Review by Booklist Review
Get ready for the slew of books on Martha Stewart now that her prison term is completed--some obnoxiously pro-Martha, others tenuous (since, after all, she is one of the world's wealthiest women), and some straightforward, without bias. Former Connecticut neighbor Allen definitely falls in the first category--all Martha, all the way. There is little, in fact, to report on the negative front; Allen had ample access to family and friends to paint a flattering portrait. To be sure, her ego reads loud and clear, like her yearbook quote: "I do what I please and I do it with ease." Tracing her background back to the Kostyra household, he touches on her multitude of successes--in modeling, stock brokerage, catering, and book publishing and as CEO--along with the well-documented ImClone troubles. Occasionally, as a seeming sop to the critics, he'll add a few words of so-called objectivity--for instance, she had "trouble connecting with people on an intimate level." On the whole, nothing is probed in detail; it's fairly clear that this not-so-authorized bio has been blessed by the powers that be. --Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
