Onassis: An Extravagant Life

This book reads well. The style is clear and interesting. I skipped over many pages, but that is a personal preference that many people will not choose to copy.The author describes with loving care every detail of the decor of Onassis' yacht. I doubt that any yacht has ever had so large a part of a biography dedicated to it.However, midway through the book there is a long discussion of Aristotle Onassis' fascination with whaling. He liked to point out to guests that the barstools on his yacht were upholstered in the foreskins of whales. His whaling ships killed hundreds, probably thousands, of these highly intelligent beings that have never preyed on the human race. My respect for him plummeted then and there.His slavish adoration of a moron like Winston Churchill is just one more indication of his worship of the British upper classes and of his slobbering need for their approval.How surprised he must have been when he discovered that Death would not give him a pass despite his unimaginable wealth. Apparently no one had ever told him that the human race is just a descendant of a tribe of lowland chimpanzees.

Lacked a lot of details on his life .. his terrible treatment of his daughter and also it was he whomade Monaco ... it was bankrupt until he came along and also introduced it to the big stars ofHollywood .. it was even said it was he who introduced Grace Kelly to the Prince .. she an American\heiress as well as film star .. I was surprised to learn how well he and Jackie got along .. theperception has been she only married him for the money and privacy he could provide ... but herewe see she really cared about him.

This book was an easy read with a good deal of content about the life and business ventures of Aristotle Onassis. I've read several books on Mr. Onassis, and this was one of the best. Besides his amazing intellect, business acumen and lust for living, I was especially impressed by his adoration of Winston Churchill. Onassis was a force of nature and he lived life on his terms. I highly recommend this book.

A very interesting and complex man. I knew very little about Onassis but found this book so well written that I now feel I know the 'man' not just his money making ventures. He was strong-willed, very competitive and highly intelligent. None of his wealth was inherited and although some of his dealing may have been 'shady' he was truly a self-made man. Although he had money to buy everything he desired, I don't think he had much happiness in his life

Laying aside the bad reputation this man had almost all his life, he was an extraordinary person. This story tells of his very sad, rough and at times demeaning childhood. Onassis dragged himself up by the bootstraps, an inch at a time and earned his wealth (none of it was inherited). He had a mind like a trap but was also highly emotional about certain things in his life. Marrying Jackie was a power play and revenge, which he fairly quickly wanted out of. For all his wealth, he had very few really happy times in his life. Fascinating.

Enjoyable read following the life & times of this 20th century iconWe learn about his upbringing, his talent to make million, his fascination with some of the worlds most beautiful women, his friendship with Winston Churchill along with his many business deals & those he clashed with. Wealth such as he possessed can barely be imagined.

I loved the book. Well written and so interesting. Even though I knew what I thought was a lot about him. I was really amazed at his early life and struggles he and his family faced against the Turks. He really was a very forward thinking man and of course very wiley and conniving in business. He was a very complex man with many sides to him.

Hard to write 20 words for any of these reviews. I would write more reviews if there wasn’t this annoying 20 word requirement. The book is good, but not great. Poor Jackie always presented as the villain. Hard to believe Onassis is “gentle”

I read this "book" in an hour, which is about 50 minutes longer than it took the author to write it. Very disappointing because the author , Frank Brady, is capable of writing decent stuff. Don't waste your money buying this title.

very good book-it 's written in a neutral way so that you can draw your own conclusions-full of facts of an era gone-by-strongly recommend

What a wheeler and dealer! Very interesting man and book.

A man always made sure he was a winner, unfortunately, you cannot buy love.......biggest mistake of his life........when he married, weAll know the answere......

An interesting book, very detailed about his life, but I would have liked more about his relationship with Maria Callas after his marriage to Jackie.