Rating: 
Summary: I Feel Sorry For Her
Review: Poor Martha, I feel so sorry for her. I have to disagree with the other reviewers who said she was so awful. Everyone just used her for their own purposes, including that wretch of a husband of hers, Andy. She should be glad to be rid of a man like him--having an affair behind her back with someone she employed! I think Oppenheimer did a good job with the book--it was well-researched, and, unlike previous reviewers, I thought a lot of people (e.g., Martha's sister, Laura and the actor, Brian Dennehey), had a lot of very good things to say about Martha. Personally, I find her books extremely worthwhile and will keep purchasing every one she publishes.
Rating: 
Summary: This should'nt be on the shelf with the real books.
Review: Poorly written and poorly planned. A book full of unstructured sentences and typos. The content was interesting only for it's unbelievability. For your entertainment dollar you will find more truth in the Enquirer.
Rating:
Summary: Malicious in the extreme
Review: Reading this book is like sitting in on the most spiteful, malicious, back-stabbing gossip session you can imagine. Every bit of information the author collected about Ms. Stewart is presented in the absolute worst possible light, with never an eye to giving her a benefit of the doubt. Nobody is this bad! While I certainly do not believe Martha Stewart is as all sweetness and light, I do think she deserves some credit for her achievements... I regret spending my money on such trash!
Rating: 
Summary: All that shines is NOT Gold
Review: This book has it's downfalls, but it explains the fact that Martha Stewart is a self absorbed witch (as did the E! True Hollywood Story about her). People shunned Kate Moss in the early 80's shouting "anorexic chic", and stated that she represented an unattainable "role model" well...so does Martha. Anyone can put forth the spreads she does with the STAFF and MONEY she has. I have found that she has ripped off so many ideas, crafts and recipes (without giving credit)and for the truly ignorant, without her creative staff she'd be lost. This book points that out. The "true Martha Die-Hard fans" will have a coronary...(...), maybe this will be a wakeup call. I recently predicted that she would include a "baby" section of which she has. It's called marketing and demographics. The funny part is that her daughter has very little to do with her (who could blame her!)as also explained in the book. Martha Stewart is revealed to be the (...)that she is in this book, take it for what's it worth...it's a GOOD THING!!!! And of course,....make sure you buy ONLY THE BEST copy of the book!I still watch her, as many do, and I laugh (as many do), take her for what she's worth!
Rating: 
Summary: Not for Stewart Fans
Review: This book is not for Martha Stewart fans. It is for the rest of us - those bewildered by the whole Martha Stewart phenomenon. It turns out to be not all that different from most media phenomena. We already knew that people armed with nothing but fanatical self-promotion can become famous singers, actors, authors, politicians, businessmen, etc. Now we know that they can also become whatever it is Martha Stewart is supposed to be. This is an interesting story but hardly unique: a self-made media personality whose image is largely artificial. To give her her due, Stewart is an extreme example: she manages to be a cook without cooking, a writer without writing, an editor without editing, and a salesman without selling much except herself. Perhaps Oppenheimer's treatment is too harsh - the person he describes is clearly suffering from a personality disorder - but he has talked to a lot of people and names names. He focuses on the seamy side but has written an interesting look at an unpleasant woman's strong-willed triumph over truth, honesty, and integrity.
Rating: 
Summary: Blah
Review: This book seems to only care about the "bad" points of Martha Stewart, and doesn't even mention any of her good qualities, which is just horrible to do to anyone! This author seems to only care about the negative qualities of a person (being Martha) and makes it seem like she's the most horrible person in the world. I like her show, she has some great ideas, like turning a oatmeal container into a decorative drum. I find her ideas helpful, especially around the holidays. Don't waste your money on this book, it's nothing but pure garbage, and very one-sided!
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS SO INTERESTING IT IS DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN
Review: THIS BOOK SHEDS LIGHT ON THE "REAL" MARTHA. WHILE I AM A FAN OF HER WORK (WHICH AS THE BOOK SO CLEARLY POINTS OUT IS MOST OFTEN THE IDEAS OF OTHERS SELECTED BY MARTHA'S GOOD EYE) I NEVER CARED FOR MARTHA "LIVE" ON HER TELEVISION SHOWS AND APPEARANCES BECAUSE I FELT SHE CAME ACROSS AS VERY COLD. THE BOOK ONLY ASSURED ME THAT MY GUT INSTINCTS WERE CORRECT. THE AUTHOR DID NOT HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME SECURING INTERVIEWS WITH MOST OF HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHICH ONLY PROVES HOW POORLY SHE TREATS THOSE IN HER LIFE. THIS IS A "MUST READ".
Rating:
Summary: Misses much of the point
Review: Though this is a well put together work, it really is for people who feel inferior to Martha. As someone who first loved her stuff and then stepped back and had to laugh at the complexity of some of those "projects" of hers, my overall impression on her personal problems is, So what? Most celebrities & powerful businessmen are megalomaniacs with family dramas. People who hate her probably feel inadequate to what she represents, but Martha must feel extraordinarily inadequate to have built such an empire trying to prove herself! Much of the boom in cooking shows and quality products now available to most of America is thanks to that woman. Better produce, better cooking utensils, nicer stuff at Pottery Barn, etc. Her problems & feelings of inadequacy about herself have caused her to influence this country, enabling all of us to have nicer-looking public spaces and better food when we eat out. And, she has problems. Whoop de doo.
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Summary: What ya never would have guessed !?!?!
Review: Well this book was recommended to me by a friend so I picked it up..I do like watching Martha and reading her magazines and I still do after this book but man she is a evil evil woman if half of it is true which i believe the author fully covered his butt and is probable 99.9% on the mark. If you like martha or hate her this is the book to read you will laugh alot. When i watch her show now I can only imagine what goes on in the background when the taping is done <g> She is very powerful more then I would have ever realized if you idiol Superwoman you should read this if ya want to know how to become a *Star* you should read this and then reconsider <nodnod> Happy Reading Happy Reading
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Summary: Makes Oprah seem like a fuzzy kitten...
Review: WOW, was this a ruthless illustration of Martha Stewart! She's described as an obsessive-compulsive insomniac (she would only sleep for 2-4 hours a night, then get up and paint her entire house in one day), who's main goal is to be on top through ruthless power and manipulation (she stole business ideas, designs and didn't give credit to friends, coworkers... to the point where if a person demanded royalties, she would find some loophole in the legal system to prevent them from getting any profits -- Me-YOW!) This depiction is a far cry from the soft-spoken homemaker you see on her show. She's described by family and friends as dominating, cold, sadistic, abusive and absolutely ruthless. She even cuts down her elderly mother in front of her family: "She only makes peasant food!" she snipes. I've never read anything like it.It starts with Martha's family and where she came from in New Jersey. Apparently, Martha's father was a perfectionist who shoved his beliefs, anger and attitude down her throat; nothing was good enough in his eyes and because of him, the Monster-Martha is what is alive today. Even as a child, she sabotaged a little girl's cake recipe in order to take her little business away for herself. Signs that a powerful, heartless woman was going to surface. Martha was cutthroat and vindictive. She pretty much screwed over anyone and everyone around her to further only herself -- she didn't even care about her family, including her daughter and husband, whom she brow-beated to death in front of family and friends until he (who was just wimpy from the start) finally had the nerve to leave her, prompting incredible stories of stalking, vandalism and public screaming fits -- till he had a restraining order put on her. Martha is depicted as someone who never learned affection, or at least had an incredible dark side that was calculating and vindictive. She would purposely hire people who were creative and brilliant, but they either had low self-esteems to begin with or she broke them down. She DEFINITELY was masochistic and manipulated everyone who came in her path on her rise to power. The only time her affections seemed to be positive, were when sex was involved, and then she came across predatory. She's also illustrated as an incredible liar; family and friends reflect on her writings of her "happy past" and say all of them are either exaggerated or completely fabricated. After reading what a terror she was in the past, I can actually believe the insider trading stories -- it just fits. Oh and the new edition adds that little chunk in the end. Upon finishing this, I'm blown away at what a terror she was and has become. She is obviously a person who will stop at nothing to be on top, including her cheapness and just downright vicious scheming. She's also obviously brilliant, with a chip on her shoulder about her poor past and is also considered racist, sexist and as the book says: "WASPy in true form." Martha Stewart is a nightmare in this book! I wouldn't want to come within 20 ft. of her (much less meet her in a dark alley) after reading this. Personally, I think she's mentally screwed up something fierce, but the fact that she concentrates all of it into her work is phenomenal. 4 stars -- one missing due to some anonymous sources (which I don't always trust as true) and the fact that it pretty much had NOTHING positive to say about her; I would have liked to see a little positive stuff. You know, to kind of balance it out. Then again, maybe there wasn't anything positive. This woman is the anti-Christ! Otherwise, good trash to read!
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