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Title: Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia by Christopher M. Byron ISBN: 0-471-42958-9 Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: 08 April, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.29 (101 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Just Desserts Is Better
Comment: Martha Inc. is a balanced biography of Martha Stewart, but short on recent details. I was hoping to read more about her life after she started Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, but most of the material is a re-hash of many events that one can read in Just Desserts. The epilogue contains information about Martha and Kmart after the tech bust and Kmart's bankruptcy, which is a nice follow-up. The author, Christopher Byron, seems a bit star-struck by Martha, too, calling her a "beautiful blonde" a few too times in the book. Martha Inc. is a good read for Martha followers like me -- subscriber to the magazine, viewer of her TV show, consumer of Martha products -- but to the reader who wants even juicier details, read Just Desserts first.
Rating: 5
Summary: Martha Inc
Comment: Martha Stewart has generated an enormous following by establishing herself as the leading authority for all things domestic and in the process created a multimillion-dollar enterprise and a personal net worth of nearly [$$$]. As one of the most successful self-made female business owners in American history, Martha Stewart is a topic of interest for fans, business professionals and would-be entrepreneurs alike.Martha Inc. tells the compelling story of how this complex woman created an empire on domesticity and examines her business inside and out. Through an engaging narrative by popular columnist Christopher Byron, this book chronicles how the business was built, what it took to take it public, and the personal and professional transformation Martha has undergone to make it all work. To get a true portrait of the woman whose work ethic is her personal life, Byron delves into the underreported facets of Marthas past, such as the effects her challenging childhood and years on Wall Street have had on her uncompromising business acumen. From Martha Stewart Living magazine and marthastewart.com to a K-Mart line of houseware products, a line of house paints, and a television show, this book details how a former caterer from Connecticut has created a media and merchandising empire, pulling off what large media corporations with vast resources struggle to accomplish. Martha Stewart has sold America on good taste and now readers can learn exactly how she did it and what drives her to keep conquering new vistas. A corporate biography as well as a success story worthy of Horatio Alger, Martha Inc. also delves into how a cult of personality is created and how Martha Stewart capitalized on the zeitgeist that characterized the last half of the twentieth century. This book is a must read for anyone who has been touched by Marthas marketing savvy or who dreams of making it big.
Rating: 2
Summary: Somewhat Entertaining, But . . . .
Comment: I've just completed Mr. Byron's book and wish that I could give it one and a half stars, but since I can't I rounded up. The book is a light, easy read that, as stated in my title, is somewhat entertaining. Though many have stated in their reviews the disappointment they felt that the book seems more oriented to a tale of the development of Martha's business rather than her personal life, I actually have the opposite complaint. For a book that touts itself to be "The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," it really reads as little more than a half-baked Peyton Place potboiler of how Martha is a latter-day Lady Macbeth, ranting, raving and basically mistreating everyone who stands in her path to greatness.
I had hoped to read about the development of the Martha Stewart empire -- more about how she developed her books and the magazine and her TV program, more about the creative process that goes into developing a magazine story or television segment, more about of how her retail enterprises, e.g., Martha By Mail and Martha Stewart Everyday work, and more about the creative and managerial talent that is a part of MSLO. All of these topics are given short shrift in this book -- most aren't even addressed. Instead, we get one tale after another of how Martha was mean to someone or pop psychology about how this behavior can all be traced back to an abusive father. Mr. Byron does give Ms. Stewart credit for being attractive, smart and resourceful, but that's about the only positive things he has to say about her.
Perhaps the worst aspect of this book is how mean-spirited it is -- not just about Martha Stewart but about just about everyone who has any association with her. For example, he mentions Ms. Stewart's sister Laura coming to live with her, yet can't seem to resist mentioning in a footnote "Laura proceeded through a series of failed relationships or her own ...." (p.84) Did that type of information really need to be included? Well, it continues to happen throughout the book as Mr. Byron even traces the lineage of the husband of a friend's daughter to the Mob.
The most curious thing is that, based on its content, if the subject matter were a successful CEO named "Martin" rather that "Martha" Stewart, this book would never have been published. The reason? Simply the fact that the anecdotes and scenarios described and that are really the substantive part of the book portray behavior that would not be considered noteworthy if exhibited by a man.
To make a long review short (I know "too late"), if you want to read this book, take it out from the library. If you must buy it, please don't pay retail. Meanwhile, let's hope that Ms. Stewart and the folks at MSLO decide to someday write a story about the development of their company and what happens behind the scenes as they go about their work. I think that would be a book worth purchasing. I know I would. I'd even pay retail.
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Title: Just Desserts ã Martha Stewart: The Unauthorized Biography by Jerry Oppenheimer ISBN: 193227023X Publisher: AMI Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Martha Stewart: Successful Businesswoman (People to Know) by Virginia Meachum ISBN: 0894909843 Publisher: Enslow Publishers Pub. Date: 01 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $20.95 |
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Title: Martha, Really and Cruelly: The Complete Unauthorized Autobiography by Tom Connor, Jim Downey ISBN: 0740733206 Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Martha Stewart: Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography by Jerry Oppenheimer ISBN: 0688146899 Publisher: William Morrow & Company Pub. Date: 01 July, 1997 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Testosterone Inc.: Tales of CEOs Gone Wild by Christopher M. Byron ISBN: 0471420050 Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: 16 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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