[.ca] House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, ... (ISBN 0060937750)

From Amazon.com:
A world-famous luxury brand, financial skullduggery, vicious family quarrels ending in a sensational murder: the Gucci story just couldn't be juicier, and former Women's Wear Daily correspondent Sara Gay Forden does full justice to its gossipy appeal. Guccio Gucci opened his first leather-goods store in Florence in 1921, but it was his son Aldo who expanded the company overseas and made products like the Gucci loafer and the Flora scarf international symbols of status and affluence. Aldo's sons, his brother Rodolfo, and Rodolfo's son Maurizio, all of whom also worked in the family business, didn't always appreciate Aldo's imperious ways, and corporate board meetings often ended with ashtrays and Gucci handbags flying. Things got so bad in the early 1980s that Aldo's renegade son Paolo made public financial documents that very nearly sent his father to jail for tax fraud. Even more lurid was the 1995 execution-style murder of Maurizio, followed by the conviction in 1998 of his ex-wife Patrizia for ordering the hit. Meanwhile, CEO Domenico De Sole and creative director Tom Ford were transforming Gucci from a family-run company into a modern corporation once again on the cutting edge of fashion and marketing. Forden makes the business story as dramatic as the Guccis' personal squabbles (and of course the two were often interconnected) in a highly entertaining family biography that doubles as a savvy business history. --Wendy Smith

reads like a history book:
The story of Gucci was interesting. In fact, reality surpassses fiction in this case. However, I was expecting more of a narrative feel; this reads like a collection of well researched facts. Some of the other reviews say it is like a novel - I think it is more like an interesting history book. Especially at the beginning -hard to get into the first few chapters it is written in such a factual, boring way.

Rodolfo's teaching:
I'm from Taiwan so I read Chinese translation. My opinion just focus on Rodolfo's teaching his son, Maurizio, just gave him small cash to avoid spending unlimited. However, he didn't thought they were a rich, famous family, whatever they eat or wear, they used the best. Not like poor family children, he didn't feel what's wrong to spend money in luxury way.I think why Maurizio couldn't control using because of this, he couldn't ask money in the face of his father but his friend and Louis, they could lend him. As long as he take the authority, his weakness show on cash flow immediately. If he had a brother like Roy Disney, maybe the result is different.I think it's a problem for some family, which parents was born from poor but their children live wealthy life to teach them how to cherish or the meaning to use proper money.

Not Just a Business Book:
This book is a surprising fast paced book that reads more like an unauthorized tell all scandal book then one dealing with the business world. It is just a fun book to read. There is a good amount of history that does not take away from the story (as sometimes to much dull history can). The author got the mix right. It also gave me a lot of insight into the fashion world that I really was not looking for, but was interesting all the same. Keep in mind that part of the focus of this book is the business that has been built up; it is not just details of the family. A good effort by the author and one worth reading if you are interested in the topic.

Look, GUCCI !!!:
If you enjoyed the "GODFATHER" trilogy, you'd like this book. The Gucci family is similar to the Corleone family. At one point of their lives, they were successful in business or "business", incredibly rich and glamourous. At another point in their lives, they were greedy and mad, which made them murderous. From this book, readers can learn about the reality/history behind the GUCCI brand, the GUCCI loafer, the way business was done, the love and hate between all kinds of people in our society (from Milan to NYC) ... If you follow the headlines, you should know that after the WAR between LVMH and Gucci, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute took over the majority shares of the Gucci Group. The two men that saved Gucci (Tom Ford and Mr De Sole) in the 90s, left Gucci last April. Another exciting chapter waits ahead of Gucci, SS 2005 ReadyToWear showed us that the Gucci story will go on, so far so good on the RUNWAY. I would highly recommand this book to business students, Italian food lovers, and GUCCI fans.

A Must-Have for Fashionistas:
This book provides an insightful look into the history and development of the House of Gucci. I have learned everything about how the business started, the Gucci family turmoil, and the recent comeback and dominance of Gucci. This is a great read.