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generalheff's review against another edition
4.0
This book really knows how to start a biography of a larger-than-life character like Robert Maxwell. No lede about his childhood or early years in business, this book jumps almost to the end with his triumphant, bombastic entrance to New York and purchase of the Daily News - an epitomisation of his grandiloquence and vanity. After this perfectly pitched start - hardly a new technique, beginning near the end, but a well-executed one - the book pivots to his childhood and treads a more familiar, chronological beat.
And what a childhood it was: for a person born in the late 80s, I am only aware of Maxwell through references in programmes like early Have I Got News For You, or episodes of Drop the Dead Donkey. I knew about his publishing empire and egomania but I had no idea his story had such a humble and, at times, heroic start. Losing most of his family in concentration camps, he joined the war fighting the Nazis and seems to have had several miraculous escapes. He appears to have lied repeatedly about some of these escapades - and may have committed war crimes by executing a civilian mayor - but there is a surprising and seemingly indubitable bravery and courage at the centre of Maxwell's early life that I was totally unaware of.
Once the book enters his publishing-empire phase, it trips up slightly. The personal side - his wife, his many children, his home - are well covered. But his Pergamon period and various business ventures are not described with the same panache. A quick glance at John Preston's bibliography suggests business reporting is not his forte and that is evident here. I, first and foremost, read this book to gain a better understanding of the controversial businesses I've known about since I was a child. Yet I left without a particularly clear view of what was merely bluster and what he actually achieved - and he did appear to achieve something despite his bluster, such as putting scientists at the centre of his publishing efforts.
The book is on firmer ground discussing the thriller-esque nature of his death, falling off a yacht in mysterious circumstances. Reading this today - after Ghislaine Maxwell, the boat's namesake, has been sentenced for child sex trafficking - adds piquancy and relevance. The discussion of how Maxwell was, ultimately, buried in Israel against a tight deadline to comply with Israeli law and customs, is a particular standout. As is the description of the repeated, botched autopsies that mean we will never really know how he died.
All in all, this is a very well written book that starts with a bang and closes equally impressively. If only the business side of the story was handled with similar skill (a secondary author with a relevant background could have helped shore this up? then this would have been a first rate biography of a fascinating if incredibly flawed and mendacious man. Well worth a read for the curious, nevertheless.
And what a childhood it was: for a person born in the late 80s, I am only aware of Maxwell through references in programmes like early Have I Got News For You, or episodes of Drop the Dead Donkey. I knew about his publishing empire and egomania but I had no idea his story had such a humble and, at times, heroic start. Losing most of his family in concentration camps, he joined the war fighting the Nazis and seems to have had several miraculous escapes. He appears to have lied repeatedly about some of these escapades - and may have committed war crimes by executing a civilian mayor - but there is a surprising and seemingly indubitable bravery and courage at the centre of Maxwell's early life that I was totally unaware of.
Once the book enters his publishing-empire phase, it trips up slightly. The personal side - his wife, his many children, his home - are well covered. But his Pergamon period and various business ventures are not described with the same panache. A quick glance at John Preston's bibliography suggests business reporting is not his forte and that is evident here. I, first and foremost, read this book to gain a better understanding of the controversial businesses I've known about since I was a child. Yet I left without a particularly clear view of what was merely bluster and what he actually achieved - and he did appear to achieve something despite his bluster, such as putting scientists at the centre of his publishing efforts.
The book is on firmer ground discussing the thriller-esque nature of his death, falling off a yacht in mysterious circumstances. Reading this today - after Ghislaine Maxwell, the boat's namesake, has been sentenced for child sex trafficking - adds piquancy and relevance. The discussion of how Maxwell was, ultimately, buried in Israel against a tight deadline to comply with Israeli law and customs, is a particular standout. As is the description of the repeated, botched autopsies that mean we will never really know how he died.
All in all, this is a very well written book that starts with a bang and closes equally impressively. If only the business side of the story was handled with similar skill (a secondary author with a relevant background could have helped shore this up? then this would have been a first rate biography of a fascinating if incredibly flawed and mendacious man. Well worth a read for the curious, nevertheless.
ciarareads96's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't know anything about Robert Maxwell going into this and it still managed to grip me start to finish. A rollercoaster ride through the life (and death) of a mysterious man.
ichundelaine4711's review against another edition
The world doesn’t need another book about a despicable DUDE.
jbriaz's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Absolutely terrific from beginning to end. A real look into Maxwell’s life with every detail being used correctly and nothing extraneous.