insinuating himself in her last will. Despite these, during her heyday, Doris Duke had all the best money could buy.
Now, given a chance to relive your lives, which of these would you choose?
I know for PR purposes you'd declare, with a cloying suggestion of the romantic, that you'd prefer to live simply and love, grow old and die with your one true love like the old couple of the first story who held hands during breakfast well into their 90's then died just hours apart, faithful companions to each other to the end of their long earthly lives.
But if the choice is real, and could really magically happen after it is made, however, I'm sure you'd all choose to be the richest in the world like Doris Duke. Why? Because as Gertrude Stein once said, dead is dead is dead. No matter what the circumstances of your death are, you'd still be as dead as anyone dead. What is important is what you've done before you died and with lots of money you would have been able to do and experience a lot of things children of the lesser gods would not be able to do or experience even in a million lifetimes. Like the surfeit of great sex Doris Duke have had, despite her physical ugliness, simply because she was capable of spending, and did spend, to get the best of them. For a cool million dollars, for example, she had her fill of the ultimate in heterosexual sex during her time with the world famous Porfirio Rubirosa and his undisputed Rolls-Royce of Genitalia--
"'His purpose was to satisfy women,' Doris would say in a matter-of-fact tone. 'He was sterile and probably impotent but his prick was so large that it seemed to be in a state of eternal erection. I don't think that he really felt anything when he was making love but he was able to do whatever I wanted for endless hours. I was always the focus during sex. All that mattered was that I be satisfied. He simply wanted to make every woman on earth experience the ultimate climax.'
"Scientists would later refer to the Rubirosa lovemaking method as 'retarded ejaculation.' In reality, he was like no other man in that he had this marvelous appendage that could always function on automatic pilot. All he had to do was to point his fabulous penis in the direction of a willing woman and this oh-so-dependable appendage would perform. His was the Rolls-Royce of genitalia in a world inhabited by sexual Chevettes. He was an erotic powerful sexual streamliner in a world where most males were traveling the tracks in a hand-powered pump car. Rubi would even ask a woman what she enjoyed before initiating sex. She might want her ears kissed or her breasts nibbled. His tongue was available to every part of the female form. He could and would do anything any woman wanted. Doris, as always, wanted it all."
Holding hands with your spouse during breakfast in your 90's? No big deal when you come to think of it. And then again who knows if you'd do that, not really as a sign of affection, but just to keep your partner from running away to escape the tiresome responsibility that you'd become, at this time in your life when you would have lost all your teeth already and can't even chew your bacon anymore?
The first one I read in a website not too long ago. A couple met when they were very young. From their photos at that time when they were already sweethearts they looked like they were just in their early 20's. They were in love, got married, and had eight children. He was a teacher as she was, but I think the story says she had to give up her career to devote her time to her duties as a wife and as a mother. They stayed together until old age, holding hands everyday while having breakfast together, sharing the simple meals afforded by their modest means and demanded by their simple tastes. Then one day, when she was already 92 years old, she died. Her husband then told their children: "your mother is dead." Fifteen hours later he himself passed away, aged 91. Their children surmised that their father, to the end, couldn't let his beloved wife go by herself to wherever she was going. He had to be with her.
Now the other story is that of Doris Duke. When her father passed away leaving his great tobacco-based wealth to her, his only child, she was just a little girl. The world press dubbed her the richest girl in the world. She grew up surrounded by wealth and unimaginable opulence which, perhaps because she had inherited her father's business acumen, even grew as she began to take active control of the various businesses and investments left to her (although her own mother, who became her lifelong enemy, once blurted out in anger that she was not really her rich father's child but the fruit of an extramarital affair she had had). She, however, never experienced true love or friendship. People were after her money, and she knew it ("don't trust anyone," she remembered her father saying while she sat on his knee), and even had there been a few who may have felt genuine love and friendship for her these never really developed to lasting ones as she treated them with extreme suspicion. Even her butler who had been at her deathbed had been suspected of slowly poisoning her, causing her death at the age of 80, to get hold of a chunk of her wealth after insinuating himself in her last will. Despite these, during her heyday, Doris Duke had all the best money could buy.
Now, given a chance to relive your lives, which of these would you choose?
I know for PR purposes you'd declare, with a cloying suggestion of the romantic, that you'd prefer to live simply and love, grow old and die with your one true love like the old couple of the first story who held hands during breakfast well into their 90's then died just hours apart, faithful companions to each other to the end of their long earthly lives.
But if the choice is real, and could really magically happen after it is made, however, I'm sure you'd all choose to be the richest in the world like Doris Duke. Why? Because as Gertrude Stein once said, dead is dead is dead. No matter what the circumstances of your death are, you'd still be as dead as anyone dead. What is important is what you've done before you died and with lots of money you would have been able to do and experience a lot of things children of the lesser gods would not be able to do or experience even in a million lifetimes. Like the surfeit of great sex Doris Duke have had, despite her physical ugliness, simply because she was capable of spending, and did spend, to get the best of them. For a cool million dollars, for example, she had her fill of the ultimate in heterosexual sex during her time with the world famous Porfirio Rubirosa and his undisputed Rolls-Royce of Genitalia--
"'His purpose was to satisfy women,' Doris would say in a matter-of-fact tone. 'He was sterile and probably impotent but his prick was so large that it seemed to be in a state of eternal erection. I don't think that he really felt anything when he was making love but he was able to do whatever I wanted for endless hours. I was always the focus during sex. All that mattered was that I be satisfied. He simply wanted to make every woman on earth experience the ultimate climax.'
"Scientists would later refer to the Rubirosa lovemaking method as 'retarded ejaculation.' In reality, he was like no other man in that he had this marvelous appendage that could always function on automatic pilot. All he had to do was to point his fabulous penis in the direction of a willing woman and this oh-so-dependable appendage would perform. His was the Rolls-Royce of genitalia in a world inhabited by sexual Chevettes. He was an erotic powerful sexual streamliner in a world where most males were traveling the tracks in a hand-powered pump car. Rubi would even ask a woman what she enjoyed before initiating sex. She might want her ears kissed or her breasts nibbled. His tongue was available to every part of the female form. He could and would do anything any woman wanted. Doris, as always, wanted it all."
Holding hands with your spouse during breakfast in your 90's? No big deal when you come to think of it. And then again who knows if you'd do that, not really as a sign of affection, but just to keep your partner from running away to escape the tiresome responsibility that you'd become, at this time in your life when you would have lost all your teeth already and can't even chew your bacon anymore?
April 2, 2021
Since we'll be touring Duke's Newport Rhode Island mansion Rough Point on an upcoming trip to New England, I wanted to reacquaint myself with her story. I'm positive the guides will be leaving out MUCH of what appears in this biography. When I finished reading, I did some fact checking. It's clear Doris was very complicated, and some of the truth could only really known by Doris; however, one can draw lots of conclusions. I suppose I should be very grateful I'm not rich since it seems to bring countless challenges and parasites, but oh how I'd love to own a Renoir.
September 25, 2008
Who doesn't like rich salty broads? Doris Duke was definitely one of the richest and saltiest. The writing is not that great, but who cares when you have a caption like this: Porfirio Rubirosa possessed the Rolls-Royce of genitalia. Doris bought him for $1 million. The price might have been her life had the US government not intervened.
December 6, 2013
Really enjoyed the history of the Duke family in this book. I know she had two camels named baby and princess did not realize the names came from her friend Bromfield's two dogs Baby and Prince. I am very lucky to live near her estate in Hillsborough nj which was her main residence. I get to take walks there all the time.
October 14, 2019
I was curious about Doris Duke after visiting her Shangri-la in Honolulu. What a place! It is full of priceless Islamic art and fascinating from an architectural standpoint. If you ever get the chance to visit, do so, but know that you have to book a spot on the tour ahead of time. Moving on...
This read left me with mixed feelings. Much of the detail in Too Rich comes from Doris's nephew, Pony Duke, so there is plenty of inside poop. Jason Thomas's writing was somewhat annoying, with his (short) one sentence paragraphs and constantly referring to characters by their full names, long after we are well aware of who they are, including Doris. (This is the main reason I gave it two stars, and because the lurid nature of the story left a bad taste in mouth.) The book was written in the mid-1990s, just a few years after Doris had died, and much of the wrangling over her estate was still in progress. I had the sense that this book was written to tell the story from the Duke family's perspective, but that didn't get ladled on too heavily until the end.
Doris herself was an interesting personality. Having visited this beautiful home of hers, I had a hard time placing her personality into the middle of it. She was beyond rich, and Too Rich is probably an apt title, but she did not have a formal education, which was a chip on her shoulder. She did have the knowledge and means to collect some fabulous treasures, although I didn't get the sense that there was an academic interest in what she gathered. She loved to give money away, but only if it was her idea, i.e. if you asked, you probably wouldn't get it. She was incredibly sexually liberated for a woman in the first half of the 20th century, and there is a lot of emphasis on her quest for great sex. She wasn't above paying the right provider for his ongoing, unwavering attention. Doris's father taught her to "trust no one," which she took to heart, but as a result it sounds like she never truly loved anyone, and she was always under the assumption that those around her were only there for her money. The saying that money can not buy happiness resonates throughout this book and the details of the period leading up to her death are shocking.
This read left me with mixed feelings. Much of the detail in Too Rich comes from Doris's nephew, Pony Duke, so there is plenty of inside poop. Jason Thomas's writing was somewhat annoying, with his (short) one sentence paragraphs and constantly referring to characters by their full names, long after we are well aware of who they are, including Doris. (This is the main reason I gave it two stars, and because the lurid nature of the story left a bad taste in mouth.) The book was written in the mid-1990s, just a few years after Doris had died, and much of the wrangling over her estate was still in progress. I had the sense that this book was written to tell the story from the Duke family's perspective, but that didn't get ladled on too heavily until the end.
Doris herself was an interesting personality. Having visited this beautiful home of hers, I had a hard time placing her personality into the middle of it. She was beyond rich, and Too Rich is probably an apt title, but she did not have a formal education, which was a chip on her shoulder. She did have the knowledge and means to collect some fabulous treasures, although I didn't get the sense that there was an academic interest in what she gathered. She loved to give money away, but only if it was her idea, i.e. if you asked, you probably wouldn't get it. She was incredibly sexually liberated for a woman in the first half of the 20th century, and there is a lot of emphasis on her quest for great sex. She wasn't above paying the right provider for his ongoing, unwavering attention. Doris's father taught her to "trust no one," which she took to heart, but as a result it sounds like she never truly loved anyone, and she was always under the assumption that those around her were only there for her money. The saying that money can not buy happiness resonates throughout this book and the details of the period leading up to her death are shocking.
January 2, 2020
I saw a story on CBS Sunday Morning about Doris Duke's estate in Honolulu, Shangri La. I became curious and checked this book out. The writing isn't great. The author repeats himself several times throughout the book, which I found annoying. That being said, I found the story interesting. Doris Duke did not seem like a very nice person. However, she was not raised in a loving environment. Her father seemed to adore her, but he passed away when she was 12 years old leaving her the richest girl in the world. Her mother detested her and only wanted the fortune for herself and her son from a previous marriage. Doris was not raised to know love and to show it. She had no friends. As she matured, she bought people's affections. In her later years she surrounded herself with people who clearly did not have her best interests, only their own greed. It is impossible to relate to anything in this book, let alone to fathom the incredible wealth. The old adage "money can't buy happiness" comes to mind while reading this book.
December 16, 2020
Fascinating glimpse of one of the richest women in the world
There s ton of typos, repeated words, misspellings but if you can get past that, it was an interesting read. Would have liked more context around the times as the fact that Doris Duke was a woman who dated men of color is a huge deal back then . There is some references to how her family or society looked down on certain actions but given she was extremely famous and written about at that time would have liked to see what newspapers said and also more context about how unusual it was for a woman to be in control of her own for tune at that time. Also it was said she expanded and added to her wealth but how actively did she play a role in investment decions beyond buying art and artifacts. Most of the book had gossipy tone so I think there was more potential to do more with her story.
There s ton of typos, repeated words, misspellings but if you can get past that, it was an interesting read. Would have liked more context around the times as the fact that Doris Duke was a woman who dated men of color is a huge deal back then . There is some references to how her family or society looked down on certain actions but given she was extremely famous and written about at that time would have liked to see what newspapers said and also more context about how unusual it was for a woman to be in control of her own for tune at that time. Also it was said she expanded and added to her wealth but how actively did she play a role in investment decions beyond buying art and artifacts. Most of the book had gossipy tone so I think there was more potential to do more with her story.
August 8, 2023
Very gossipy and salacious. It’s hard to judge how accurate much of the gossip is, since Thomas seems to take such glee in anything even hinting at scandal. Book could have benefited from a strong editor: not only is it riddled with typos, certain chapters feel like they were written separately from the rest of the book. Commonly, a chapter will rehash info that has already been presented in a previous chapter. I take it as a book written for entertainment and gossip. I took it’s “honesty” with a big grain of salt.
November 16, 2020
This was a fascinating nonfiction read, spared a 5-star rating only by sparser information about her later life and a host of strange typos and spelling errors throughout the text. I would love to have better learned about her introduction to Chandi Heffner and Bernard Lafferty; I'm assuming this wasn't as detailed simply because she was so isolated at that period of her life and records and accounts aren't available. I still enjoyed it as a whole, though.
December 5, 2023
Id give this 3.5 stars if I could because I feel guilty saying I enjoyed it. I’m sure Doris Duke wouldn’t have expected this disloyalty from her nephew/godson, who slut shames her the further you read even though she doesn’t do anything her male relatives didn’t do. I read the book admiring Doris Duke for living her life on her own terms and I loved all the glamour and travel and men in her life and her secretive generosity.
January 25, 2019
When last in Honolulu, I visited the home of Doris Duke. She was once the richest woman in the world. The tour piqued my interest in this independent woman and I found the book, TOO RICH: The Family Secrets of Doris Duke. Based on recollections from her godson, I found the writing to be of the supermarket tabloid genre. Tawdry and cheap.
September 21, 2025
Fun but Not Firm
This was worth the time and money. It is a little graphic sexually and a lot of information. But the writer was not objective. His opinions were obvious. He stated things as fact that could've only been known by those present and never cited sources. Good book. Unreliable narrator.
This was worth the time and money. It is a little graphic sexually and a lot of information. But the writer was not objective. His opinions were obvious. He stated things as fact that could've only been known by those present and never cited sources. Good book. Unreliable narrator.
November 30, 2021
This is an eye opening account of a truly weird life of the unbelievable rich. It dragged a little for me in the middle, during the spy adventures, but all in allI think it was well written and very well researched.
August 31, 2019
Fascinating
January 25, 2024
I was interested in the story especially during the time. Some places felt like repetitive statements only making the book longer.
January 8, 2025
Entertaining but clearly published before the age of fact checking.
February 12, 2026
Non-stop interesting as applies to the history, the culture and the life of the wealthy in the early 1900's up to her death in 1993.
April 24, 2021
A definite page turner
Enjoyed this book twice!! (I read it many years ago too). It’s like peeking into a window of Doris Duke’s life. (Interesting, tragic, lonely) Very much the poor little rich girl.
Enjoyed this book twice!! (I read it many years ago too). It’s like peeking into a window of Doris Duke’s life. (Interesting, tragic, lonely) Very much the poor little rich girl.
May 18, 2024
amazing story
Fascinating life of the rich and famous not very well written but interesting enough to keep me wanting more. Rip Doris duke
Fascinating life of the rich and famous not very well written but interesting enough to keep me wanting more. Rip Doris duke
June 3, 2018
Interesting life!
This story just reiterates that money can not buy you happiness, love it youth! Would recommend this story to read!
This story just reiterates that money can not buy you happiness, love it youth! Would recommend this story to read!
February 9, 2017
DORIS DUKE BIOGRAPHY
When I grew up we lived very near Duke Farm in Somerville. At the time it was called the Duke Estate. She was often in residence. It was rumored that she had all these exotic animals roaming freely on the property. As teenagers, on a Saturday night it was popular to drive around the perimeter of the gated property looking for the animals. If you got out of the car and walked up to the fencing, immediately packs of snarling guard dogs followed by uniformed guards in Jeeps would come flying out of nowhere and tell you to scram fast. I always wondered what the mysterious Doris Duke was like. She is the epitome of the old saying that money can't buy happiness. She could have done so much more humanitarian work if she wasn't so self centered. She certainly squandered a lot of her fortune. And she was surrounded by a pack of vultures. Sad.
When I grew up we lived very near Duke Farm in Somerville. At the time it was called the Duke Estate. She was often in residence. It was rumored that she had all these exotic animals roaming freely on the property. As teenagers, on a Saturday night it was popular to drive around the perimeter of the gated property looking for the animals. If you got out of the car and walked up to the fencing, immediately packs of snarling guard dogs followed by uniformed guards in Jeeps would come flying out of nowhere and tell you to scram fast. I always wondered what the mysterious Doris Duke was like. She is the epitome of the old saying that money can't buy happiness. She could have done so much more humanitarian work if she wasn't so self centered. She certainly squandered a lot of her fortune. And she was surrounded by a pack of vultures. Sad.
April 6, 2013
I recently had the incredible experience of touring Shangri-La, the estate of Doris Duke while in Honolulu. Afterwards, I became intrigued by the 23 year old woman who created the breathtaking and idyllic estate to showcase her impressive collection of Islamic artifacts, so I decided to pick up this book to learn more about her. Left the "richest child in the world" at age 12 when her father died, Doris grew up extremely wealthy and isolated from society. She married a man twice her age at age 23 in what was basically an arrange marriage of wealth and convenience and embarked upon a trip around the world visiting many exotic places that only the truly wealthy could visit at that time. Upon her arrival in Hawaii, she fell in love, not only with the beautiful island, but with the unpretentious people and more than a few surfer boys. The book details "all the torrid details" of a life of extreme excess. I think it's safe to say that Doris Duke was eccentric and her family a bunch of kooks! Regardless, Doris Duke was extremely philanthropic and instrumental in the development of orchids, support of children and animals, preservation of Islamic and Asian art and an early conservationist. While the book was interesting, it also read like a gossip magazine and spent more time detailing her sexual escapades and bizarre relationships than providing information on the good things she did do. I'm glad I didn't read this book before I visited her estate, as I might have chosen not to go and missed an amazing off the beaten path experience.
May 23, 2021
This biography of the famously rich Doris Duke takes the reader from the beginnings of the Duke fortune, through the lonely childhood of Doris, concluding with her tragic and suspicious death. Doris' sordid sexual past, her obsessions with Eastern culture, her tragic miscarriage, lost loses, deaths of close friends, and preoccupation with staying young (at all cost) are all covered. We also learn of Doris' adoption of Chandi Heffner and the take-over of her life by butler, Duke Lafferty. The book ends with the question of the estate distribution which was still in doubt in 1996.
I will admit to buying in to the myth of Doris Duke as a crazy eccentric - having only been exposed to her through the TV movie. After reading the Barbara Hutton book, I get the feeling that all rich girls need are stronger parental role models and actual brains and instincts to ward-off the gold diggers and frauds. Doris actually was quite progressive for her time - and with a better self-image, probably would have done much more for the world. It is so sad how she had to spend her last years and how no one could rescue her.
A dramatic and fascinating life.
I will admit to buying in to the myth of Doris Duke as a crazy eccentric - having only been exposed to her through the TV movie. After reading the Barbara Hutton book, I get the feeling that all rich girls need are stronger parental role models and actual brains and instincts to ward-off the gold diggers and frauds. Doris actually was quite progressive for her time - and with a better self-image, probably would have done much more for the world. It is so sad how she had to spend her last years and how no one could rescue her.
A dramatic and fascinating life.
March 26, 2016
This is the fourth book I have read on Doris Duke since my Hawaii visit to Shangri-La, and by far the best. This one is written with some real insights as to Doris Duke's inner thoughts and behaviors; other books I have faulted for relying heavily on gossip and speculation. This book has the best writing of the four, and is written with a compassionate, if objective, perspective.
Duke was not a very nice person to those around her, but she also had moments of spectacular and quiet charitable instincts. She provided organs to many of the African American churches in America, and, upon dying, donated her homes and much of her invaluable art collection to the public.
She died isolated from her family and friends, surrounded by greedy doctors and servants. A sad death for a woman who had so much money she could buy anything and just about anyone she wanted.
Duke was not a very nice person to those around her, but she also had moments of spectacular and quiet charitable instincts. She provided organs to many of the African American churches in America, and, upon dying, donated her homes and much of her invaluable art collection to the public.
She died isolated from her family and friends, surrounded by greedy doctors and servants. A sad death for a woman who had so much money she could buy anything and just about anyone she wanted.
September 10, 2016
This was a wonderful biography on the mysterious, elusive Doris Duke. Miss.Duke truly was the "poor little rich girl." In some ways you really felt for her and even understood her actions and reasons. Her relative Pony Duke and Jason Thomas wrote the book and I feel that they did a wonderful job conveying Doris Duke as a real person, yes she was very wealthy, but she just wanted to be loved and to make connections with other people, but all they could see were dollar signs. Can you really blame her for coming off as cold and withdrawn? She led an extraordinary life and was a very generous woman, anonymously so as to not draw attention to herself. Loved this book! I could not put it down!
Read
July 16, 2008This is part of your family history. You should read this. The auther is "Pony Duke". I could write a book about HIM. I have been to the farm in Ohio where Doris lived with one of her lovers. I have also been to her house in Providence, RI where she lived right before she died. I never met her but I know the author pretty well. His father was ???? Biddle Duke and he was once ambassador to England. I'm sure there are books about him also. I have also been in the Biddle house in Ardsley, NY. I'm sure there are stories there too (about the Biddles and the Dukes' marriage mergers.
August 11, 2011
This book was just short of shocking. Let's say it was very surprising, but made sense given Doris Duke's sad upbringing and isolated life. Fascinating story. There was one tidbit that seemed implausible. The author told of Doris's father sending Baby Doris to Rough Point in Newport, RI, to escape an outbreak of some highly contagious disease in NYC. This could not have happened because he did not purchase Rough Point until several years later. This 'error' made me question the veracity of the rest of the story, but did not prevent me from devouring and enjoying it.
August 3, 2015
Four people in my family read this book in the same week. We all agreed it was not well written but we couldn't stop reading it. A greedier bunch of characters you will never meet! And what ways to waste money! Doris spent millions buying the historical artifacts from other countries and to what end? The family's responsibility was greatly minimized by blaming Doris as a way of excusing themselves. I tried to find out what happened after the events in the book but there is little to be found. A good, steamy, summer read with a most unsatisfying ending.
October 23, 2017
After a visit to Rough Point in Newport, I wanted to know more about the life of Doris Duke. This horribly written biography was not what I was expecting. Besides which it was published only shortly after her death when her will/trusts, etc. were still being contested. It would be wonderful if someone could write a new readable book about this amazing woman.
June 30, 2012
Possibly the saddest tale of the life [and death!] of one of the uber-rich!
The great challenge herein, is separating thr true from the imbellished/false. Written by her godson,there is certainly a vindictive undertone.
The great challenge herein, is separating thr true from the imbellished/false. Written by her godson,there is certainly a vindictive undertone.
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