House of Versace
The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival
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Narrated by:
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Jo Anna Perrin
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By:
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Deborah Ball
About this listen
Versace. The very name conjures up images of outrageous glamour and bold sexuality, opulence, and daring. All of course true, but only half the story. Versace is also the legacy of a great creative genius from a poor, backward part of southern Italy who transformed the fashion world through his intuitive understanding of both women and how a changing culture influenced the way they wanted to dress.
The first book in English about the legendary designer, House of Versace shows how Gianni Versace, with his flamboyant sister Donatella at his side, combined his virtuosic talent and extraordinary ambition to almost single-handedly create the celebrity culture we take for granted today.
Gianni Versace was at the height of his creative powers when he was murdered in Miami Beach. The story was headline news around the world and the manhunt for his killer a media obsession. His beloved sister Donatella demanded no less than a funeral befitting an assassinated head-of-state to be held in Milan's magnificent cathedral. In what was the ultimate fashion show, the world's rich and beautiful - Princess Dianna, Elton John, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Anna Wintour, and others - gathered to mourn a man already considered one of fashion's great pioneers.
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Story
Katie Nicholl, best-selling author and royal correspondent for The Mail on Sunday, gives us an inside look into the life of the future Queen of England, Kate Middleton. Since becoming Duchess Catherine of Cambridge in 2011, Middleton has captivated fans of the royals around the world. Now Nicholl delivers the story of her early life, first romances, and love with Prince William. Nicholl will reveal new details on Middleton's initiation into royal life and, of course, her first pregnancy.
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Enjoyable - but ........
- By English Rose on 06-04-21
By: Katie Nicholl
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Mademoiselle
- Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History
- By: Rhonda Garelick
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Little black dresses. Fake pearls. Jersey knit. Blazers. Ballet flats. Today - and for nearly the last hundred years - we all see some version of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel every time we pass a woman on the street. But few among us realize that Chanel’s role in the events of the twentieth century was as pervasive as her influence on fashion, or how deeply she absorbed and then brilliantly reimagined the historical currents around her.
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An Unlikable Portrait
- By Sara on 09-25-16
By: Rhonda Garelick
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The World According to Fannie Davis
- My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers
- By: Bridgett M. Davis
- Narrated by: Bridgett M. Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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A daughter's moving homage to an extraordinary parent, The World According to Fannie Davis is also the suspenseful, unforgettable story about the lengths to which a mother will go to "make a way out of no way" to provide a prosperous life for her family - and how those sacrifices resonate over time. This original, timely, and deeply relatable portrait of one American family is essential listening.
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Fantastic
- By BK on 02-15-19
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The Palace Papers
- Inside the House of Windsor - the Truth and the Turmoil
- By: Tina Brown
- Narrated by: Tina Brown
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Tina Brown has been observing and chronicling the British monarchy for three decades, and her sweeping account is full of powerful revelations, newly reported details, and searing insight gleaned from remarkable access to royal insiders. Stylish, witty, and erudite, The Palace Papers will irrevocably change how the world perceives and understands the royal family.
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Audible narration is dreadful
- By M M. on 05-03-22
By: Tina Brown
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Ametora
- How Japan Saved American Style
- By: W. David Marx
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Look closely at any typically "American" article of clothing these days, and you may be surprised to see a Japanese label inside. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese designers have taken the classic American look - known as ametora, or "American traditional" - and turned it into a huge business for companies like Uniqlo, Kamakura Shirts, Evisu, and Kapital. This phenomenon is part of a long dialogue between Japanese and American fashion.
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You must read for anyone interested in Japanese and American style
- By Spencer Jackson on 01-23-22
By: W. David Marx
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A Fine Romance
- By: Candice Bergen
- Narrated by: Candice Bergen
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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A Fine Romance begins with Bergen's charming first husband, French director Louis Malle, whose huge appetite for life broadened her horizons and whose occasional darkness never diminished their love for each other. But her real romance begins when she discovers overpowering love for her daughter after years of ambivalence about motherhood.
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up the speed to 1.5 and Candace sounds way better
- By Susan M. Mitchell on 06-03-15
By: Candice Bergen
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Mad Women
- The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the '60s and Beyond
- By: Jane Maas
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Mad Women is a tell-all account of life in the New York advertising world of the 1960s and '70s from Jane Maas, a female copywriter who succeeded in the primarily male environment portrayed by the hit TV show Mad Men. Fans of the show are dying to know how accurate it is: did people really have that much sex in the office? Were there really three-martini lunches? Were women really second-class citizens? Jane Maas says the answer to all three questions is unequivocally yes....
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Interesting Listen
- By Dean on 04-23-12
By: Jane Maas
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Daring
- My Passages - A Memoir
- By: Gail Sheehy
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Candid, insightful, and powerful, Daring: My Passages is the story of the unconventional life of a writer who dared - to walk New York City streets with hookers and pimps to expose violent prostitution; to march with civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland as British paratroopers opened fire; to seek out Egypt's president Anwar Sadat when he was targeted for death after making peace with Israel.
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Enjoyed unexpectedly
- By Corinne O'Rourke on 09-06-23
By: Gail Sheehy
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The Curse of Beauty
- The Scandalous & Tragic Life of Audrey Munson, America's First Supermodel
- By: James Bone
- Narrated by: Marianne Fraulo
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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As America was stepping into the modern era, one great beauty became the artist's model of choice. Her perfect form became the emblem of the Gilded Age and appears on the greatest monuments of New York and the nation. Supermodel, actress, icon - her beauty paved the way for a life of glamour, passion, and ultimately tragedy. Her name is Audrey Munson.
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Fascinating
- By Аmazon Customer on 04-06-17
By: James Bone
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Unsinkable
- A Memoir
- By: Debbie Reynolds, Dorian Hannaway
- Narrated by: Debbie Reynolds
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The definitive memoir by legendary actress and performer Debbie Reynolds - an entertaining and moving story of enduring friendships and unbreakable family bonds, of hitting bottom and rising to the top again - that offers a unique and deeply personal perspective on Hollywood and its elite, from the glory days of MGM to the present.
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Loved Loved loved IT!
- By Virginia on 12-07-17
By: Debbie Reynolds, and others
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The Diana Chronicles
- By: Tina Brown
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Diana Chronicles, you will meet a formidable female cast and understand as never before the society that shaped them: among them, Diana's sexually charged mother, her bad-girl sister-in-law, Fergie, and, most formidable of them all, her mother-in-law, the Queen. Add Camilla Parker-Bowles, the ultimate "other woman" into this combustible mix, and it's no wonder that Diana broke out of her royal cage into celebrity culture, where she found her own power and used it to devastating effect.
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One of the best Diana's
- By J F Whitmore on 08-02-12
By: Tina Brown
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John Lennon
- The Life
- By: Philip Norman
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
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Philip Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom belonging to the world's most beloved pop group was never enough. Drawing on previously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, here is the definitive portrait of John Lennon. This biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into almost a secular saint.
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Really Bad Abridgement Job (slash job)
- By Let's Be Reasonable on 12-04-08
By: Philip Norman
What listeners say about House of Versace
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Justin
- 12-30-22
Great Overall
Absolutely enjoyed listening to this book! I recommend to anyone who loves memoirs. I would not consider myself a fashion guru, but this book motivated me to get more knowledgeable about these great fashion houses
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- Steven Moore
- 09-25-22
blood is thicker than water
Donatella was a victim of the industry... her drug abuse was a symptom of being overwhelmed and uneqquiped for success. She is a survivor and ballsy!
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- strlx
- 04-16-24
Quite the epic story
The audio book is excellent for listening while doing mundane work. The fashion world is pretty foreign to me for the most part, but I remember the murder, etc. The bigger story was more interesting than expected.
The narrator mispronounced way more words than one would expect, but hey, even that became entertaining.
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- Ophelia Morgan
- 11-09-18
Great story, ok performance
I learned a lot and enjoyed this book. I didn’t know much about the designer or fashion industry. It’s a little slow in some of the history but the large majority of the story is intriguing.
I’m iffy about the performer reading it. Great pronunciation of various languages but some of her cadence is weird and a little irritating. But I still very much enjoyed the book.
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- Teddy hall
- 07-16-19
The Narrator
The narrator seem bored.... Very monotone. I also feel like the narrator should’ve been had a British or Italian.
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- Benjamin L. Horvitz
- 08-19-22
Comprehensive
This book contains everything you’ll want to know about the House of Versace. This book follows Gianni from cradle to grave and the family after his death. You’ll both find out about the family members and the business dealings both. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked house of Gucci as well. This book however gets me more excited because it talks a bit more about actual fashion.
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- S. Williams
- 12-12-22
Very Entertaining
I really enjoyed this audio-book. Interesting from beginning to end. Will likely listen to it again.
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- Derek
- 03-13-24
Interesting & good narration
Interesting and good narration, if only outdated in 2024. No fault of the author, but it would be great to know what’s been going on since 2010! The narrator brings a solid Italian accent when needed and produced an interesting and enjoyable listen.
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- Brian M. Derrick
- 08-26-19
Amazing!
This book was recommended to me by audible and, having no clue what I wanted to hear next - I decided to give it a shot. Wow! The narrator, as others have said, isn’t the best ... but the story is gripping and has given me a new respect for the man behind Versace. I’ve recommended it to tons of friends and colleagues.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kendra Oviedo
- 07-28-23
Wow
I love true crime, and I initially downloaded this thinking it would be in that genre, and focusing on the investigation, trial, etc. for the tragic murder of a high-profile person.
This is not that - but i ended up riveted by this story. It’s a phenomenal, well-paced, compelling story about the founding of a brand that I knew only from magazine advertisements and had never given much thought to. I loved it!
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