This is the story of Hugette Clark, sole surviving child of copper-baron W. H. Clark. While unknown to most, she was perhaps the wealthiest woman in the world. She passed away just 2 weeks shy of her 105th birthday. I really liked this book, especially because it spanned the life of her father as well as Hugette, so you came to know where the family's wealth started. The book affords a glimpse into the life of the rich and famous (and not-so-famous) in vivid detail. I closed the book not knowing whether to feel pity for Hugette that she lived such a recluse life or be glad that she lived the life she wanted and chose (IF that is the life she actually wanted). It was an interesting story with gift amounts, monthly living expense amounts and donation amounts that were mind boggling. What was more mind boggling was the length of her life and all of the technology she must have witnessed in nearly 105 years. I am intrigued by her life, her story and am determined now to watch for the outcome of her estate settlement. The rhythm of the book was a bit choppy, moving around from time to time and there appeared to many stories that got repeated, but all in all it was a very informative story describing a life that few of us will every know or understand. It must be a good book if it leaves you wanting more or spurs a desire to research the subject more in-depth.

It made he feel sorry for Huguette how she had the wealth and tho she was content in her long life, I sense that she lived a very sad and lonely life

Reading Bill Dedman and Paul Newell's book will at once haunt, mesmerize and perplex you. The main character, Huguette Clark, was rich beyond most rich and yet revered her privacy more than others of her class. The story talks about her life, loves, hobbies, her many homes that lay empty with full time caretakers and the fascinating stories that go along with all of them. A great group discussion book because it provides many thought-provoking ideas about what wealth can do to people, her intentions about where her money should go after she died, and what actually happened to it.

great book

Fascinating story - but frustrating at times and a bit drawn out.

Story of a man who worked his entire lifetime to amass a fabulous fortune, being one of the richest men in the country. Most of the book deals with how that fortune was spent, and in some cases, misspent when it was controlled by his reclusive daughter. Well researched and contains many accurate historical facts.

We found this book to be informative and interesting, how come we have not heard of this family before? The history of the political side and W.A.'s involvement was fascinating. We would have liked to know more about Huguette.

A definitive recounting of a remarkable family.

Very well researched account of Huguette Clark and her father's lives. Self made "Copper King" miner, W. A. Clark amassed a huge fortune, which is left to his daughter, Huguette, who becomes reclusive and rather eccentric. She has mansions that she hasn't been to for over 40 years, but still maintains a staff and keeps it ready in case she wants to visit. She has an apartment full of dolls and dollhouses, and lives her last 20 years in a hospital, even though her health is fine.

When Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly sixty years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the nineteenth century with a twenty-first-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, and Connecticut, why had she lived for twenty years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing her money?

very interesting book about the super rich. who has three homes and hasn't lived in them for decades. stories like this are sometime boring to read but the author makes it very interesting, keeps chapters short and doesn't go into a lot of unnecessary detail . Unbelievable to think that this is a true story. Good read.
not necessarily a great book for book clubs