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Rating: 
Summary: Another scandal of the Third Republic.
Review: I am interested in the Third Republic period of France, and this book detailed another scandal from that period. The book details the life of Therese Daurignac who married a son of the founder of the Republic. It details how Humbert, his son Theodore, and his wife committed a fraud on the French nation by pretending to be rich when in fact they were peasants with no money. Eventually, their scheme of borrowing money to pay other creditors collasped, and Therese and her husband were sent to prison.
If there is a criticism of this book, it is the brevity of it. 132 pages cannot bring to life how thousands of people were cheated out of their money, so that Therese could live the good life. For other books about scandals in the Third Republic, read Prisoners of Honor, The Dreyfus Affair by David Levering Lewis and The Panama Affair by Maron J. Simon.
Rating:
Summary: Another scandal of the Third Republic.
Review: I am interested in the Third Republic period of France, and this book detailed another scandal from that period. The book details the life of Therese Daurignac who married a son of the founder of the Republic. It details how Humbert, his son Theodore, and his wife committed a fraud on the French nation by pretending to be rich when in fact they were peasants with no money. Eventually, their scheme of borrowing money to pay other creditors collasped, and Therese and her husband were sent to prison.
If there is a criticism of this book, it is the brevity of it. 132 pages cannot bring to life how thousands of people were cheated out of their money, so that Therese could live the good life. For other books about scandals in the Third Republic, read Prisoners of Honor, The Dreyfus Affair by David Levering Lewis and The Panama Affair by Maron J. Simon.
Rating: 
Summary: worthwhile historical tale
Review: One of the ways that we develop misconceptions is to believe what we see, without further inquiry. This book provides a classic example of the folly of that approach. Therese Humbert acted and spoke as though she was the wealthiest and most influential woman in Europe, and people treated her that way even though she was totally penniless. She either spent borrowed money (with annual interest rates as high as 60 percent) or the bills were never paid. Yet she was able to keep it all going for years, mortgaging properties that didn't exist and making promises that she wouldn't and couldn't keep. Although I majored in French history of the 19th century in college, I only ran into passing references to the affaire Humbert as a student. Having read this book, I can see why it has been deeply buried away from mainstream French texts. This story is as embarrassing as the Dreyfus Affair of a few years earlier, because it was only possible due to support from members of the government (one of whom was Therese's uncle) and the bar. This details of this story are so amazing that the author felt compelled to keep providing evidence that she hadn't made it all up. The story is all the more remarkable because it is connected to one of the greatest painters of modern times, Matisse (through his wife, who was the daughter of Therese's best friend and later housekeeper), and an esteemed finance minister of the early days of the Third Republic (the same uncle mentioned above). Based on imaginary inheritances, the Humbert family conspired to borrow tens of millions of francs, buy estates all over France, purchase and operate a newspaper, and entertain the leading lights of French society in their salon and at their dinner table. Claiming to be worth hundreds of millions of francs, they constantly lived one step ahead of hostile creditors (who occasionally took a shot at them) while living the life of billionaires. It was all a hoax. This was kept up for many years, as is beautifully illustrated by the many photographs, cartoons, and portraits of the people involved in the hoax. When their bluff was finally called, their lawyers were all disbarred. Some creditors committed suicide. Therese and her husband were eventually sentenced and served five years of solitary confinement, and were never heard from again after having been released. Further investigations and reporting on the story were discouraged by the government, and the story fell into the shadows until this book resurrected the tale. The next time you assume that things are as they seem, remember Therese Humbert. You'll probably be better off for the extra caution!
Rating: 
Summary: Short and disappointing
Review: The book doesn't take long to read, but I found it inadequate to tell what is an intriguing story. Its chronolgy leaves something to be desired, and I at least would have appreciated more footnotes, more explanation of the importance of the historical figures who are involved in the swindle, and a more documentary-like account. In my (1958) edition of the Encyclopedia American there is a one-paragraph account of The Humbert Swindle, but in my (1940) edition of the Brittanica I find no mention of the affair. Is this because it involved people who were Dreyfusards rather than anti-Dresfusards? I really think this swindle deserves a better book, tho I suppose Hilary Spurling will say that she has told us all she could find on it. But in view of the extensive press coverage I find that hard to believe.
Rating:
Summary: Short and disappointing
Review: The book doesn't take long to read, but I found it inadequate to tell what is an intriguing story. Its chronolgy leaves something to be desired, and I at least would have appreciated more footnotes, more explanation of the importance of the historical figures who are involved in the swindle, and a more documentary-like account. In my (1958) edition of the Encyclopedia American there is a one-paragraph account of The Humbert Swindle, but in my (1940) edition of the Brittanica I find no mention of the affair. Is this because it involved people who were Dreyfusards rather than anti-Dresfusards? I really think this swindle deserves a better book, tho I suppose Hilary Spurling will say that she has told us all she could find on it. But in view of the extensive press coverage I find that hard to believe.
Rating:
Summary: Read the reviews instead - the book's not much longer
Review: Too bad there wasn't more information available for the biographer to use. This story would have made great fiction; it definitely would make a terrific movie. Even though the scandal is over 100 years old, the writing is so lively and the story so intriguing, that there is a fresh feeling to the book.
I also enjoyed the glimpse into the foibles of the aristocracy of the time. The rich and arrogant always seem so out of reach and inscrutable that it was entertaining to see that they can be scoundrels and dupes.
Rating: 
Summary: Living Large, The Parisian Way
Review: We're in an age of biography bloat, when lives of people who aren't all that memorable lurch towards 700 pages--and that's without notes, etc. So often I wonder where the editor was in the process. But Hilary Spurling's new book is a rarity--you find yourself aching to know more, wishing the book were several hundred pages longer so you could revel in the juicy and sometimes unbelievable details and situations. Her biography is a portrait of power and PR. A French hick with a gift for story-telling manages to snow le gratin (the elite) in late 19th century Paris into believing she's the heiress to an American fortune tied up in litigation. With the help of corrupt and even thuggish relatives in high and low places, she and her clan parlay this mythical fortune into a social position and vast but insecure wealth built on loans and deception (and possibly murder). It's been compared to a study in greed by Balzac (think of Cousin Bette, perhaps, for its rapaciousness), and it's completely cinematic in potential. Fraud, wealth, politics, murder, scandal, public sensation--and a memorable trial. Yes, it's short, as one reviewer notes, but it's unforgettable. Lev Raphael, author of LITTLE MISS EVIL, 4th in the Nick Hoffman mystery series...
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Mediocre Writing
Review: Who was Thérèse Humbert? She was part Heidi Fleiss, part Frank Abagnale, part Don Juan, part politician, part Nelson Rockefeller, part Jackie O, part social Niccolo Machiavelli and part dumb lucky. The tale of Thérèse Humbert's ability to build a career of fame and fortune out of completely nothing is better than Spurling's ability to tell it. A better writer would taken this intriguing story and made it into a great book. To credit Spurling, she did her research well, but she writes with the method of a common feature journalist. The story is strong enough and compelling enough to keep any reader interested. The story, in the end of it all, is a historic tragedy -- a sad docudrama put to print. Quickly read, it totals roughly 150 pages with ample leading and margins. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Mediocre Writing
Review: Who was Thérèse Humbert? She was part Heidi Fleiss, part Frank Abagnale, part Don Juan, part politician, part Nelson Rockefeller, part Jackie O, part social Niccolo Machiavelli and part dumb lucky. The tale of Thérèse Humbert's ability to build a career of fame and fortune out of completely nothing is better than Spurling's ability to tell it. A better writer would taken this intriguing story and made it into a great book. To credit Spurling, she did her research well, but she writes with the method of a common feature journalist. The story is strong enough and compelling enough to keep any reader interested. The story, in the end of it all, is a historic tragedy -- a sad docudrama put to print. Quickly read, it totals roughly 150 pages with ample leading and margins. Anthony Trendl
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