Bill Dedman introduced the public to heiress Huguette
Clark and her empty mansions through his compelling series of
narratives for NBC, which became the most popular feature in the
history of its news website, topping 110 million page views. He
received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting while
writing for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has written for
The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.
Paul Clark Newell, Jr., a cousin of Huguette Clark, has
researched the Clark family history for twenty years, sharing many
conversations with Huguette about her life and family. He received
a rare private tour of Bellosguardo, her mysterious estate
overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara.
“An amazing story of profligate wealth . . . an outsized tale of
rags-to-riches prosperity.”—The New York Times
“A fascinating investigation into the haunting true-life tale of
reclusive heiress Huguette Clark.”—People
“An exhaustively researched, well-written account . . . a
blood-boiling expose [that] will make you angry and will make you
sad.”—The Seattle Times
“An evocative and rollicking read, part social history, part
hothouse mystery, part grand guignol.”—The Daily Beast
“A childlike, self-exiled eccentric, [Huguette Clark] is the sort
of of subject susceptible to a biography of broad strokes, which
makes Empty Mansions, the first full-length account of her life,
impressive for its delicacy and depth.”—Town & Country
“One of those incredible stories that you didn’t even know existed.
It filled a void.”—Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
“So well written . . . such a gripping, gripping story.”—Bill
Goldstein, NBC 4 New York
“A compelling account of what happened to the Clark family and its
fortune . . . a tremendous feat.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“A fascinating story.”—Today
“Meticulous and absorbing.”—Bloomberg Businessweek
“Brilliantly researched, tough-minded, and fair . . . a fascinating
read.”—Santa Barbara Independent
“Riveting . . . deliciously scandalous . . . a thrilling study of
the responsibilities and privileges that come with great
wealth.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A spellbinding mystery.”—Booklist
“Enlightening.”—Library Journal
“Empty Mansions is a dazzlement and a wonder. Bill Dedman and Paul
Newell unravel a great character, Huguette Clark, a shy soul akin
to Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird—if Boo’s father had been as
rich as Rockefeller. This is an enchanting journey into the
mysteries of the mind, a true-to-life exploration of strangeness
and delight.”—Pat Conroy, author of The Death of Santini: The Story
of a Father and His Son
“Empty Mansions is at once an engrossing portrait of a forgotten
American heiress and a fascinating meditation on the crosswinds of
extreme wealth. Hugely entertaining and well researched, Empty
Mansions is a fabulous read.”—Amanda Foreman, author of A World on
Fire
“In Empty Mansions, a unique American character emerges from the
shadows. Through deep research and evocative writing, Bill Dedman
and Paul Clark Newell, Jr., have expertly captured the arc of
history covered by the remarkable Clark family, while solving a
deeply personal mystery of wealth and eccentricity.”—Jon Meacham,
author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
“Who knew? Though virtually unknown today, W. A. Clark was one of
the fifty richest Americans ever—copper baron, railroad builder,
art collector, U.S. senator, and world-class scoundrel. Yet his
daughter and heiress Huguette became a bizarre recluse. Empty
Mansions reveals this mysterious family in sumptuous detail.”—John
Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
“Empty Mansions is a mesmerizing tale that delivers all the
ingredients of a top-notch mystery novel. But there is nothing
fictional about this true, fully researched story of a fascinating
and reclusive woman from an era of fabulous American wealth. Empty
Mansions is a delicious read—once you start it, you will find it
hard to put down.”—Kate Alcott, bestselling author of The
Dressmaker
“More than a biography, more than a mystery, Empty Mansions is a
real-life American Bleak House, an arresting tale about misplaced
souls sketched on a canvas that stretches from coast to coast, from
riotous mining camps to the gilded dwellings of the very, very
rich.”—John A. Farrell, author of Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the
Damned
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