Empress Bianca

by Lady Colin Campbell

To her father, she was a princess. To her first husband, she was the perfect wife and mother. But to the other men in her life she was so much more. Daughter of a Welsh Surveyor who had brought his Palestinian wife to Mexico at the end of World War II to seek his fortune, Bianca was raised always to expect the best of everything. She quickly discovered, however, that the best was never going to be enough. Charming, attractive, vivacious and extremely aware of her power over rich and powerful men, she sought nothing less than to be the absolute ruler of international society. Reluctantly but ruthlessly contriving to bring about the end of her marriage to Bernardo, she quickly allowed herself to become wedded to the fortunes of Ferdie, the psychologically unstable scion of the powerful and rich Piedraplata family, whose international concerns include commerce, banking and jewelry. However, when deep cracks start to form in their glamourous jet-set lifestyle together, Bianca turns to the calculating and amoral Philippe Mahfud, an Iraqi business associate of Ferdies, to help her attain the wealth and status she secretly covets. Lady Colin Campbells compulsive dÃbut novel is a tale of charm, intrigue and cold-blooded murder set among the high flyers of twentieth-century international society. F ollow Empress Bianca from her earliest days as a middle-class housewife in post-war Mexico as she lies, cheats, schemes and seduces her way to the top. A veritable monster of vanity and pretension, captured with deadly accuracy in Lady Colin s lucid prose, Bianca leaves her mark on every couturier s salon, chic restaurant or exclusive gathering she walks into, cutting an unmistakable swathe through social circles and gossip columns from the late 1950s right up to today. See international society the way insiders see it. See it through Empress Biancas eyes.

Genres: Fiction

437 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Lady Colin Campbell, (née Georgia Arianna Ziadie, known as Georgie), is a British writer, biographer, autobiographer, novelist, and television and radio personality, known for her biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, The Real Diana, as well as for other books on the Royal Family and wealthy people.

Campbell was born in Jamaica, the child of Michael and Gloria Ziadie. The Ziadie family is prominent in Jamaica, the descendants of six Maronite Catholic brothers who emigrated from Lebanon in the early 20th century; she says they have gone from being "revered to reviled to treasured as exotica." Her father was of royal Russian bloodline. His family were Greek Orthodox Catholic who had settled in Lebanon. Her mother came from English, Irish, Portuguese and Spanish ancestry. Her maternal great-grandmother, family name De Pass, was Sephardic Jew.

In 1974, she married Lord Colin Ivar Campbell, the son of Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll; she divorced him in 1975.

She is the mother of two adopted Russian-born sons, Dima and Misha. She lives in Kennington, UK.

Reviews

[Ga-ranimals! · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is alledgedly based on real-life socialite Lily Safra. If Safra indeed was involved in the treachery detailed in Lady Campbell's book, all one can say is DAAMMNN, GUUURRLLL. She is an undiscovered Bond villain.

[Mary Fleeman-lehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empress Bianca

I read that this is about Lily Safra in disguise. Very interesting and a real page turner. Now I’ll read the unauthorized biography of Miss Lily and see how they mesh

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read about this in an article in Vanity Fair by Dominick Dunne. If you can find that article - it’s shorter and better. Google Lily Safra. The book is very good too.

[Andijkl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story until the very end. the end was quick. even thought you knew what would happen - it needed a little more.

[Sophia Prades · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you in search of quick, juicy read and you love shows like "The Real Housewives"? If so, then this is for you!

[Teresa A. Mauk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in reading this book after seeing the documentary about the wealthiest widow in the world and how her husband(s) died under mysterious circumstances. Part of that documentary included an interview with Lady Colin Campbell, who made it clear that her personal connection with the widow had come to an abrupt end when she decided to write this fictional account. Because the widow sued her prior to publication, Lady Colin agreed to change the book enough to satisfy the suit. However, it's still a very thinly veiled story of a woman from South America who used her looks and charm to wed her way up the rich and famous husband ladder. Along the way, two of those husbands met mysterious ends. My favorite was the one who shot himself in the chest twice.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful account of Lily...and I am in love with Lady Colin...

[Christine.Darrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empress Bianca

I found parts of this book tediously and somewhat rushed at the end. I hoped to discover more about Manoli the son and Amanda his mother.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing story. Money can't always buy happiness.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read about this in an article in Vanity Fair by Dominick Dunne. Names are changed in the book.

[Christina Lloyd-Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

You just know it’s gonna be good when you know it was forced out of print.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was like reading a breathless supermarket tabloid. I wasn't impressed with the writing style. Everything was flat. Characters with no real motivation. Sorry. I'm just annoyed. I read it (and finished it) because I'm doing the Around the World book challenge, and this is my Andorra.