Melody Murray's Books

Gack. This book rubbed me the wrong way time and time again. Penney invested her money with Bernie Madoff and lost it all. For the value of "losing it all" that left her with a luxury apartment, a house in Long Island, a house in Florida, and a studio in SoHo. Not to mention the Birkin, the Chanel suits, the...well, you get the idea. She was panic-stricken at the thought of not being able to buy more of her *insert name of fabulously overpriced luxury good here* and was certain she'd be out on the streets in no time. Fortunately, Penney was surrounded by many good friends, also filthy rich, who helped treat her depression and salve her fears with trips in private jets, bottles of Cristal (she helpfully points out that it costs over $200 per bottle, in case her penurious readers didn't know) and the like. Before long, she'd mustered her wits and her networks and begun a paid blogging gig about being poor which she turned into the 75K advance for this book, which I am deeply thankful I borrowed from the library. But I did learn that it's perfectly acceptable to barter photography skills for such life essentials as the colorist, the botox doctor and the mysterious "blow-out". The part that sent me over the edge is when she shamelessly divulges that the original breast cancer ribbon was the idea of some woman in one of the flyover states, and the ribbon was peach. When Penney, then editor of Self Magazine, contacted the woman about using her idea in the magazine, she was refused. So Penney decided to steal the idea, only using a pink ribbon. She called Estee Lauder's business manager, got them on board, and began the pink ribbon campaign. With a stolen idea. The theft of which seems to have escaped her entirely. I hate the pink ribbon campaign anyway, but to learn that it was stolen so blatantly made me lose whatever respect I might have had for Penney. Perhaps I'm bitter, reading this from the summer of my monetary discontent. I recommend it only for sympathetic rich persons who might better be able to empathize with Penney's undoubted suffering.