For generations the Burdens were one of the wealthiest
families in New York, thanks to the inherited fortune of
Cornelius “The Commodore” Vanderbilt. By 1955, the
year of Wendy’s birth, the Burdens had become a clan
of overfunded, quirky and brainy, steadfastly chauvinistic,
and ultimately doomed bluebloods on the verge of financial
and moral decline-and were rarely seen not holding a drink.
In Dead End Gene Pool, Wendy invites readers to meet her
tragically flawed family, including an uncle with a fondness for
Hitler, a grandfather who believes you can never have enough
household staff, and a remarkably flatulent grandmother.

º         º          º         º

Dipping a toe into the shallow end of this book, I entered slowly, having no background information to the Vanderbilt’s or the Burdens.  The water is warm…

Cornelius Vanderbilt died in 1877 leaving behind a fortune of 167 million dollars.  All of this was left to his only son, William who after doubling this astronomical amount of money, died 8 years later.  This book, written by Wendy Burden ( the great- great -great grand daughter of Cornelious) is about growing up with a family surrounded by great wealth, and great dysfunction.

Wendy’s father had committed suicide when she was 6, and her mother who could not be burdened with children left the three children in the care of a nanny, while she traveled everywhere looking for the perfect tan.

Wendy Burden writes this memoir with a witty and humorous pen.  I get a little sense of Jeanette Walls memoir of Glass Castles, but this is not as horrifying.   An interesting look into a family that battles drugs and alcohol issues, a lifestyle that few of us would know – but after reading Wendy’s book and eye-popping realities of at times what I can only describe as “gag inducing”, it is remarkable that Wendy came out the other side as well as she did.

About The Author

Wendy Burden is a confirmed
New Yorker who, to her constant
surprise, lives in Portland, Oregon.
She is the great-great-great-great
granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt,
which qualifies her to comment freely on
the downward spiral of blue blood families.
She has worked as an illustrator, a zookeeper,
and a taxidermist; and as an art director for
a pornographic magazine from which she was
fired for being too tasteful. She was also the
owner and chef of a small French restaurant,
Chez Wendy. She has yet to attend mortuary
school, but is planning on it.

Bookjourney traveled to:  Southhampton

While not in Southhampton, there is a coffee shop in LA that is referred to as Titanic Coffee

232 pages (Not 2012 like it says on Good Reads – yipes!)  🙂

Cover Story:  I like it… it is what drew me to the book in the first place and is a perfect fit for the story.

After being pressured by his girlfriend Julia Magnusson to attend his Harvard 20th Class reunion, Trevor Hughes has no idea how RSVPing to that event will forever change his life.  Trevor is a best-selling mystery writer and feels that perhaps his career choice was not as far-reaching as those of his classmates.  Catching up with long time friends Solly Rubens (now a wall street millionnaire and the attitude to go with it), Ken Faust (software entrepreneur); and Harlan Astor ( real estate tycoon), proves otherwise.

As the reunion winds down and the four friends share time together over drinks at the Harvard Club, Harlan drops incredible news.  He has been working for the last 2 1/2 years on rebuilding an exact replica of the Titanic, doing so in Poland to keep it out of the public eye, and paying the 1500 workers a bonus to keep it top-secret until it is finished.  Harlan lost a relative at the sinking of the original Titanic and wants to sail the ship in honor of those who lost their lives on the 100 year anniversary.  While Solly has no problem telling Harlan that he is nuts for rebuilding one of the worst catastrophes in history, and Ken uncomfortably excuses himself…. Trevor, who has always been a Titanic fan since James Cameron’s movie, is intrigued, and because of this, Harlan invites Trevor on board for the maiden voyage on April 10th 2012.  Trevor, much to Julia’s dismay, eagerly agrees.

Trevor shows up and with Harlan’s more than thrilled approval, has decided that he will interview the guests on board the ship as well as the crew about why they wanted to be a part of the new Titanic.  He is going to write a new book that his editor is sure will be a huge success and a publishing company has already paid out advancements on the book for the rights.  What Trevor finds through his interviews is more than he bargained for.  As Trevor tries to piece together the real reason behind the remaking of this grand ship he meets Madeleine Regehr, a beautiful widow who captures his heart and makes him believe in new possibilities.

I am a big fan, much like our main character Trevor, in all things Titanic.  My interest in the ship also came at the time of the James Cameron movie, which I first I refused to see.  (*See bonus notes on that below).  Reading this book rekindled a smoldering fire within me.  I really enjoyed the story of Trevor, and as a fiction mystery writer of course he was going to be a character I would love.

The references to Cameron’s movie as well as shared lines throughout the book made me smile and long to sit down and watch the movie.  The actual idea of rebuilding the ship to be sailed on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s maiden voyage I found to be so interesting, although I know not everyone would agree with me on that.

I don’t want to give away too much about this book as I thoroughly enjoyed it, picking it up one afternoon and reading it as late as I could, and then finishing it the next morning.  This was a book that I could place myself in and was a joy to read.

≡          ≡          ≡          ≡         ≡

Bonus notes:  When the James Cameron’s Titanic movie came out in theaters I had no desire to sit through a 3 hour and 14 minute movie.  My friends bugged me to no end until finally, I caved, and Al and I and our two sons went to the movie.

I remember form the point they lowered Kate Winslet’s character (Rose) down the side of the ship in the lifeboat I started crying and pretty much did from that point until the end of the movie.  I also remember I had to go to the bathroom so badly but did not want to miss a thing so refused to get up and go – resulting in a mad rush at the end of the movie as well as a headache from crying.

I then proceeded to see the movie with anyone I could get to go with me, no less than 5 more times – in the theater.  My most proud of triumph being my assistant manager at the time Colleen, who was not about to watch a movie about a ship sinking.  When I finally was able to get her to attend with a group of us she fell in love with the movie just like I had.  I made a t-shirt for her that I wrapped up and she had to open in front of a store meeting (about 50 of us) that on the front said “I finally saw Titanic”… and on the backside I had ironed on “… and I cried like a baby.”

This book has been added to my Book Journey 2010 map:

I received my copy of this book from our local Spring Library Sale

it will now be sent to Ryan at Wordsmithonia

(who won this through my “What should I read next?” giveaway – which I will be posting a new giveaway from these books soon.)

Thank you to Hachette Books for the opportunity to review this book and to give three away to my readers!

This giveaway is now closed

Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know-does not want to know-where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline’s sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner.

Only as Matt tries to track down his wife’s mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline’s trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa’s life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known.

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This giveaway will end on May 15.  USA and Canada only please