Rating: 
Summary: If you've already read Just Desserts, skip this book
Review: Aside of the fact that this book just reiterates the content of Just Desserts, the author has no idea what it takes to run a company. While he writes criticaly of Martha's methods for getting things done, he forgets that if she did things the way he insinuates they should be done, she wouldn't be building a billion dollar empire. Self made millionaires are successful because they work effectively. Martha works effectively. Martha is a billionaire. He suggests that she would be "nicer" if she (for example) came to the set more prepared for her segments. If she did that, when would she have time to run her company? Another example: he reports Martha "demands" that her scripts for each tv segment be formatted consistently, and delivered to the same place in her office each time. He intimates this is unreasonable. I'd like to see how HE would cover all the ground Martha does, using HIS methods. If he were running a business he'd run it into the ground.This book is rediculous. I am ashamed I even read it.
Rating: 
Summary: It's OK. Just OK.
Review: The book was an interesting read, but that's about it. If you're looking for a book that shows the "insides" of her OmniMedia corporation, how the day to day operations work, how the corporation is structured, etc., you won't find it here. If you are looking for a tell-all book on Martha, the woman, you really won't find it here either. (I presume Just Desserts is more of that ilk, although I haven't read it.) Many parts of her personal life, like her relationship with the millionaire Microsoft exec or any major details of her relationship with her daughter are entirely absent. Instead what you get is kind of a amateur psychological overview detailing how Stewart's early childhood, specifically her relationship with her father, influenced the rest of her life, and more specifically how his behavior and treatment of others became her role model for dealing with everyone in her life. It's a cliche that anyone of average intelligence could come up with. Coupled with the author's constant psychoanalysing, throughout the book the author seems hell-bent on constantly reminding us she was this poor little girl from Nutley, NJ. The two themes end up being repeated again and again and become monotonous by the end. Enough already. We get the point. Perhaps Martha is just one-dimensional - a person with a sleep disorder and a job. And if we are to believe what's written here, that's pretty much her sole existence, aside from her constant reinventing of her past. And if that's the case, her efforts at creating the illusion of a deeper existence by appreciating the finer and simpler things in life is just that - an illusion. But the book doesn't really go much into Martha the human, but rather Martha the perception. We're reminded of her marriage, but details behind it, during it, and after it aren't really fleshed out, simply used as another point that Martha inherited her father's temperment. We don't learn much about her current relationship with her daughter nor do we really have a clue as to what the rest of Martha's siblings do, other than a few work for her, and one hates her. Instead most of what we get are details from one of her former friends who seemed more co-dependent and willing to subject herself to the Martha-rath. What is interesting however, in the book, is a pattern that evolves painting (although I believe unintentionally so) Stewart not as a real revolutionary with determined passion for bringing civility to a world spinning out of control, but rather someone who blindly fell into luck and whose fortune was not so much "made" by her, but rather invented by others. Examples such as her Kmart deal, her first book deal and the fact she didn't even write the book herself, etc. go to show that Martha not only didn't come up with these ideas, but barely was able to do the tasks required, or even negotiate the deals to her benefit. Instead, we learn, had it not been for her husband, or a whole cast of smarter characters, Martha most likely would still be making pies and catering Westport wingdings. For me, these facts proved most the most fascinating piece of the book. ... I don't love or hate Martha Stewart. But I am intrigued by her success. To that end, this book set out to explain how she came about such success. So anyone looking for a glimpse, not a detailed analysis of Martha's rise, will find the book at least entertaining. The author did research his topic and I certainly feel the information is accurate. But those who want more of Martha, won't get it here. And those who want a book more about the innerworkings and dealings of OmniMedia written with more than a pop-psychology, damsel in distress tone will be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Page-turner, but I want more!
Review: Finished this one last night, and find myself on-line trying to find "Just Desserts". One the one hand, I LOVE the dish, but as a business person, I find it absolutely incredible that she has managed to pull this off. Jiminy Christmas, she must be exhausted, lonely, and totally crazed from this journey. That however, does not give her the right to back her Suburban into people. I for one, am done with the whole "Martha" thing. I used to subscribe to the magazine, but eventually found it going unread, as the recipes and crafts were just too time consuming. If there was a "Martha in a Minute", I'd probably be a subscriber, and can't find the desire or time, to actually do anything she suggests, unless it's for a special occasion. The woman definitely has the Midas touch though, just yesterday I saw her on TV taking an entire show to talk about adding a row of crown moulding to a bookcase, and that if you laid your books down on the shelf you could end up with more space. Whoa, how does this happen! It is an interesting book, but in the end predictable. And yes, I'm one of the people who wonder how interesting we'd find her foibles if she were a man who'd clawed his way to the top.
Rating: 
Summary: Some ambivalence
Review: It is obvious that Christopher Byron admires Martha Stewart's business acumen and he does a great job of explaining how she got where she is today. It is amazing, for example, that Martha was initially hired to promote K-Mart---Byron shows how K-Mart ended up promoting Martha! She is one savvy businessperson, but like many others, she has done a lot of damage on her way to the top. In that way, she does not differ from men. But I wonder if she would be of so much interest were she not a woman? Since Byron is an admirer, I think that I viewed what he wrote about Martha's character and personality as fairly valid. The source notes in the appendix at the end seemed very thorough. Not much was really a surprise to me, because in the past I had read so many items with reports of her strange and sometimes bizarre behavior. He also explains one of the ways Martha manages to do so much---her "maintainers freed her from the chore of actually being the person she claimed to be". According to Byron, "her personal behavior became the elephant in the room that no one wanted to discuss". I think that the dichotomy Byron was trying to get across is the difference between the Martha persona we see in her publications and on television compared to the real Martha, who is rude, foul-mouthed, manipulative, and very uncaring. I had sensed phoniness when I watched her shows when she had younger people on--her nieces,etc. She just seemed so ill-at-ease with them. Everyone has had bad neighbors in their life....but the neighbors of Martha's in Westport sure got the prize. She flouted the zoning laws as though they were made for everyone BUT her. Some of the stories, well-documented, are just awful: during her divorce, she went to her husband's office several times, screaming and causing a ruckus; the airplane incident when she threw a fit when someone would not change seats and a flight attendant had to move her; the way she managed to get an offsetting charitable deduction for herself for an event that was billed as a benefit for a Paul Newman charity - and she refused to give an accounting; her public humiliation of her husband during the course of their marriage...it goes on and on. I thought that Byron's historical references throughout the book were awkward and unnecessary (as when he talks about the protests in Poland led by Lech Walesa in the context of Martha preparing a catered event for 1500 people). I also think that the book could have been more sequential...there seemed to be a lot of back-and-forth repetition of facts. All in all, though, this was an enjoyable page-turner of a book!
Rating:
Summary: A Summary of Martha's Marketed Image vs. Martha in Real Life
Review: Christopher Byron shows that while Martha may be all about "fly-over America" values and sweet and genteel on TV, but when dealing with her employees and even other corporate and celebrity figures, she is downright nasty. I must admit, I had never heard of Chris Byron before this book, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Seeing as how this book is listed as "business history" I did expect some implied admiration for Martha's ability to make a pile of money. But though this admiration is implied it is tempered with insights on how the "other" Martha acted when the camera's stopped rolling and she displayed her true colors. Byron also analyzes her childhood growing up in working-class New jersey and her dominating, unhappy father as her greatest role model that she subconciously emulates with her dealings with those around her. Byron does a good job chronicaling Martha's formulative years and keeps things rolling along crisply in his doucumentations of Martha and her maneuverings in the business world. I found out a lot of information about Stewart I had never heard of before, not that I paid attention. Martha's curse is her inability to be civil to those around her. She had lots of business smarts and great luck with her marketing herself in sweetheart deals, but this plus her unreconciled childhood feelings kept her from forming any true deep relationship with anyone in her life. Well, that's all I really got out of this book. It's a breeze to read and has some funny moments. In the end, though, you feel bad for Martha because even with her empire, estates, and experiences, she still doesn't seem to be happy or fulfilled by any of it.
Rating:
Summary: A Side of Martha we don't see on TV.
Review: This book gives you alot of insite as to the "Real Martha". Anyone who is a fan of her television shows, this is a must read.
It takes you from her childhood thru becoming a household name.
The Author Mr. Byron is fantastic. He leaves no stone, good or bad, unturned.
Rating:
Summary: Exploiting a topic
Review: Putting aside the fact that I'm not a Martha fan, this book is truly disappointing. It has no idea or style; it only has a topic. The book is badly researched (based on a handful of Martha's former friends and neighbors turned foes). In an attempt to "explain" pure luck and dogged will, the book dwells excessively on (nonessential for the book) issues and events such as demographic trends and world events. Two or three ideas are repeatedly recycled to fill in about a dozen chapters. The author persistently tries to relate to Martha throughout the book and with the very publishing of the book, but fails. The amount of Westport gossip is incredibly overdosed, even accounting for the tastes of readers that had bought a Martha book.
Rating:
Summary: The Selling of Martha.
Review: As an upfront admission, I've never been a fan of Martha Stewart, the person. However, I have marveled at how she and/or her advisors have taken Martha Stewart, the businesswoman, and spun her name into one of the most recognized, adored and deplored names in business today. When I saw the opportunity to glean some insight into this current Leviathan, I jumped at the chance. And, while aware that Christopher Byron had penned the "unauthorized" version of Ms. Stewart's biography, I felt certain the book would provide some reasonably honest insight into her psyche, intellect, talent and motivation. I wasn't disappointed. MARTHA INC. describes Ms. Stewart as a tireless businesswoman who "plays the role" rather than living the role. More to the point, Byron goes on to claim that Ms. Stewart has built an empire on the middle class while personally pining for upper class recognition. Mr. Byron loses me here as my interest in this story rests solidly with the philosophies and methodologies behind her meteoric rise, not her politics. Regardless, Byron paints a mixed picture and, in this reviewers opinion, attempts to blow the top off the proverbial can with this expose. As an example, Byron portrays Ms. Stewart as the Ice Queen who literally drove her husband out of their waning marriage not to mention her outright autocratic attitude toward employees AND friends. Surprising? Not really. Mr. Byron has Ms. Stewart as a bellicose brute focused on one thing: Whatever is good for Martha. While this may hold some truth, I suspect we are seeing one reason this biography was unauthorized. On the other hand, it is quite obvious that Mr. Byron is quite adroit at what he does. He quite poignantly offers the reader the striking opinion that some of the personal scrutiny endured by Ms. Stewart arises directly from the fact that she is the CEO of a publicly traded company whose principal asset is, in fact, its CEO! In the era of big business selling conglomerated product lines and hard tangible assets, Ms. Stewart's company MUST sell her to be successful and there is no one better at it than Ms. Stewart herself. Lets face it, most of the items sold by Ms. Stewart's company wouldn't sell without Ms. Stewart pitching it. Mr. Byron presents some fact and some fiction (no doubt) relative to his tale of Ms. Stewart's business career. Obviously, along the successful path of any entrepreneur, feathers will be ruffled. Mr. Byron has ensured that any reader of MARTHA INC. will take away the experience that Ms. Stewart has ruffled many feathers in her tenure. That as it may be, this book provides a reasonable amount of insight into Ms. Stewart, the woman AND Ms. Stewart, the businesswoman. A decent read all-in-all.
Rating:
Summary: MARTHA INC. DELIVERS!
Review: I bought this book not knowing alot about Martha Stewart's life. As a professional women, I've always held her in high regard for her achievements. I remember seeing a great deal of press the day her company went public and thought "good for her". Now I know alot more. I thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Byron's new book. In fact, I read the book in about 3 days. His storytelling style, along with some great research and humor is just terrific. You may or may not like Martha Stewart but you will certainly enjoy reading about this complex person and business. Read it and recommend it to a friend. I've already had several discussions with people who've read it but may or may not agree with my view. I found the conversation to be fantastic and says alot about the times we live in.
Rating:
Summary: Martha Envy
Review: Ms. Stewart is a smart cookie and not just the baker of the "Cookie of the Month," as many somehow believe. Were her name Mark Stewart instead of Martha Stewart, her extraordinary success would be trumpeted as a model for American perserverance and accomplishment. Instead, her life is gossiped and conjectured about mostly by men and a few women. What isn't mentioned in any discussion I've read about her success is the fact her TV program and magazine is about empowering ordinary people by deconstructing apparently complicated and intimidating tasks. If Martha can do it, then so can we. Props to you Martha, you're the best!
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