Fall, John Preston
Fall, John Preston
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Fall
The Mysterious Life and Death of Robert Maxwell, Britain's Most Notorious Media Baron

Author: John Preston

Narrator: Simon Bubb

Unabridged: 11 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 02/09/2021


Synopsis

Winner of the UK’s 2022 Costa Prize for Biography“A portrait of one of the most enigmatic figures in the annals of white-collar crime. . . . A well-researched, compelling book that uncovers many mysteries about a media tycoon.”—Kirkus ReviewsFrom the acclaimed author of A Very English Scandal, a thrilling and dramatic true-life account of the rise and fall of one of the most notorious media moguls of all time: Robert Maxwell.In February 1991, Robert Maxwell triumphantly sailed into Manhattan harbor on his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, to buy the ailing New York Daily News. Taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand, children asked for his autograph, and patrons of the hottest restaurant in Manhattan gave him a standing ovation while he dined. Ten months later, Maxwell disappeared off that same yacht in the middle of the night and was later found dead in the water. As John Preston reveals in this entertaining and revealing biography, Maxwell’s death was as mysterious as his remarkable life.A tightly paced, addictive saga of ambition, hubris, narcissism, greed, power, and intrigue, Fall recounts Maxwell’s rise and fall and rise and fall again. Preston weaves backwards and forwards in time to examine the forces that shaped Maxwell, including his childhood as a Jew in occupied Eastern Europe through his failed political ambitions in the 1960s which ended in accusations of financial double-dealing, and his resurrection as a media mogul--and on to the family legacy he left behind, including his daughter Ghislaine Maxwell. Preston chronicles Maxwell’s all-encompassing rivalry with Rupert Murdoch—a battle that ruined Maxwell financially, threatened his sanity and lead, indirectly, to his death. Did Maxwell have a heart attack and fall overboard? Was his death suicide? Or was he murdered—possibly by Mossad or the KGB? Few in the twentieth century journeyed as far from his roots as Robert Maxwell. Yet, as Fall reveals, no one, however rich and powerful, can entirely escape their past. 

About John Preston

John Preston is a former journalist and arts editor of the Sunday Telegraph. He is the bestselling author of six books, the most recent of which, A Very English Scandal, was made into a BAFTA- and Golden Globe Award–winning television series starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. The film adaptation of his novel, The Dig, has been released on Netflix starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nigeyb on January 21, 2022

Robert Maxwell is perhaps now best known as the father of convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. However, back in the 1980s in Britain and elsewhere, he was an enormous figure in national life. He had been born one of seven children to parents in the Czechoslovakian mountain village of Slatinské......more

Goodreads review by Tomas on April 02, 2021

Jedna z najlepších biografií, aké som čítal. Chlapec z chudobnej židovskej rodiny narodený v Československu utečie ako tínedžer pred holokaustom, kde zomrie celý zvyšok rodiny, je vojnovým hrdinom, prakticky vynájde celý moderný biznis s vedeckou literatúrou, strašne zbohatne, a popri tom sa z neho......more

Goodreads review by ♥Milica♥ on April 09, 2023

I knew Robert Maxwell would be an interesting person to read about, but I didn't think he'd be THAT interesting and that I'd be so invested in his story. What I enjoyed most was the intelligence ties, it's so easy to see why he'd be (and was) a perfect spy, and I can't help but respect him for all t......more