The Liar's Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World's Toughest Tycoons

by Vicky Ward

Inside the world of the real Great Gatsby of New York real estate Harry Macklowe is one of the most notorious wheelers and dealers of the real estate world, and Liar's Ball is the story of the gamblers and thieves who populate his world. Watch as Harry makes the gutsy bid for midtown Manhattan's famous GM building and put almost no money down, landing the billion-dollar transaction that made him the poster child for New York's real estate royalty. Listen in on the secret conversations, back-door deals, and blackmail that put Macklowe and his cronies on top—and set them up for an enormous fall.

Vanity Fair contributing editor Vicky Ward skillfully paints the often scandalous picture of the giants who owned the New York skyline until their empires came crumbling down in the 2008 financial crisis. Based on more than 200 interviews with real estate moguls like Donald Trump, William Zeckendorf, Mort Zuckerman, and David Simon, Liar's Ball is the never-before-told story of the egomaniacal elites of New York City. Read

The epic rise and fall of one of the richest American real estate barons Outlandish greed and cravings for power, attention, and love Relationships built and destroyed by vanity and gossip The bursting of the real estate bubble and its aftermath This is no fiction—this is a real life tale of extravagance, ambition, and power. Harry Macklowe ruthlessly clawed his way to the top with the help of his loyal followers, each grubbing for a piece of the real estate pie. Liar's Ball reveals their secrets and tells the tale of business as usual for this group—lying, backstabbing, and moving in for the kill when things look patchy. From the bestselling author of The Devil's Casino comes an expos??? on the real estate elite that you'll hardly believe.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, New York, Audiobook

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2014

Reviews

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of a single piece of property actually turns out to be a pretty interesting way to explain the doings of some of New York's biggest real estate tycoons, the nature of how top tier properties are financed, and the enduring allure of owning a trophy.

The book is mostly the story of Harry Macklowe's quest to acquire the GM Building and how he lost it but other characters include Donald Trump (who was apparently less than happy about his portrayal in this book). Vicky Ward has certainly done her homework and while she may stint on description, her copious notes show that her research is impeccable. Definitely an interesting book for understanding the world of high stakes real estate.

[Christopher Rising · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads a little bit like a long Vanity Fair article but still a great read for anyone in the real estate industry.

[Richard Rouhe · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun drama, esp. if you live in NYC and know these places and faces

[Gordon Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, breezy, gossipy, short book about New York billionaire real estate shenanigans involving the GM Building on Park Avenue.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting--reads a bit like Barbarians at the Gate.

[Daniel Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t find the backstory to match with the main story. Felt more like a series of unconnected anecdotes on wealthy real estate moguls stitched together confusingly

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read! A little disorganized in terms of storyline but it doesn’t distract from the overall story itself. If you’re interested in business and real estate I highly recommend!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Donald The Grave dancer & a determined poor woman's hustling strive that paved the way 4 a mega deal. Shout out to Sam Zell.

Takeaways👂picked 🆙 on ⬇️...
Thanks for keeping it on front Street
This is not a normal world None of these people are fucking normalx
The level of disturbance is often times about how successful they are
Trumpifying the tower country
Permanently attached to a Dunkin Donuts cup
I love to tell stories about buildings
A ruthless sinister profiteer
Hustling striver Harry Macklowe
I have no fear of invisibility which is I'm off social media
When he latches his Jaws onto something it's very very hard for him to let go
There's a lot of creative opportunity for the deal
I'll be waiting like a open mouth 🐊
To snap up the prize on the cheap
sur·rep·ti·tious

/ˌsərəpˈtiSHəs/

Learn to pronounce

adjective

kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.

"they carried on a surreptitious affair"
Going to return back to my office to Noodle on the most tricky question of all
In speaking to the banks Having an understanding of the push and pull of what it is they want and what we need
He was left with just money and buildings
To quit while you still have strength left is immoral
I see opportunity where other men see wastelands
I understand that if you borrow most of the money needed to buy a property you get a lot more for your small share of the investment
I'm struggling to establish myself in my father's shadow
He wanted the results not the process
Nothing kills a deal more then a lack of speed
TheWorld is full of skeletons of real estate guys who made the wrong decision

[Deborah Blankman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for purely personal reasons. My aunt's father owned the old GM building on the west side. I also knew one of the owners of the "new" GM Building. I don't know about the rest of the book but his chapter was totally accurate.

[I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been longer

[Ben Wong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Supposed to be high octane wheelin n dealin but it was an incredibly boring list of whos who with no action. Not for everyone.

[Andrew Westphal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, lots of action and many interesting characters to follow (or perhaps difficult to follow, if you mix up all the participants).

[Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars. Not a ton of information in this one, more of a gossip-rich history of New York City real estate with the GM Building as the common thread.

[Cheekien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific

[Hunter Hagdorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blockbuster cast of characters. NYC real estate at its finest. Not as scandalous as I’d hoped. Intelligent, wealthy developers chasing the trophy with no care for risk management.

[David Dietrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary saga indeed. Loved this one.

[Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Real estate is basically a circle of men holding a revolver to each other’s head”

The book is 240 pages long. Sources / Index starts on page 161!

[Weiching Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two group of people: one play for money, one play for power. Sometimes they are exchangeable, especially when you get to upper echelon end game. This book offers a intimate windows into how elite players think/act in NYC prime real estate. Trump was one of the players at that echelon before he decided to run for the US president. Definitely wasn't clueless and made his decision in a calculated way(sometimes?). Obviously this says nothing about his or this group's morality, which the books hints at.

[Sandy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting re-telling of the history of many landmark property transactions in NYC over 5 decades. The author has a true insider’s account having interviewed nearly all of the main characters (including Trump pre-presidential era). Written in an engaging, journalistic style. I liked it a little less than Ward’s preceding book, The Devil’s Casino, about the fall of Lehman Brothers, but only just a touch.

[Charles Reimler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Government OF; By; And FOR The "ELITE" IS Reality! Corporations Lobbyists Spend 100's Millions Of Dollars Inorder Pass Bills For ELITISM INTEREST
Whom Never Serve In Military Themselves Sending Lower Classes To War!
Democracy Is An Illusion Due Business As Usual The ELITE Control The Masses Of People!

[tong huang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history about the GM building in NYC

Really interesting to know all the legends associated with the GM buildings. People's up and down with the building and with the city.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Very much enjoyed the history and stories of the big personalities involved.

[Suzanne Decker]

didn't finish