“House of Gucci” by Sara Gay Forden

Greed and "glamour" behind a global luxury brand.

Being an avid thriller reader, I was drawn to this book by the summary on its back cover - which included words like "page-turning" and "intrigue".

In my opinion, this book is really two books in one. For the most part, it is the story about Gucci as a business - thoroughly researched, it walks us through its early years in the 1920's and its growth to become the global, iconic fashion brand that it is today. It does so by providing a detailed look into the Gucci family's power struggles, their legal battles, and the hostile takeovers that the company went through across the years.

On the other side, it is about the murder of Maurizio Gucci (who led the company from 1989 to 1993), the investigation into his death, and the arrest and trial of his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani. The book opens and closes with this period of the Gucci family story, and although it is indeed intriguing, I wouldn't describe it as page-turning. I would say it's more a well researched description of this crime.

If you're interested in the world of fashion, enjoy true stories about business and the corporate world, or would like to know how the Gucci brand was built, this is a good read for you. Although dense at times, the detailed information provided by the author will give you a broad view of the highs and lows that the Gucci family and the company went through across decades.