The Fortune Hunters: Dazzling Women and the Men They Married
 
Please Login or Join to Download.

Thumbnails:

Description:

Product Description

From Madame de Pompadour, the famed mistress of Louis XV, to Pamela Harriman, who married into the English aristocracy and the American plutocracy, there is a rich history of women who have found glamour and wealth in the arms of a billionaire. But contrary to what you may think, fortune hunting is no idle pursuit. Like diving for treasure, it's a real job. Some women strive to be CEOs; others prefer to wed them.  You'll meet today's dazzling successes in this book.

What kind of woman does it take to make the Midas marriage? Exploring the lives of the great fortune hunters of our day, reporter and former gossip columnist Charlotte Hays answers this tantalizing question. You'll learn about the South Carolina woman who took a trip around the world with a shadowy shipping magnate, only to meet and marry a philandering marquis. You'll see what methods these women use to lure their powerful men, including one playful fortune seeker who, at a very high-society soirée, hurled a piece of bread at her intended beau, starting a food fight. You'll meet the New York socialite who remarried so quickly after a divorce, her ex claimed she was a bigamist.

What are their recipes for riches? Can a genuinely nice woman pursue this career? What does love have to do with it?  With original interviews and photos, Hays casts a light on the determination, skill, and---yes, sometimes---ruthlessness that have shaped some of the most successful---and lucrative---unions of our time.   

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One Prospecting for Gold: What Kind of Woman Does It Take? After the feminist shenanigans of recent decades, it is not politically correct to speak of great fortune hunters unless you're referring to those who dive into the ocean to hunt for sunken treasure. Yet many of the most dynamic women of our day launched themselves the old-fashioned way, through a dazzling marriage. Even Hillary Rodham Clinton, the standard-bearer of feminist values, began her march to fame and fortune with a trek to the altar and went on to solidify her stature by standing by her man, a character-building duty the fortune hunter is not infrequently called upon to perform. Fortune hunting, like diving for treasure, is a real job. Some women strive to be CEOs; others prefer to wed them. Is one endeavor really morally superior to the other? I once knew the daughter of a prominent feminist, a nice woman, struggling to make it in an intellectual profession. I always felt she'd have been happier as, say, a real-estate agent who spent her time off shopping and accessorizing. Why are some jobs more "authentic" than others? Fortune hunters are not dopes who sit by the pool all day reading Harlequin romances. They are talented women who make a conscious decision to pursue a particular career path. Of course, it is not always possible to know a woman's inner thoughts and real motivations, though her life story allows for reasoned speculation. Indeed, the best way to assess the job requirements is to look at the lives of women who've succeeded. Though the ladies in this book are all different, you will pick up certain common themes that run through their lives. Fortune hunting has been a valid occupation for women throughout the ages. It probably started when the first Neanderthal fortune hunter made goo-goo eyes at the fellow with the largest collection of pelts. The roster of worthies includes the Byzantine striptease artist, famed for the lewdness of her dancing, who became the Empress Theodora, helpmeet to Justinian; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who wasn't endowed with the wealth to support the grand life to which she was accustomed; and plus-size model Anna Nicole Smith, who zeroed in on her Adonis when he had one foot in the grave and then battled his children in court over the estate. The issue of how to marry super rich is something we don't talk about in polite company. Still, mothers from time immemorial have told their daughters that it's just as easy to love a rich man as a poor one. As a single fo

Submitted On:

27 Aug 2008

File Author:

Hays, Charlotte

File Size:

14.56 MB