#ReadThis @GrandCentralPub #BunnyMellon #MerylGordon @HachetteUS
An exquisite masterpiece of thrilling historical significance, Bunny Mellon by Meryl Gordon strikes the perfect balance between personal anecdotes and world history. Bunny definitely reached her highest potential with understated elegance galore; you never knew how much flowers influenced history! Her timeless calm and peace is just what the world needs today. However, we wish you went to college too, Bunny! (with us?!)
You'll enjoy virtually meeting all the formative gems of people in Bunny's life; we liked her maternal grandfather, an Ormond Beach enthusiast and her Dad, Gerard Lambert.
In addition to Bunny herself, you'll enjoy hearing from/about Jackie Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, how Bunny met Frederick Law Olmsted's sons (ever been to Central Park?!), Sister Parish, Kenneth Battelle (see Salon Peachy haircolor now) You'll learn about the origins of Listerine, and how the Spirit of St. Louis got its name (no, we're not talking about the Blues, Laila Anderson) !
We admired her collector's eye, her loyalty, her understated elegance, her humility and her great appreciation for fashion. For everyone that also loves American Pickers, you will enjoy Bunny's and Jackie's White House discoveries.
A fascinating read covering a woman who had great influence behind the scenes, Bunny Mellon by Meryl Gordon is a terrific read and an essential biography of American history. With flower power concentrated in the Presidential Rose Garden with cascading results of consequence, Bunny Mellon thrived in her world and pioneered philanthropic trends with her own style, grace and class.
We never knew her, but after you are regaled through this fascinating, in-depth, well-researched tribute, you will feel as if you did: a quality not found in every biography. Meryl Gordon, the author, did have access to the late Bunny Mellon and her friends and family.
In addition to the quintessential verbiage, the whimsical pictures by Bunny herself are highly laudable. For all our readers that identify as ancients, you should know that Bunny's mother was one too but Bunny wanted to go to a "horsier" school. (Bunny haven't you heard of the Farmington Polo Grounds?! However, we will admit everyone had far too much homework to actually do anything in Garden Club.)
Bunny Mellon The Life of an American Style Legend by Meryl Gordon is Recommended by Whom You Know! Put your apples on the stove to boil, and read it.
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A style icon and American aristocrat, Bunny Mellon led a simultaneously glamorous and private life. Best friend to Jackie Kennedy – she designed the White House Rose Garden at JFK’s request – and muse to French designers Cristóbal Balenciaga and his successor Hubert de Givenchy, Bunny served as a living witness to 20th Century American history. Bunny Mellon operated in the intersecting arenas of politics, art and fashion, mingling with Presidents, Queens, Duchesses, Hollywood actors, couturiers, and artists. She was on intimate terms with the giants of her era: spending Christmas evening at the White House with the Roosevelts for dinner and the opening screening of “Gone with the Wind,” and hosting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for lunch on their first official trip to the U.S.
Despite her high-profile life, Bunny was incredibly discreet and cherished her privacy, rarely giving interviews. This fall, bestselling author Meryl Gordon brings readers an illuminating biography of this last scion of the gilded age of American wealth, BUNNY MELLON: The Life of an American Style Legend (Grand Central Publishing; Trade Paperback; April 2, 2019; 978-1455588725; $18.99). With the co-operation of Bunny Mellon's family, Gordon had access to thousands of pages of letters, diaries and appointment calendars, and conducted over 175 interviews with Bunny’s closest confidantes, to capture the spirit of this talented and singular American icon. The book includes never-before-seen photographs and original sketches by Bunny Mellon herself.
An ardent gardener, savvy art collector, and discerning self-taught decorator who gave advice to her Foxcroft classmate Sister Parish, Bunny became revered for her style and good taste. Everything she did made news: creating a gardening fad for miniature topiaries; giving her blessing to fledgling artists and designers; turning up at her husband Paul Mellon's side to watch his thoroughbred, Sea Hero, win the Kentucky Derby. Yet Bunny Mellon deliberately cultivated an air of mystery. Regal and intimidating, mischievous and effervescent, the soul of discretion, she cherished her ability to wield influence in a quiet behind-the-scenes way. Late in life, however, she made headlines after she became enamored with Democratic presidential contender John Edwards and gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars; he was later charged with violating campaign finance laws and using that money illegally to support his pregnant mistress. At nearly 100 years old, Bunny was interviewed by the FBI and news helicopters hovered over her Virginia farm.
A remarkably little-known figure for how intimately she was involved in 20th Century American culture and history, BUNNY MELLON is a fascinating look at a bygone era, and a revealing portrait of one of the most iconic style legends of recent times.
