Description

Bunny Mellon whose life was marked by astonishing good fortune as well as tragedy and scandal remains a singular figure in the annals of American design She had her finger on the pulse of American culture and possessed a rare sense of style and grace Her most celebrated workthe White House Rose Gardendemonstrated how formal restraint and the sparing use of color could be deployed to maximal effect

In Ill Build a Stairway to Paradise Mac Griswoldwho knew Mellon personallydelves into her subjects closelyguarded personal archives to construct an unrivaled portrait of a woman as complex and multifaceted as the gardens and homes on which she left her mark This book explores the tension between Mellons idea of herself as a poor little rich girl and her own enterprising spirit Mellon tested the anodyne 1950s model of woman aswifeasmother by getting a divorce admitting candidly to her first husband that she wanted a richer one She imperiously traded old friends for new and ultimately used her reputation her connections and above all her money to help fund John Edwardss shortlived presidential campaign

How Mellons character style and taste developed together to produce her greatest accomplishmentsprivate and publicis the real subject of this biography