An interesting look at the rise of the rich and famous playground for the wealthy on the Florida coast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic / Atlantic Monthly Press for the opportunity to read this ARC and allow me to provide an honest review.

Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu is an accessible and breezy history of the development of this area of Florida, and found the details on the real estate transaction and and community growth and expansion particularly interesting. It was a good use of a well known property, Mar-a-Lago, to serve as a orientation point for the reader and not only go into the history of the estate and its owner, but to also follow the property through its highs and lows. I really enjoyed the writing style as Standiford incorporated antidote to his well researched book. I have no connection or particular interest in Florida or its history but really enjoyed this book!

Les Standiford has put together a solid history of the Uber-rich folks that developed the east coast of southern Florida known as Palm Beach. I was not quite clear what I expected out of this book: however, having heard of “ Mar-A-Lago due to President Trump’s association with it I wanted to learn what all the “fuss” was (it’s) about. I don’t have any association with that area of the United States but enjoyed reading about the moguls who developed Palm Beach in the 1800’s. I recommend this book to history buffs who want to learn about an area seldom written about before.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy. (It took a while but the pandemic is giving me the time to catch up on my unread library!

Les Standiford writes a compelling history of the very rich in South Florida, in his 2019 book Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago and the Rise of America’s Xanadu. Picking up a book like this is pretty out of character for me. But I lived in Palm Beach County for eight years back in the 80s and 90s. So the topic intrigued me. Thankfully, there’s relatively little about Mar-a-Lago’s current owner.

Standiford delves into Florida history from C.W. and Marjorie Merriweather Post to Henry Flagler and Addison Mizner. He explains how Flagler came to love Florida, which was mostly swamp when he first arrived in St. Augustine. But let’s be clear, it was the business opportunities that intrigued him. And he made the most of it, building railroads, destination hotels, and promoting Florida spots as playgrounds for the rich and famous.

The story of the Post family happens around the same time, but has a different trajectory. C.W. Post—of Post Cereal and General Foods acclaim—was a Midwestern guy who became a tycoon. But he also struggled with both physical and mental health. And it was in pursuit of the mild climate’s health benefits that he came to Florida. As was his practice, C.W. brought his daughter Marjorie along.

By the time she’d been twice married, the Roaring Twenties were dancing along. And Marjorie was a fixture in Palm Beach life, despite her various residences and business interests. She commissioned architects Marion Sims Wyeth and Joseph Urban to build Mar-a-Lago. Its eclectic style is now an iconic symbol of Florida architecture, wealth, and Palm Beach itself.

My conclusions
Standiford combines one part gossipy reveries with two parts history, and stirs it with some present day real estate dealings. The emphasis is on the former two ingredients, rather than current day status of either Palm Beach or Mar-a-Lago.

In between discussing Flagler’s homes and Marjorie Merriweather Post, Standiford adds details about topography, other wealthy couples, and even a little about the various Native American tribes displaced by white settlers. So, as much as this is about “lifestyles of the rich and famous,” it’s firmly grounded in regional history.

As it turns out, I listened to the audiobook rather than reading my digital ARC. (Although I discovered the book has a few pictures, which round out the stories nicely.) Standiford’s writing kept me involved, even when I wasn’t out walking my neighborhood. I baked cookies and cleaned house to this book—because it was that captivating.

Standiford is a prolific writer, with regional history titles, true crime and a mystery series in his catalog. All of those elements make “Xanadu” an enjoyable adventure in the history of 19th and 20th century Florida.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic / Atlantic Monthly Press, and the author for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I love non-fiction that reads like fiction! Author Les Standiford makes this history of Palm Beach and the people who created it come to life. Central to much of the story is Marjorie Merriweather Post, who built Mar-a-Lago and her incredible influence on many of the ways the world has changed. Fascinating and great research makes for a excellent read! Even as I was engrossed, the History Channel was showing a program that reinforced many things in the book.: "The Food That Built America".

FIRST LINE: "On May 25, 1914, about two weeks after its subject had dressed himself in his Sunday finest, laid himself down in the master bedroom of his Santa Barbara manse, and blown off the top of his head with a hunting rifle, the will of cereal magnate C.W. Post was filed for probate in Washington, D.C.

WHAT I THOUGHT:I found it interesting that as Marjorie grew older she attempted to find a buyer for Mar-a-Lago, she first approached the state, then the Federal Government with the idea that it would serve as the Winter White House. Ultimately no one was willing to commit to the enormous expense of maintaining the house as a private home until Donald Trump stepped forward.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. I've even considered reading it again to better absorb all the information. Standiford has also written several other books about the area and readers may know him better as the author of crime fiction featuring Detective John Deal set in southern Florida. Here is a list of all his books.

Disclaimer: A copy of Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu by Atlantic Monthly Press/Net Galley for an honest review.
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (November 5, 2019)
ISBN-10: 0802128491
ISBN-13: 978-0802128492

Les Standiford is the author of the bestselling Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean, Water to the Angels: William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles, and Meet you in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership that Transformed America, among many other works of fiction and nonfiction. He lives with his wife, Kimberly, in Florida. (From Amazon.com)

What a crazy history this well known location has had! Covering not just Mar-a-lago but the town around it. This book taught me so much! I would have never thought that the current resident was just as much of a character as the previous owners and occupants. This is historical fact meets historical gossip at it's finest and the author is quite to point out which is which. Great read!

Very engaging, well written history. Its an area that many of us have heard of, but know little about. And for good reason - its not a world in which many people travel. Living in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, where the Kenan-Flagler name is prominent, the family history, mixed with other s of the time is fascinating, A very readable account.

Fascinating history of the evolution of Palm Beach and its most famous residence Mar-a-Lago. Plenty of gossip and anecdote but plenty of good well-researched history as well. A cast of big names and celebrities combine to make this an entertaining and absorbing slice of social history. A great read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
This book was researched and written as history. I talks about the development of Palm Beach, its residents including Trump. It was interesting but became a bit tedious. I found the early developers most interesting.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

This is an interesting history of Palm Beach Island from the early settling to today. It is about the history of Mar-a-lago but also the people who came and some stayed but they all made an impact on the island. Marjorie Merriweather Post, Henry Flagler and many others left their mark. The history of their lives with their ups and downs.

Mansions, Famous People, History and Scandal

Mar-a-Lago conjures up opulence, fame, and scandal, as does Palm Beach itself. The history of Palm Beach began with Henry Flagler in 1895. Flagler’s contribution was to build a railroad down Florida to Key West. In addition, he built famous homes along the coast of Florida and hotels like The Breakers. His two marriages set the stage for eccentricity and scandal.

Perhaps the best known of the mansions, particularly today is Mar-a-Lago, built by Marjorie Merriweather Post and E.F.Hutton. They lavishly furnished their home as an opulent estate where Marjorie ruled for many years. Today the estate is owned by President Trump. It seems fitting that the home should continue to play a role in US history.

In addition to the famous people, we learn about their architects, designers, valets, butlers, and other servants. This is a well researched look at a place famous for wealth and privilege. It’s also a place were scandals occurred behind the high walls of the mansions.

The book is well-written but so full of detail it sometimes bogs down. I thoroughly enjoyed both the history of the area and the stories of the famous inhabitants. If you like history seasoned with titillating bits of gossip, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

It took the genius of Henry Flagler to see a future in the heat and bug filled swamps of Florida and to create Palm Beach. He built his own railroad, his own hotels and, as the saying goes, if you build it, they will come. Florida soon became the place to build a second mansion and live the high life. And live it, they did and they still do as Mar-a-Lago will attest. The journey from swamp to its nick name Southern White House is a fascinating story and is very well written. There is solid history and just enough gossip to make it hard for me to set it aside to get some sleep. There is nothing dry and boring within these pages.
I had never read any books by Les Standiford but after enjoying Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago and the Rise of America's Xanadu I now have his historical books on my must read list.

Richly written and researched book of the history of Palm Beach development, its mansions and those that inhabited them. I found it to be very interesting and entertaining. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Les Standiford spins a great yarn. He weaves the stories of the people who developed the mosquito-filled swamp into Florida's poshest retreat and the people who have loved the Mar-a-Lago mansion and its predecessor seamlessly together. I had no idea that Henry Flagler had done so much in the development of the area. The author is also very even-handed with his treatment of the current owner, trying to make sense of the ever-changing, highly embellished stories that the Orange Menace has told about his dealings in Palm Beach. I'm interested to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC.

This is an interesting look at the cloistered WASP retreat. I was expecting more of a general cultural and historical perspective rather than all the personal biographies of members of wealthy families, such as how they met their spouses, etc.

A well researched and fascinating book, engrossing and informative.
I loved the style of writing and the storytelling.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

While traveling the Mediterranean I was honored to read about a beloved former lived-in-state and one of many iconic buildings that I have been wanting to see since living in Florida in 1994. Palm Beach is where you know you want to visit, want to shop on its famous boulevard, to experience the hubbub that spirits the area, however to me I have always wanted to just wander the beach to see the great homes that reside there. It’s always been a dream to step into the rich and fabulous world of the socialites, especially after watching Robin Leach’s Lives of the Rich and Famous television show when I was a teen. Having stayed in The Breakers Hotel numerous times it was fun to read about its history, it many lives and the future it holds. Postum Heiress Majorie Post’s building of Mar-a-Lago and President Trump owning decades later has been an educational reading of this intriguing property, Les Standiford created a read that was easy, informative, fascinating and factual with a little bit of scandal to boot! I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered about who was brave enough to see that the hot, humid, East Coast of Florida was anything but just swamp water and muddy land. Henry Flagler was a genius in the vein of Ford, Edison and many others of the Gilded Age. East Coast Florida owes him the beautiful area they all get to live in, This book is worth a read,

This book is about the development of Palm Beach (and other parts of the east coast of Florida) by Henry Flagler beginning in the late 1800s, but it’s so much more. There’s lots of background on Flagler and other moguls that is eye-opening. Flagler began with putting in a railroad that would go to St. Augustine and built a hotel and thought he was done. But he kept on going down the coast, finding ever more lovely places. He built a huge hotel in Palm Beach where there was basically nothing, after continuing his railroad further down into Florida to make areas accessible, and people thought he was crazy. But he knew what people who had money liked, and soon his hotels were doing good business, very good business indeed.

I’d recommend this for history and biography lovers who like to indulge in this type of a read. I found it very entertaining and enlightening. I lived in Florida for quite a few years, and you see the name Flagler all over the Eastern part of the state, but this book brings to life what he really meant to the state! This is much better than some dry history book, by far. He pretty much made that whole state blossom and take off. Once the east coast took off, its inevitable that other areas would slowly follow.
Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Les Standiford, and the publisher.

Rising from the murky waters to reign as a Florida pleasure spot, this book paints a vibrant, vivid and insightful portrait of a place and time. Not to be missed!