<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Money and Power Prevail
Review: Alred Bloomingdale was a rich, powerful man. He was part of Ronald Reagan's "kitchen cabinet." Vicki Morgan was a poor, confused teenager and unwed mother. At 17, impressed with Bloomingdale's money and power, Vicki became Alfred's mistress. Their relationship lasted 13 years and was more than sex. It was Alfred's wish that Vicki be "taken care of" and he signed papers guaranteeing her a sum of money for a specified period of time. After his death, his wife Betsy, cut off the payments. This set in motion events which would lead to Vicki's brutal murder. This book tells of their relationship from Vicki's point of view. It details the sado-masochistic parties, orgies and prostitutes that Alfred's money bought. I enjoyed this book. I always believed that money enabled people to get away with many things that us normal, middle class people would be prosecuted for; this book confirms that. Whether you believe that Vicki was a tramp who took advantage of Alfred, or a confused girl who was taken advantage of by a rich, old man with bizarre sexual proclivities, Vicki certainly did not deserve to be beaten to death with a baseball bat.
Rating: 
Summary: POWER, SEX AND MONEY
Review: Power, Sex and Money
I was totally caught up in this true tale of a naive and beautiful young woman, trapped in a world where power, sex and money reign. As the mistress to Alfred Bloomingdale, the department store heir and member of the kitchen cabinet, Vicki Morgan lived a life that few can imagine...a wild and ultimately tragic journey that ended in her brutal murder. What I loved about this book was its unwillingness to rely on predictable cliche. The author's insight sheds new light on a very old subject -- sex and power. The writing is personal, intimate, at times humorous and always engaging. If this book were published today, it would be a bestseller
Rating:
Summary: POWER, SEX AND MONEY
Review: this book was very moving. the story of a mistress, who never can seem to find her way, but found love in a married man. the author got to knew vicki before her murder and this gives us great insight into her thoughts and feelings. i highly recommend this book, a great read from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: TRUE STORY
Review: this book was very moving. the story of a mistress, who never can seem to find her way, but found love in a married man. the author got to knew vicki before her murder and this gives us great insight into her thoughts and feelings. i highly recommend this book, a great read from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: A Pretty Girl Gone Wrong
Review: This is absolutely one of the wildest biographies I have ever read. If it wasn't true it would make great fiction, right up there with the sexy potboilers and confessionals I so love to read. This is the story of Vicki Morgan, longtime mistress to Alfred Bloomingdale, and the loved they shared, a strange and crazy kind of love that would lead to their mutual destruction. Here he was, scion of Bloomingdales Department Store, industrial magnate and member of Ronald Reagan's kitchen cabinet; and here she was a naive but gorgeous small town girl come to the big city. This book has an epic sweep as Vicki Morgan, in a vain attempt to escape the married Bloomingdale, encounters a series of adventures with some of the world's most wealthy and powerful men. And women. It is not a tale for the faint hearted, but there are strong moral lessons--mainly there is a steep price for the glamour and the money men give for sexual favors. The story is told from the author's point of view. He spent nine months with Vicki Morgan and was one of the last people to see her alive. The author, Gordon Basichis, gives us intimate insight into the making of a wordly rich girl who knows how to manipulate men for money, only to be trapped in the game she has profited by for so many years. Through the seventies and into the eighties she was getting at least a quarter millon dollars from these different lovers. It's rare that I find a book so compelling. I love how the story describes the high life of power and money while showing, also, how this glitzy path leads to destruction and, in this case, murder. This was truly one of a kind.
Rating:
Summary: A Pretty Girl Gone Wrong
Review: This is absolutely one of the wildest biographies I have ever read. If it wasn't true it would make great fiction, right up there with the sexy potboilers and confessionals I so love to read. This is the story of Vicki Morgan, longtime mistress to Alfred Bloomingdale, and the loved they shared, a strange and crazy kind of love that would lead to their mutual destruction. Here he was, scion of Bloomingdales Department Store, industrial magnate and member of Ronald Reagan's kitchen cabinet; and here she was a naive but gorgeous small town girl come to the big city. This book has an epic sweep as Vicki Morgan, in a vain attempt to escape the married Bloomingdale, encounters a series of adventures with some of the world's most wealthy and powerful men. And women. It is not a tale for the faint hearted, but there are strong moral lessons--mainly there is a steep price for the glamour and the money men give for sexual favors. The story is told from the author's point of view. He spent nine months with Vicki Morgan and was one of the last people to see her alive. The author, Gordon Basichis, gives us intimate insight into the making of a wordly rich girl who knows how to manipulate men for money, only to be trapped in the game she has profited by for so many years. Through the seventies and into the eighties she was getting at least a quarter millon dollars from these different lovers. It's rare that I find a book so compelling. I love how the story describes the high life of power and money while showing, also, how this glitzy path leads to destruction and, in this case, murder. This was truly one of a kind.
Rating: 
Summary: The Romances of a Poor Girl
Review: Young Vicki Morgan wanted to escape from her working-class surroundings in the Valley. She was exceptionally pretty, shrewd, and had native intelligence. Her charms attracted rich and powerful men who catered to her desires. Yet she became another victim trapped by greed and exploitation. Beauty does not trump class distinctions (p.7). Vicki lived fast and died young. The author compares her to Dorothy Stratten, Colleen Applegate, and Edie Sedgewick. Vicki got close enough to corporate rulers and political leaders. Did she know too much and become a threat to the established order (p.8)? Did Vicki's absent father affect her interest in older men? This book lacks a table of contents and an index.
After Vicki sued Alfred Bloomingdale, the tawdry sex life of this intimate adviser to Ronald Reagan was exposed. The author was introduced to Vicki by a movie producer, and began talks to produce a book. Vicki met Alfred Bloomingdale at 17 and became his kept mistress; she then learned the manners and morals of the upper class. Alfred Bloomingdale was a member of Ronald Reagan's kitchen cabinet. He was a co-founder of Diner's Club; personal information about the lives of the rich and famous were useful to intelligence services (p.41). Alfred Bloomingdale could have been a perfect case study for psychiatrists (pp.66-67). Alfred had the money and power to indulge his whims (p.60). Vicki stayed with him because she needed money to raise her son (p.63). But her spending habits suggest she considered it something to get rid of as fast as she got it (pp.81-82).
Vicki tried living with other men, but always came back to Alfred Bloomingdale. After he died, Vicki was left with nothing but shame and despair (p.87). When Betsy saw Alfred and Vicki together, she ended the affair (pp.110-103). Alfred gave Vicki a settlement. The rest of the book tells of Vicki's continued used of drugs and the ensuing decadence. The last 100 pages are a sort of low-key horror story that lead to Vicki's death. President Reagan appointed Alfred Bloomingdale to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board; what kind of pay-off was this? Vicki's suit against Betsy created a scandal, and her friends departed. Needing money, Vicki took in Marvin Pancoast to pay expenses. But she had been warned against him! One night Marvin turned on Vicki and killed her. This book could serve as a warning to teenagers, but those who could benefit probably won't read it.
<< 1 >>
| 
