A Dangerous Woman

American Beauty, Noted Philanthropist, Nazi Collaborator - The Life of Florence Gould

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War II, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book A Dangerous Woman by Susan Ronald, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Susan Ronald ISBN: 9781250092229
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: February 20, 2018
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Susan Ronald
ISBN: 9781250092229
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: February 20, 2018
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

A revealing biography of Florence Gould, fabulously wealthy socialite and patron of the arts, who hid a dark past as a Nazi collaborator in 1940’s Paris.

Born in turn-of-the-century San Francisco to French parents, Florence moved to Paris at the age of eleven. Believing that only money brought respectability and happiness, she became the third wife of Frank Jay Gould, son of the railway millionaire Jay Gould. She guided Frank’s millions into hotels and casinos, creating a luxury hotel and casino empire. She entertained Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Kennedy, and many Hollywood stars—like Charlie Chaplin, who became her lover. While the party ended for most Americans after the Crash of 1929, Frank and Florence stayed on, fearing retribution by the IRS. During the Occupation, Florence took several German lovers and hosted a controversial Nazi salon. As the Allies closed in, the unscrupulous Florence became embroiled in a notorious money laundering operation for Hermann Göring’s Aerobank.

Yet after the war, not only did she avoid prosecution, but her vast fortune bought her respectability as a significant contributor to the Metropolitan Museum and New York University, among many others. It also earned her friends like Estée Lauder who obligingly looked the other way. A seductive and utterly amoral woman who loved to say “money doesn’t care who owns it,” Florence’s life proved a strong argument that perhaps money can buy happiness after all.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A revealing biography of Florence Gould, fabulously wealthy socialite and patron of the arts, who hid a dark past as a Nazi collaborator in 1940’s Paris.

Born in turn-of-the-century San Francisco to French parents, Florence moved to Paris at the age of eleven. Believing that only money brought respectability and happiness, she became the third wife of Frank Jay Gould, son of the railway millionaire Jay Gould. She guided Frank’s millions into hotels and casinos, creating a luxury hotel and casino empire. She entertained Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Kennedy, and many Hollywood stars—like Charlie Chaplin, who became her lover. While the party ended for most Americans after the Crash of 1929, Frank and Florence stayed on, fearing retribution by the IRS. During the Occupation, Florence took several German lovers and hosted a controversial Nazi salon. As the Allies closed in, the unscrupulous Florence became embroiled in a notorious money laundering operation for Hermann Göring’s Aerobank.

Yet after the war, not only did she avoid prosecution, but her vast fortune bought her respectability as a significant contributor to the Metropolitan Museum and New York University, among many others. It also earned her friends like Estée Lauder who obligingly looked the other way. A seductive and utterly amoral woman who loved to say “money doesn’t care who owns it,” Florence’s life proved a strong argument that perhaps money can buy happiness after all.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book A History of Ancient Egypt by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book The Story of Ireland by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Hunger's Mate Part 1 by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Upon the Flight of the Queen by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book A Welcome Grave by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book You Gotta Sin to Get Saved by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Trojan Horse by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Into the Dark by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book Breaking News by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book The Good Boy by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book A Weekend at Blenheim by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book The Blood Ballad by Susan Ronald
Cover of the book How I Write by Susan Ronald
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy