Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend Audible Audiobook – Unabridged Meryl Gordon (Author), Vanessa Cortland (Narrator), Hachette Audio (Publisher) (Hachette Audio)

I bought this audio book because I worked on the Mellon's estate in Oyster Harbors in the early 1970's. I was one of many gardeners who planted the 10,000 annual flowers, and spent the rest of the Summer tending the vegetable garden. It was an organic garden, before that was the trend, so there was a lot of weeding to be done. The cooks would send down requests for certain vegetables before each meal, and I would prepare them in one of "Bunny's" many antique baskets. They had to be arranged aesthetically, of course. As this book asserts, the estate had a very understated aesthetic. The entire surrounds were manicured to create what I felt was an attempt to establish that dreamy idealism of the Impressionist paintings she had hanging in her house. This was not unusual for that time and place: it was typical of East Coast Establishment, and still is. I grew up in Hyannisport, and during the Kennedy administration was the newsboy who delivered the daily papers to all the houses in that small community, so had rare access to the houses and families of that tiny Port. The Mellon's were typical of the wealthy residents of that area, though they had access to considerably more money than most.

The most telling quotes in this book were those of her staff. Mary Cabral says that Mrs. Mellon was childlike; and this is true of many trust fund babies who do not have to work for their money. These people can be petulant and petty towards their friends and employees alike. They have a misplaced sense of entitlement that causes them to be demeaning to people, especially those who rely on them for employment. They tend to focus on minutiae because there really isn't much happening in their lives. Alcoholism also goes hand in hand with many trust fund recipients. Even their philanthropy comes with "strings" attached. Often, it is a means of reducing their taxable income, and also a way to impress others of their social standing. Yes, she retained her many "servants", but household staff is the ultimate show of wealth, and any reduction would have been seen as a downward trend in her social standing.

This book is well written, and filled in many of the gaps of this reclusive family. The lesson here is that wealth has its' own restrictions and responsibilities, and can be a curse as much as a bounty. These people are not to be envied.