Rating: 
Summary: Finally, a more balanced look at Ms. Martha.
Review: Unlike the more recent "biography" books about Martha Stewart (see Jerry Oppenheimar's Just Deserts), this isn't simple an exploitative, mean spirited hatchet job. In Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Christopher M. Byron makes an effort to be at least somewhat balanced about the lady. True, he does dwell on the negatives, but at least some positives are considered.What seems clear is that Ms. Stewart is no longer a pleasant middle class housewife-is this really so surprising? The woman leads the largest Woman run media empire in America. When would she have time to be average anything? And, since when are corporate titans nice guys? Michael Eisner at Disney may project warm fuzzies out the wazzou on camera-it's clear from what's been writtten it's s different story when the camera is pointed elsewhere. Is that OK for a man nut unacceptable for a woman? Puh-leeeeease! Of course, it's starting to become clear that Ms. Martha may never have been pleasant, even when she undeniably was a middle class house wife. There appears to be a mean streak there that is congenital-maybe that's what you need to be like to make it to the top, but it's not necessarily a hatchet job when you point out the truth. And what is the truth according to Byron? That Martha is a very successful gal-bydint of very hard and ceaseless work. That such hard work took a major toll on her private life (Gee, another surprise, eh?) and some of those left behind don't remember her fondly. The truth also is that Martha saw-and exploited-the available synergies between print, media and internet well before anyone else did-and has done so at a level few others have approached(Looked at the value-using that word loosely-of AOL/Time Warner stock lately? Where has integrated media gotten them?) In other words, the woman was a visionary, something Byron makes clear. The writing is OK-nothing special. And the balance-while better then most-still is lacking. But this is probably the best look at Martha out there, and is probably more honest and balalced than her own planned memoir will be. If you're interested in Martha, this is the book to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Major Inconsistencies
Review: This book claims to get to the heart of Martha Stewart, and tell us why she is who she is; unless Christopher Byron is a mind reader he cannot do that, only Martha knows what she is thinking and feeling. Almost everything in this book has been published before in newspapers and magazines there is really nothing that hasn't been heard before. There are so many inconsistencies in this book that it is hard to tell fact from fiction. The book says that Martha said she and husband Andy didn't have more children because cancer treatment had left him sterile. I went to the library and read a copy of the now infamous McCall's interview, all Martha said was "my husband had cancer, and I didn't want to adopt", nothing was said about him being sterile, I took her statement to mean it wouldn't be a good idea to have a baby while her husband was fighting cancer. In the McCall's interview Martha goes on to say she wishes she would have adopted or had more children which she has done in other interviews like O Magazine Sept. 2000 "my only regret is that I don't have more children", yet Mr. Byron claims Martha didn't want children and had no place for them in her life. Byron goes over the top by saying Martha had a hysterectomy because she didn't want children, in the early 80's it was almost unheard of for a women in her 40's to have a baby so for Mr. Byron to imply that a woman would want to go through the pain of a hysterectomy is simply asinine.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheap Shots, Sour Grapes.
Review: I read this book because my wife had it around. It is very light reading, I finished it in a couple of hours, and as I went along, I found myself getting increasingly annoyed. First of all, the book is essentially a rehash of the other scandal biography written about Martha Stewart (my wife had that one too). So there's the story of the busted marriage (big deal), which seems to have been written entirely (and dishonestly) from hubby's point of view. There's the story of Martha's brilliant out-maneuvering of corporate Big Feet at Time Warner and NBC and KMart, which is interesting, but is couched in grudging terms. Lost in the book is any kind of perspective. The sources for the book all seem to be disgruntled enemies (an unemployed freelance writer who helped Martha write an early cookbook and then expected 50% of every dollar to come, for example.) And so on. The book is unbelievably cheese-y for a writer of Byron's reputation and I am saying this as someone with no particular fondness for Ms. Stewart. Some will say that the book is sexist on its face: that he trashes her personally in a way he would never write about a man (Jack Welch, say, or Ted Turner, or, God forbid, the horrible Rupert Murdoch.) And there is something to that, certainly. But I think something more pernicious and more dishonorable is at work her besides patriarchal condescension and sexist double standardizing. And that is that an honest, even handed profile of Ms. Stewart, one that does not manipulate the facts to cast her as a humorless ogress would not sell nearly as well as a crummy 'warts and all' scandal bio. It's garbage, ladies. Don't reward this jackal.
Rating:
Summary: scathing and unfair
Review: Mr. Byron had an agenda from the start, and it shows! Time and again I found myself asking,"How do I know this is true? Where is the quote from the person who allegedly said or thought that?" Mr Byron also says things that can be disproved within the text of his own book. For example, on page 65, he writes, "Then without discussing the matter in any way,(how does Mr. Byron know this?) they [Martha and Andy] instinctively assumed the pose that seemed to define the whole trip-indeed, the emerging new relationship between them in which so much was changing: Andy leaned against the side of the rock, shoulders hunched forward looking at his feet...Martha stood above him on the rock, oblivious to his presence, (how does Mr. Byron know this?)her eyes locked on the far horizon, focused on something that apparently only she could see." Any reader can see for himself that what was written in that paragraph is not true, simply by viewing the picture for himself. The picture is printed, along with others, and it clearly shows:1 that Andy is not looking at his feet, but that he is the one seemingly looking out onto the horizon, and, 2 that Martha is looking at the person taking the picture, as even through her sunglasses, one can make out her eyes, and they are focused on the camera. Mr. Byron wrote a book that, in my opinion, is pure drivel, and I am ashamed to have bought it. I wish I could get my money back. His words cannot be trusted as truth.
Rating:
Summary: Where is she NOW?
Review: Lacks the recent happenings of Martha and her empire. Kudos for the research involved, but perhaps it could have been spent on bringing the reader to where she is now and where she may go. Is it true that Byron was turned down by Martha to write this book?
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping!
Review: Byron's research is obviously exhaustive; his explanations of the business side of things are clear and accurate; but most importantly, his insights into the business mind and ambition of Martha herself are fascinating. I have stayed up entirely too late the past three nights reading this book! But it was worth it. An unusually interesting book for a business biography.
Rating:
Summary: Read it in one weekend!
Review: My eyes hurt from eyestrain and I didn't get a lot of chores done, but boy, was it worth it. I had read Jerry Oppenheimer's book several years ago and enjoyed it. I thought this new book from a business viewpoint might be a bit dull, but no way! The author is very talented at imparting "hard" news in a very funny way. I especially liked the quote about Martha's perpetual motion leaving "skid marks all over town." I feel sorry for Martha and her apparent inability to kick back and simply enjoy life but now understand better what made her this way. The person I feel the most sympathy for is her daughter, who was pretty much ignored by both parents.
Rating:
Summary: If Knowing Martha is Important to You
Review: If knowing Martha is important to you, then "Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia" by might be for you. In an age in which traditional home living has been discarded, Stewart found that there is still a significant market for her ideas. She found that, if by savvy and pluck, she could present herself as an authority in all things home, and make a fortune doing so. Byron does not tear her apart. He might've. This is not expose so much as it is a presentation. While it is an unauthorized bio, he enjoyed great cooperation. Fans of Stewart this will not be shaken, nor will cynics be fed a lot of information not already available. Her failed marriage will hardly prop her high on the Susie Homemaker list, but, in turn, she is presented as the perfect modern woman... high-powered, in charge, yet talking about baked bread and flower arrangements. For a relatively thorough and honest look at Martha Stewart, I fully recommend "Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia" by Christopher M. Byron. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: A must read for all Martha fans
Review: This is a fascinating and well researched book about Martha's amazing business acumen, and how she has packaged herself as a unique American icon.
Rating:
Summary: ITS ENQUIRE WANNA BE
Review: I thought I was buying a book about Martha and how she started the company, Omnimedia..this book should be on the shelf next to the Enquire because it reads like one of those full-of-dung news magazines. According to Christopher Byron, (whom by the way was turned down by Martha to write this book) Martha Stewart has not done anything good her entire life...He goes more into the detail of what her martha-wannabe ex-friends think after she dumps them...This is very poorly written book, don't waste your money if you are a fan of hers and want to know more about the company she established.
| 
