The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed Paperback – October 9, 2001

I was mesmerized by page one. I was all in. It is a book I read after I saw the movie. They were quite similar. I believe Ridley Scott and the author of "House of Gucci" must have known the Gucci family. It was worthy of a Pulitzer and stayed for I think over many months on the NY Best Seller's List. The story was all too true. I read it in four days. An end to a family Dynasty, the end of a family, a dream, two men of vision. Aldo and Mauritizio, uncle and nephew had the brains. If only Mau's wife had left it alone none of the sorrow would have come. She didn't change, but Mauritizio did. His unfaithfulness caused a shift in his wife. She'd had a brain tumor, that was large and non-malignant. She was gorgeous, elegant, knew how to live well. She adored her daughters and loved Mauritizio almost to the exclusion of all. She could have been you. She could have been me at 24. Mauritizio owned half of Gucci and his actually gorgeous wife wanted him to do something spectacular with it. He didn't know how. His attorney did and Mauritizio (Mau Mau) was a dreamer with a vision. Just as his uncle Aldo had and built it and had designs upon it, but so did Mau's wife the gorgeous Patrizia Gucci. The movie was very similar to the book. Mauritzio changed so very much, but she grew hateful. In the end, she may as well have died. She died in her soul. Without Mauritizio her husband and friend, she had nothing to live for. They both tore everything down to nothing. No Gucci out of a hundred-year family-owned company sits on the Board or any store of their eponymous moniker. If you are looking for something fun this is not for you, if you want to see blood this is not for you. If you want to see something from the days of Cane and Abel within this book, then, this is for you. I read it thoroughly it will always live on. Perhaps in you, perhaps it happened already to me. I won't read this again, yes, Classic book again. It is too heartbreaking. God help Patrizio. I think her hell has been long enough. I felt horrible for her situation and his want from freedom to finally live on his own. He did not succeed. I am sure she still adores him. And Paola should thank God she is still alive oh where were her manners? In the dirt lying next to Mau Mau. Read it, a great classic book, kind of like Captain Ahab and the white whale. Instead of "Call me Ishmael" it is call me "Patrizia Gucci". I think the movie was as good as Gladiator whom Ridley Scott also directed. Del Sole the attorney Patrizia did not trust I have thoughts of his soul too. He had no right to cheat Mauritizio out and become CEO of Gucci, but the book is far kinder to him. I wonder how that part communicates with truth. I am no judge of souls.

This is a pretty long book that tells the whole story of the Gucci fashion empire. Beginning as a “Florentine mom-and-pop handbag shop” and growing to a global fashion brand name with over a billion dollars in sales of all kinds of leather goods, watches, and glasses in the late 1990s. A lot of it describes the brilliant approach to retail and craftsmanship among Gucci family members but there is also a lot of feuding and antics as the Guccis seemingly never got along for any length of time. Eventually they got involved with investors and what had been a family business for several generations ended up a public company with a lawyer, not a leather craftsman, for a CEO and Tom Ford designing red-hot fashions on the runways of Paris, Milan, and New York City. It’s just after that when the tawdry murder takes place that gives this book it’s eye-catching subtitle. Overall this is an interesting book that really takes an epic look at the way the fashion industry has evolved throughout the twentieth century, and there's quite a few digressions that are also of interest. Forden has done a ton of research, in particular interviewing seemingly pretty much everyone who was there from the family business era up through the more corporate times. The product of that research is a book about a fashion world legend packed with interesting characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I bought it because I learned that it was based on the Lady Gaga movie. Some reviews say that it was dry or had too much details. I actually enjoyed how it went into details. I didn't find it dry at all. It was very informative and would recommend it to everyone. It does get a little confusing at the beginning trying to remember the names of all the people. There's a page at the beginning of the book where it has a family tree. I would refer to that page many times.

The parts in between the meat of the story are boring, long winded, and VERY poorly written; the author somehow seems to have no voice. The editing is atrocious — as in, sometimes pronouns and verbs like is/are don’t agree, which is painful to read.I know I’ll like the movie better, and I won’t read another book by this author.

This is an amazingly detailed, perceptive, and engrossing read! I read it on a cross-country plane trip, and the hours literally flew by. Forden traces the history of the Gucci empire from its earliest beginnings to the present day. This history provides a context for the drama, upheaval, and legal battles that plagued the family in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Forden weaves the personal, public, and legal aspects of these battles in a seamless, cogent, and intelligent discussion. While it is a sensational story, Forden does a great job of getting to the facts that underly the disputes and presents them without fanfare - they speak for themselves.The photographs and family tree are great additions to this book. You'll need the family tree to keep track, and the photos make the story that much more real.Watching the characters' lives unfold was better than any soap opera, precisely because they are/were real people whose choices led them on a path of destruction. Even so, Forden's prose avoids the talk-show and tabloid cliches that have ruined many a biography.Finally, as an attorney, this book provided me with interesting insights into family legal battles and corporate organization.

The package was very terrible. The pages were kind of bent, but we can fix that! Got this book for my grandma because she wanted to read this forever! But I wish that the book pages wasn’t bent

Little difficult to read but probably my eyes! Still reading but like the book.

The movie was phenomenal but of course not fully accurate. Real life was much more bizarre! Very interesting, and I'm not someone into fashion.

I like this book as it is a good family history story and tragic endings

I gave this book to my father in law, and he really enjoyed it! He’s reading it for a second time.Has multiple facets of a rich dysfunctional family in the fashion industry.

I bought this book as I saw the movie but the movie portrays only a fraction of a very rich and eventful family story. Really interesting and at times rather sad to see such great business fall apart and the tragedy of it all.

N'ayant pas pu voir le film, je me suis rabattue sur le livre. Si tout ce qui est écrit est vrai, les aventures et malheurs de la famille Gucci illustrent bien que l'argent ne fait pas le bonheur, que ça peut être même carrément le contraire. Une très intéressante plongée dans le monde de la mode, du petit artisan de l'après-guerre à la structuration des grands groupes actuels. L'histoire de Patrizia et Maurizio Gucci n'est qu'une petite partie du livre et tant mieux, tant c'est sordide. Comme son nom l'indique, c'est l'histoire de la famille Gucci et franchement, on n'envie vraiment pas les super riches quand on a fini de le lire.

Very enjoyable book. A fascinating portrait of the Gucci family and of the events since the birth of the fashion and accessory house.