Friends and Enemies: A Life in Vogue, Prison, & Park Avenue
Written by Barbara Amiel
Narrated by Joanna Daniel
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
From her early childhood in London during the Blitz to emigrating to North America and her rise to the top rungs of journalism; to her four husbands and other assorted beaus both famous and not; and right up to her marriage to Conrad Black and their prolific legal battles against the powerful and vengeful American justice system, Barbara Amiel's life has been as dramatic as it is glamorous. She has been called every conceivable name in the book by the media (and authors of unauthorized biographies about her), pilloried for her extravagant lifestyle and sometimes regrettable quotes to the press ("My extravagance knows no bounds," for instance, to Vogue), not to mention her outspoken conservative political views as stated in her weekly newspaper columns around the world. It's no surprise she remains to this day a subject of utter fascination after over four decades in the public eye.
But until now, very few people actually know her real story—the break-up of her family when she was a child, her bouts of debilitating depression and other chronic health issues, her thoughts on feminism and #MeToo, her travels with the international jet set and A-list celebrities, and, of course, her unvarnished views on the trial and conviction (since overturned) of Conrad Black and the iron-clad bond they have shared since they were married in 1992.
Whether you are an admirer or critic of Amiel’s, you will be completely engrossed in her operatic life, one that seems ripped from the pages of a scandalous novel. She also distinguishes herself as a woman well ahead of her time—the first female editor of a national newspaper in Canada, she challenged the sexual mores of society while also angering the feminist establishment. She has certainly had many friends and enemies over the years—Henry and Nancy Kissinger, Elton John, Tom Stoppard, David Frost, Anna Wintour, Oscar de la Renta, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana, Marie Jose Kravis, to name but a few—and she brings these personalties into the spotlight in this larger-than-life memoir that is sure to cause a sensation with readers everywhere.
Editor's Note
No run-of-the-mill memoir…
Amiel’s life is anything but boring, and she dishes freely in “Friends and Enemies.” The journalist and socialite’s memoir covers mental health, anti-semitism, betrayal, and beyond, including her husband Conrad Black’s legal battles and subsequent imprisonment. (Black was pardoned of his fraud conviction by President Trump in 2019.) With Amiel’s sharp opinions and shocking truths, this is no run-of-the-mill memoir.
Barbara Amiel
Barbara Amiel has been a columnist for The Times of London, The Daily Telegraph, and Maclean’s; a senior political columnist for The Sunday Times of London; Editor of the Toronto Sun (first woman to edit a major Canadian daily paper); VP-Editorial for Hollinger newspapers; and co-author of the Mystery Writers of America Edgar-winner By Persons Unknown. She has many Chanel jackets, cannot cook, owns large Hungarian Kuvasz dogs, and is married to Conrad Black. They live together near Toronto.
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Reviews for Friends and Enemies
23 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very well done. Barbara is amusing and descriptive A must read
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