An Incredible story, Brilliantly Written and Performed

This book is truly captivating. It explores a thrilling (Catch me if you can type, real story) whilst exploring themes of friendship and ‘making it’ in a world where everyone is looking out for themselves. I highly recommend this book, I guarantee it will be the talk of your office.

I cannot praise this book more.

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1 person found this helpful

Con Victim insightful and heartfelt story

i found the story interesting, especially the psychological side of the con. I felt the emotions of the writer and wanted to cheer her on.
Rachel has a beautiful voice but her narration sounded a little flat to me.i still recommend this audiobook

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fascinating life lesson

Well written and narrated. Interesting details. I have listened 3 times now and still picking up Interesting nuances

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1 person found this helpful

awesome

loved the book after hearing the BBC podcast about Ana, couldn't put it down .

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Suprisingly good!

This book is nothing like my normal taste (margaret atwood, lionel shriver, helen dunmore, zoe heller), I chose it in lieu of any other ideas- but glad I did. Sure, it's trash, it's VERY american (obviously), it's about shallow people in a shallow world- the like of which is intangible to the vast majority. But it's so intriguing, like car crash TV. Addictive listening and actually a story well told (not sure how much reality has been embellished here...). So give it a go- I will probably listen again between books- good engaging relief from heavier works and a decent insight into peoples psyche and motivations.

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You won’t want to stop listening

Not a book I would normally buy but I felt like trying something different I’m so glad I did
Narrating it herself the Author draws you in to her world so you feel every emotion as she leads you along her story
You totally understand why she got taken in and she keeps you hooked by not revealing how it turns out and who she is till the end
At points I found myself very emotional and wanting to rescue her from the terrible situation she finds herself in
Well worth the credit well written and beautiful read

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2 people found this helpful

My best listen for a while

If you love crime podcasts/documentaries and Gossip Girl, this is for you.

I can't believe this is the author's first book, she's an amazing, engaging writer and narrator and tells her own story perfectly. I was hooked throughout and felt every emotion with her. The memoir element felt natural even though she isn't a celebrity, it made me get to know her and despite not knowing of her before coming across this book, I was so naturally interested in her own life with how it lead her to this story. I already recommend this to all of my friends a few chapters in, and will be listening again soon! Please write more!

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Compelling but too much padding

Not the type of book I normally read but I was fascinated by the story. It didn’t need so many text message conversations repeating the same thing and sometimes even including emojis!

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Really enjoyed amazing story but very padded out

I purchased this audio book after seeing a very short tv interview with Rachel DeLoache Williams which was the first I had heard of the Fake German Heiress story and of course I was horrified and intrigued. As a fan of so many stylish tv series and films series set in New York, I knew I had to know more as with its glamorous backdrop of the social elite coupled with the exciting world of Vanity Fair and outrageous crimes, it just sounded stranger than fiction.
As such, there are reports of many people such as Lena Dunham of "Girls" fame and companies such as Netflix interested in developing it and it looks as if soon it will be immortalised as another glossy glam NYC saga which will make it even harder to keep in mind that this all really happened and that there were real victims but bearing this in mind this is a fascinating, frightening story which must be told.
I was happy to see the length was over 8 hours but also I did wonder how a story which could easily be told in 15 minutes could last so long and there was a HUGE amount of sometimes fascinating, sometimes tedious and often repetitious padding. I adored all the name dropping, loved hearing the details of working in the photo department of Vanity Fair, devoured all the high life details of "bites grabbed" in exclusive restaurants, luxurious and exotic hotels, personal training, mani pedis and infra red saunas - in fact I could have listened to another 8 hours solid of that. I was riveted by the incredible chutzpah of Anna Delvey and riveted as the story unfolded. But overall I did get a huge feeling of time being conscientiously filled in what often felt laborious and very monotonous but then there this is a true story and I am sure Rachel did ask Anna when her money would be repaid hundreds of times but I think even if it had meant a shorted book it would have been better for more of an overview or at least weekly review rather than blow by blow description. However Rachel seems so meticulous in her fact gathering I imagine she wanted to accurately depict her frustrations at the futility of the situation.
It would be cruel to quote the old adage that a fool and his or her money are easily parted but it is important to remember that monsters walk amongst us and many people have honed their grifting skills to such a high level that even clever, savvy, street smart people are no match for them - so this book is a wake up call for all of us.
Rachel DeLoache Williams wrote this book out of necessity I imagine, though with all the sums I am not sure at the end the exact figure she was out of pocket for and I think the book makes a terrific read considering this. It is a bit repetitious and padded out but for the most I adored all the details including the family outings and charming activities such as dying Easter eggs. It truly was a lovely glimpse into another world.
Although Rachel DeLoache Williams is not a professional narrator I thought she did a great job of reading her book and it did give the book a unique authenticity and interest that would have been missing with an actor. So I think this was the right way to go .
So I totally recommend this book for anyone who loves glamour, high life and intrigue and an insight into what it is to have a fabulous job in publishing but if you just want the facts without the personal terror and turmoil and beautiful descriptions of what everyone was wearing, what cocktails they were sipping and where they were gabbing a bite ... then maybe the newscoverage would be a more concise way to find out all about this fascinating and headline grabbing case.

Whether if you are happy or even comfortable to be treated to lots of fine dining and luxury treats at a generous, willing friend's invitation is a really an individual and private matter and as much as it would not sit well with many it seems very unfair that this has been held against Rachel DeLoache Williams in the matter of charges being put on her credit cards and not repaid or removed as promised. This understandable aggrievement at being branded a free loader and opportunist herself and in some way have have had it coming to her and now paying the price does come across strongly and of course this book is the perfect vehicle for her to try and separate the crime against her in this shameless con and the lifestyle and freebies she enjoyed with what she took for a generous and wealthy friend before she was basically robbed.

Is it wrong if Rachel DeLoache Williams ends up making a lot of money from being conned?
Personally I am all for it, as I really enjoyed this fascinating book and true life story and experiences and no amount of money could compensate for what she went through and I will also look forward to the glossy glam world it is set in coming to life as a TV Series or film as they say "you couldn't make it up"

The real question is will Conwoman/German Fake Heiress be able to benefit from her despicable grifting?
Now that really would be a crime.

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8 people found this helpful

A good account of a person scammed.

This book is easy to listen to, even though the subject matter is difficult. It presents a full account from the point of view of a woman scammed and the effect this had on Rachel DeLoache Williams.

The blurb says that this is ‘A true story of a fake heiress who conned me and half of New York City’ but there is very little information about the nature or the other victims of the scams perpetrated by Anna Delvey. The result is that the strap line is misleading.

However, this is still a well written account of the events around DeLoache Williams’s scam. It relies on facts and recollections, these are thorough and well documented. It is more memoir than piece of investigative journalism.

As a listener some questions remained unanswered for example; having been taken for so much money originally why keep agreeing to lend Anna Delvey more? Why didn’t alarm bells start ringing sooner?

Some insights into how other people can avoid being put in a similar situation and what to do if they are - or suspect someone they know is would have made this more accessible and easy to relate to.

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3 people found this helpful