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The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer
The acclaimed biography of James Packer. James Packer turns to Greek mythology in an attempt to explain the most exciting yet tumultuous period of his 50 years on earth.
"I was like Icarus," the billionaire tells his biographer, journalist Damon Kitney, of the heady days of 2016 when he broke up with pop star Mariah Carey, abandoned living in Hollywood and Israel, left the global casino stage, and divided the family fortune in a bitter separation from his sister. "I flew too close to the sun."
With these words, Packer delves for the first time into the story behind his stunning public revelation in mid-March 2018 of his battle with mental health issues, which forced him to resign from the board of the Crown Casino company he owns and loves.
Never before has a member of the Packer family co-operated with a writer to tell their story. In his biography The Price of Fortune, one of the nation's richest and most psychoanalysed men opens up in an attempt to make sense of his rollercoaster life and to tell the human story of being James Douglas Packer. Of how his wealth, charm and intellect took him to such exciting places. Yet how sometimes trusting the wrong people and his own rash actions cost him money, friendships, his health and business reputation on the global stage - and how he is now working on getting it all back.PRAISE FOR THE PRICE OF
'a revealing portrait of a complex man' - Australian Financial Review
'a journalistic classic' - John Lehmann, editor of The Australian
'Engrossing, highly readable' The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
'Kitney manages to tread the fine line between documenting the bizarre spectacle that is Packer's life, and eliciting sympathy for this man of extraordinary wealth.' The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
"I was like Icarus," the billionaire tells his biographer, journalist Damon Kitney, of the heady days of 2016 when he broke up with pop star Mariah Carey, abandoned living in Hollywood and Israel, left the global casino stage, and divided the family fortune in a bitter separation from his sister. "I flew too close to the sun."
With these words, Packer delves for the first time into the story behind his stunning public revelation in mid-March 2018 of his battle with mental health issues, which forced him to resign from the board of the Crown Casino company he owns and loves.
Never before has a member of the Packer family co-operated with a writer to tell their story. In his biography The Price of Fortune, one of the nation's richest and most psychoanalysed men opens up in an attempt to make sense of his rollercoaster life and to tell the human story of being James Douglas Packer. Of how his wealth, charm and intellect took him to such exciting places. Yet how sometimes trusting the wrong people and his own rash actions cost him money, friendships, his health and business reputation on the global stage - and how he is now working on getting it all back.PRAISE FOR THE PRICE OF
'a revealing portrait of a complex man' - Australian Financial Review
'a journalistic classic' - John Lehmann, editor of The Australian
'Engrossing, highly readable' The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
'Kitney manages to tread the fine line between documenting the bizarre spectacle that is Packer's life, and eliciting sympathy for this man of extraordinary wealth.' The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 4, 2019
Spoilt brat has mental breakdown and tells (nearly) all to an Aussie journo.
3 stars.
So Jodhi Meares was Jodie but changed her name due to numerology. That was interesting.
So the tell all is most things except Miranda Kerr (like Jodhi, Miranda is also from Gunnedah) which James refuses to talk about because she was friends with Jodhi before and I guess Jodhi was either hurt or furious about it.
Jamie/James seemed to enter relationships based on transactions and what he can get. At least he acknowledges that he inherited his $3 billion, but people keep treating him like he's some special genius. But James have never built a business from scratch, maybe that's the key to his angst. He had nervous breakdowns about losing the inherited wealth.
Perhaps he should have just parked the money in various low-cost index funds and would have made much more with less stress. So many investments failed, it's uncanny. The few that worked were big wins that covered up the losses, like monopolies with CarSales.com.au etc.
The author doesn't seem to quite grasp that.
The endless brown-nosing and fawning got a bit nauseating at times. People are happy to blow smoke up Jamie's ass because he's rich and they can make money out of him. UBS and Goldman Sachs made so much money on fees it's almost hilarious.
I couldn't help but think how so much money was wasted on private jets (which are well over $2,000 an hour to run and many flights are over 10 to 15 hours [I don't know the flight time/range of the Global Express, maybe it's 12 hours, so a stop over and refuel, which racks up landing fees) at the time he's worried about losing the fortune and thinking he couldn't afford other things. The rent in Beverly Hills of $100k a month too! Just insane. Living in that celebrity hotel too before that, Beverly Hills Hotel rings a bell, I forget).
Packer hates it that he didn't have any cash to invest in Zillow. I just find that odd.
Interestingly he got advice/hot tips but didn't act on them (which is understandable given the first thing experienced investors/traders will tell newbies is ignore hot tips) but you got to put it in context of junk-bond genius and fraudster Milliken telling Packer not to buy any U.S. casinos! Sure enough Milliken was right. I can't remember if his first name is Harry or Henry. Meh.
Now the other tip was from David Geffen, the Hollywood powerbroker and music agent [book:The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood|689940] told James Packer about Amazon and Jeff Bezos. Well you know the story.
If only Packer had some shares in Amazon. He wouldn't be such a big crybaby. Suck it up mate.
Interestingly some of Geffen's best investment have been in art - paintings etc. In a museum Packer saw some incense burning on a wall with stainless steel letters, an O, a W and an N, for OWN. Now Packer was moved by it and thought of how it's just like the Crown (casino and 'resorts', huh yeah right, it's a bloody Chinese money laundering racket!) logo. He thought of how Crown owns him, he has the CR but it's missing from the OWN artwork. Or something like that. It hit him hard and he had to get outside and lie down. The book has photos of the art and the 'lying down' thing. Packer's mother is in to art, so it makes you wonder if he's such a genius why doesn't he get in to art and investing in it? I mean, someone bought Da Vinci's last Jesus painting, the Salvador Mundi or whatever it's called (last saviour? I bet Manny knows!) for $1000 and sold it for tens of millions to some Russian which was then auctioned to Saudi aRapia's I mean Arabia's MBS The Hacksaw Murderer of Khashoggi for $450mn! (Which was 'donated to UAE but is now missing'. Nothing sketchy there folks!)
I mean you could buy a few superyachts with that. Oracle's Larry Ellison sold his massive boat to David Geffen. Fun facts. Packer holidayed in the Mediterranean and Israel, parking his big boat near Geffen's even bigger one.
Anyhow probably skip this unless you're really interested in the subject. If you like Jame's father Kerry and want to hear what other rich and famous people say (in the most effusing and brown-nosing terms) about them, then sure, go ahead and read this. Plus if you don't mind that a business journalist doesn't understand that am is not a correct term for A.M. then sure, go ahead too.
=======
Keywords: brown-nosing-biography, hagiography, greed, spoilt-heirs, thin-skinned brats, not-so-genius-afterall.
File under: 'I'm rich and famous dammit, where's my privacy?!' folder. Or the 'I'm so smart but I can't hire even one good Public relations officer so I can live in Sydney without feeling sick from the nosey press'. Surely Tom Cruise or Scientology could have helped there right? Or you know, just see a shrink about why you're such a sooky-lala and paranoid about the paparazzi*? Gee, maybe a dose of humility or gratitude is in order?
Note: *not making fun of mental illness, Packer does actually see a shrink in Los Angeles (of all places!) at the prompting of Warren Beatty (has he been caught up in #MeToo as well yet? Funny that, reminds me of how Packer is mates with Ratner and the Warner Bros CEO Kevin (some Japanese surname Tsukiji or whatever) and they have been accused of using sex favours of gullible actress wannabees. Anyhow Packer saw the shrink a few times but then went back to getting blind drunk etc. Ah what a #Privilege.
For those that don't know, Packer is rarely if ever in the press and when he was it's because of his dates and girlfriends/wives. That whole Mariah Carey thing was weird. So hopefully that explains my review and the constant eye-rolling about some rich dude whining about how bad his life is because he's got so much pressure from the press, the public and the shareholders (despite being the majority shareholder and running the company to suit him).
Sympathy and fucks I have for James Packer: none. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip.
Harden up buttercup. Not so much to do with the wealth, but the constant 'woe-is-me, poor-me I have such a hard life whilst wiping tears on $5mn silk handkerchief on his $40mn private jet'. Like seriously, fuck me, get some perspective, go talk to a homeless person - which would probably be the croupier in one of your 'VIP' (read smoke filled and health-laws exempt) 'gaming' rooms for Asians.
Yes I probably wasted my time reading this book, but I expected better. The author could have taken 5 minutes and compiled the investing history in a table. And some key dates in a timeline. I lost track of it all and gave up caring about the dates. The author wasn't clear on years. Plus there is no index. Yep, a 400 page biography and no index! Insane right? There are all these other photos but none of the key players. Just smarmy happy snaps. Hell I could have forgiven a Mariah Carey one. In any of the various plunging neck-line pics that were written about. Alas, I carried on, like a hero...it was a sweet, sweet fantasy to finish this book. (Yes I like Mariah and her music, fight me! Come on you Bro, I'll smash you!) LOL. I'll put you in heaven so you can smile down on me. ;-p I'm joking! I'm a lover not a fighter, but I won't mind putting a Bro in a coma...in self-defense of course. I swear your honour, the weighty book was right at hand and I just thwacked him with it and he was out cold, I feel bad that I got all this fake tan and hair gel on the book - it was a library book, I wiped it clean with the Bro's Ed Hardy singlet, it was traumatising - I'll probably need trauma therapy after all this. I'll sue for damages and maybe buy some tough stickers to memorialize the tragic event. [Maybe Mariah in her slinky red dress holding the book, and some dragons and fish and clouds and roses and crosses and anchors and shit just to make it arty. You know...'ma body is ma canvas'. Oh and lots of skulls and scroll work and calligraphy. You know, to remind me life is short or some fluff. Which reminds me of a tatt I saw, it was 'Don't Judge Me' on a stomach. Seriously! Some people. I'm sure it hurt and cost $800 and the calligraphy was so pretty, but girl I'm so judging you anyway. For bad decisions et al.]
Maybe I should downrate it from 3 stars to 2 stars?
P.S.: As Far As I Know, Packer doesn't have any tough stickers, so he's got that going for him I guess.
3 stars.
So Jodhi Meares was Jodie but changed her name due to numerology. That was interesting.
So the tell all is most things except Miranda Kerr (like Jodhi, Miranda is also from Gunnedah) which James refuses to talk about because she was friends with Jodhi before and I guess Jodhi was either hurt or furious about it.
Jamie/James seemed to enter relationships based on transactions and what he can get. At least he acknowledges that he inherited his $3 billion, but people keep treating him like he's some special genius. But James have never built a business from scratch, maybe that's the key to his angst. He had nervous breakdowns about losing the inherited wealth.
Perhaps he should have just parked the money in various low-cost index funds and would have made much more with less stress. So many investments failed, it's uncanny. The few that worked were big wins that covered up the losses, like monopolies with CarSales.com.au etc.
The author doesn't seem to quite grasp that.
The endless brown-nosing and fawning got a bit nauseating at times. People are happy to blow smoke up Jamie's ass because he's rich and they can make money out of him. UBS and Goldman Sachs made so much money on fees it's almost hilarious.
I couldn't help but think how so much money was wasted on private jets (which are well over $2,000 an hour to run and many flights are over 10 to 15 hours [I don't know the flight time/range of the Global Express, maybe it's 12 hours, so a stop over and refuel, which racks up landing fees) at the time he's worried about losing the fortune and thinking he couldn't afford other things. The rent in Beverly Hills of $100k a month too! Just insane. Living in that celebrity hotel too before that, Beverly Hills Hotel rings a bell, I forget).
Packer hates it that he didn't have any cash to invest in Zillow. I just find that odd.
Interestingly he got advice/hot tips but didn't act on them (which is understandable given the first thing experienced investors/traders will tell newbies is ignore hot tips) but you got to put it in context of junk-bond genius and fraudster Milliken telling Packer not to buy any U.S. casinos! Sure enough Milliken was right. I can't remember if his first name is Harry or Henry. Meh.
Now the other tip was from David Geffen, the Hollywood powerbroker and music agent [book:The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood|689940] told James Packer about Amazon and Jeff Bezos. Well you know the story.
If only Packer had some shares in Amazon. He wouldn't be such a big crybaby. Suck it up mate.
Interestingly some of Geffen's best investment have been in art - paintings etc. In a museum Packer saw some incense burning on a wall with stainless steel letters, an O, a W and an N, for OWN. Now Packer was moved by it and thought of how it's just like the Crown (casino and 'resorts', huh yeah right, it's a bloody Chinese money laundering racket!) logo. He thought of how Crown owns him, he has the CR but it's missing from the OWN artwork. Or something like that. It hit him hard and he had to get outside and lie down. The book has photos of the art and the 'lying down' thing. Packer's mother is in to art, so it makes you wonder if he's such a genius why doesn't he get in to art and investing in it? I mean, someone bought Da Vinci's last Jesus painting, the Salvador Mundi or whatever it's called (last saviour? I bet Manny knows!) for $1000 and sold it for tens of millions to some Russian which was then auctioned to Saudi aRapia's I mean Arabia's MBS The Hacksaw Murderer of Khashoggi for $450mn! (Which was 'donated to UAE but is now missing'. Nothing sketchy there folks!)
I mean you could buy a few superyachts with that. Oracle's Larry Ellison sold his massive boat to David Geffen. Fun facts. Packer holidayed in the Mediterranean and Israel, parking his big boat near Geffen's even bigger one.
Anyhow probably skip this unless you're really interested in the subject. If you like Jame's father Kerry and want to hear what other rich and famous people say (in the most effusing and brown-nosing terms) about them, then sure, go ahead and read this. Plus if you don't mind that a business journalist doesn't understand that am is not a correct term for A.M. then sure, go ahead too.
=======
Keywords: brown-nosing-biography, hagiography, greed, spoilt-heirs, thin-skinned brats, not-so-genius-afterall.
File under: 'I'm rich and famous dammit, where's my privacy?!' folder. Or the 'I'm so smart but I can't hire even one good Public relations officer so I can live in Sydney without feeling sick from the nosey press'. Surely Tom Cruise or Scientology could have helped there right? Or you know, just see a shrink about why you're such a sooky-lala and paranoid about the paparazzi*? Gee, maybe a dose of humility or gratitude is in order?
Note: *not making fun of mental illness, Packer does actually see a shrink in Los Angeles (of all places!) at the prompting of Warren Beatty (has he been caught up in #MeToo as well yet? Funny that, reminds me of how Packer is mates with Ratner and the Warner Bros CEO Kevin (some Japanese surname Tsukiji or whatever) and they have been accused of using sex favours of gullible actress wannabees. Anyhow Packer saw the shrink a few times but then went back to getting blind drunk etc. Ah what a #Privilege.
For those that don't know, Packer is rarely if ever in the press and when he was it's because of his dates and girlfriends/wives. That whole Mariah Carey thing was weird. So hopefully that explains my review and the constant eye-rolling about some rich dude whining about how bad his life is because he's got so much pressure from the press, the public and the shareholders (despite being the majority shareholder and running the company to suit him).
Sympathy and fucks I have for James Packer: none. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip.
Harden up buttercup. Not so much to do with the wealth, but the constant 'woe-is-me, poor-me I have such a hard life whilst wiping tears on $5mn silk handkerchief on his $40mn private jet'. Like seriously, fuck me, get some perspective, go talk to a homeless person - which would probably be the croupier in one of your 'VIP' (read smoke filled and health-laws exempt) 'gaming' rooms for Asians.
Yes I probably wasted my time reading this book, but I expected better. The author could have taken 5 minutes and compiled the investing history in a table. And some key dates in a timeline. I lost track of it all and gave up caring about the dates. The author wasn't clear on years. Plus there is no index. Yep, a 400 page biography and no index! Insane right? There are all these other photos but none of the key players. Just smarmy happy snaps. Hell I could have forgiven a Mariah Carey one. In any of the various plunging neck-line pics that were written about. Alas, I carried on, like a hero...it was a sweet, sweet fantasy to finish this book. (Yes I like Mariah and her music, fight me! Come on you Bro, I'll smash you!) LOL. I'll put you in heaven so you can smile down on me. ;-p I'm joking! I'm a lover not a fighter, but I won't mind putting a Bro in a coma...in self-defense of course. I swear your honour, the weighty book was right at hand and I just thwacked him with it and he was out cold, I feel bad that I got all this fake tan and hair gel on the book - it was a library book, I wiped it clean with the Bro's Ed Hardy singlet, it was traumatising - I'll probably need trauma therapy after all this. I'll sue for damages and maybe buy some tough stickers to memorialize the tragic event. [Maybe Mariah in her slinky red dress holding the book, and some dragons and fish and clouds and roses and crosses and anchors and shit just to make it arty. You know...'ma body is ma canvas'. Oh and lots of skulls and scroll work and calligraphy. You know, to remind me life is short or some fluff. Which reminds me of a tatt I saw, it was 'Don't Judge Me' on a stomach. Seriously! Some people. I'm sure it hurt and cost $800 and the calligraphy was so pretty, but girl I'm so judging you anyway. For bad decisions et al.]
Maybe I should downrate it from 3 stars to 2 stars?
P.S.: As Far As I Know, Packer doesn't have any tough stickers, so he's got that going for him I guess.
October 30, 2018
Financial journalist Damon Kitney has written a compelling biography of James Packer, a complex and troubled man haunted by his father’s legacy.
James Packer, one of Australia’s richest men, guards his privacy jealously. Surprisingly, after several requests from financial journalist Damon Kitney (The Australian Financial Review, The Australian), he decided to co-operate in the writing of this biography. What ensued was six months of interviews, conducted at various locations across the globe, plus plenty of additional email material from Packer himself. Kitney also interviewed a wide range of Packer’s friends, business associates and even ex-wives.
The result is a measured, almost sympathetic portrait of a deeply divided and troubled man. Kitney has some two decades experience covering business and he brings his knowledge and communication skills to the fore when outlining James Packer’s chequered business history. He chronicles the devastating failures (the One.Tel collapse; the failed US casino investments; the selling of cherished family assets to pay off debts) with clarity, avoiding complex jargon.
At the centre of the James Packer story, though, is his relationship with his father, Kerry. Kerry Packer’s toughness and brutality were legendary, qualities drummed into him by his own father, Sir Frank Packer. James was especially traumatised by the colossal failure of One.Tel, losing his father’s business some 300 million dollars. Packer senior humiliated his son over the matter. When James inherited the family business, he set himself a goal of trying to live up to his father’s business legacy. This meant achieving profits in the billions, a Herculean task. Such a high benchmark has meant a constant feeling of failure. It’s also led to poor decision making, trusting the wrong people, alcohol abuse and a dependence on prescription drugs. His life seems a misery, despite the lush homes, luxury boats and jet-set lifestyle.
One wonders: why not sell it all and simply live off the interest? But as the ghost of Kerry Packer looms, demanding that the family legacy be preserved, James continues to take on the enormous stress of big debts and big business gambles. He appears to be utterly trapped, unable to re-create his life in his own image. By his own admission, Packer has no real interest in the gaming industry. He simply sees it as a stable, dependable income stream. One friend in the book wisely suggests once James finds a business he’s really passionate about, then he’ll be successful. (To the author’s credit, he raises the question of the ethics of the casino industry with Packer.)
James Packer is often described by his friends and business associates as being an essentially soft, gentle, generous soul. His bad moods, volatility and rudeness are often put down to the pressure he constantly finds himself under, rather than an innate part of his personality. The business life he has chosen, or rather inherited, seems a bad fit.
It’s hard to feel sorry for a multi billionaire, yet Damon Kitney does a good job of trying to walk in someone else’s shoes. The reader does come some way to understanding the complex motivations Packer has due to his family legacy and fortune. It weighs like a ton of bricks on his shoulders. The simple fact that Packer has agreed to have his life laid bare like this shows how much he must be suffering an existential crisis. This is an exasperated and confused middle-aged man asking out loud what he should do.
The lesson we learn from The Price of Fortune is that wealth, what we all strive for, may be limited in the happiness it can provide. Business leaders, media talking heads and politicians fete James Packer as the apogee of success, a man to be emulated. Maybe they got their business model wrong.
James Packer, one of Australia’s richest men, guards his privacy jealously. Surprisingly, after several requests from financial journalist Damon Kitney (The Australian Financial Review, The Australian), he decided to co-operate in the writing of this biography. What ensued was six months of interviews, conducted at various locations across the globe, plus plenty of additional email material from Packer himself. Kitney also interviewed a wide range of Packer’s friends, business associates and even ex-wives.
The result is a measured, almost sympathetic portrait of a deeply divided and troubled man. Kitney has some two decades experience covering business and he brings his knowledge and communication skills to the fore when outlining James Packer’s chequered business history. He chronicles the devastating failures (the One.Tel collapse; the failed US casino investments; the selling of cherished family assets to pay off debts) with clarity, avoiding complex jargon.
At the centre of the James Packer story, though, is his relationship with his father, Kerry. Kerry Packer’s toughness and brutality were legendary, qualities drummed into him by his own father, Sir Frank Packer. James was especially traumatised by the colossal failure of One.Tel, losing his father’s business some 300 million dollars. Packer senior humiliated his son over the matter. When James inherited the family business, he set himself a goal of trying to live up to his father’s business legacy. This meant achieving profits in the billions, a Herculean task. Such a high benchmark has meant a constant feeling of failure. It’s also led to poor decision making, trusting the wrong people, alcohol abuse and a dependence on prescription drugs. His life seems a misery, despite the lush homes, luxury boats and jet-set lifestyle.
One wonders: why not sell it all and simply live off the interest? But as the ghost of Kerry Packer looms, demanding that the family legacy be preserved, James continues to take on the enormous stress of big debts and big business gambles. He appears to be utterly trapped, unable to re-create his life in his own image. By his own admission, Packer has no real interest in the gaming industry. He simply sees it as a stable, dependable income stream. One friend in the book wisely suggests once James finds a business he’s really passionate about, then he’ll be successful. (To the author’s credit, he raises the question of the ethics of the casino industry with Packer.)
James Packer is often described by his friends and business associates as being an essentially soft, gentle, generous soul. His bad moods, volatility and rudeness are often put down to the pressure he constantly finds himself under, rather than an innate part of his personality. The business life he has chosen, or rather inherited, seems a bad fit.
It’s hard to feel sorry for a multi billionaire, yet Damon Kitney does a good job of trying to walk in someone else’s shoes. The reader does come some way to understanding the complex motivations Packer has due to his family legacy and fortune. It weighs like a ton of bricks on his shoulders. The simple fact that Packer has agreed to have his life laid bare like this shows how much he must be suffering an existential crisis. This is an exasperated and confused middle-aged man asking out loud what he should do.
The lesson we learn from The Price of Fortune is that wealth, what we all strive for, may be limited in the happiness it can provide. Business leaders, media talking heads and politicians fete James Packer as the apogee of success, a man to be emulated. Maybe they got their business model wrong.
March 10, 2019
Only March but I’m going to call it: worst book I’ll read this year.
March 10, 2019
A very disappointing read. No structure, repetitive & nothing we haven’t read in the newspapers previously.
January 5, 2019
Unbelievable insight into James Packer’s life with unrestricted access to him and his network.
May 19, 2023
Whilst most of the reviews said this book was dragged out and didn’t contain any new knowledge that wasn’t already public, this didn’t deter me as I had little knowledge on the Packers story. I do however agree it dragged out in parts, with more mentions of deals in the hundreds of millions then actual relevant information to the average Sydney dweller. Personal bias was strong with this one as my eyes lit with any mention of Ellerston, and although it outlined the deal to split with Gretel in detail, I was simply itching for more.
Overall glad I am glad I read it, but I simply can’t recommend it to anyone. It’s a bit of a rich boy wankfest sob story for a poor little rich billionaire’s heir from Cranbrook - That’s a private school! (ugh, cry me a river x)
Overall glad I am glad I read it, but I simply can’t recommend it to anyone. It’s a bit of a rich boy wankfest sob story for a poor little rich billionaire’s heir from Cranbrook - That’s a private school! (ugh, cry me a river x)
January 11, 2019
An interesting read but the most interesting parts are the insights into Packers private life, the stories that centre around family & friends. This book shows what we already know, mental health issues don’t discriminate. James is at times a troubled individual & the pressure on him is immense especially when he perceives himself as ‘not living up to the family legacy’. James often puts that pressure upon his own shoulders. James can be an impulsive risk taker which can lead to bouts of depression & anxiety. The business side of the book got a bit monotonous at times & some comments from friends, ex wives etc became slightly repetitive.
This is an authoritative autobiography on James Packer with his permission given to family, friends & associates to speak openly & honestly. James is a very complex man & if you had to deal with him you’d be left wondering which James you were dealing with.
We often skip or skim through the acknowledgements at the end of a book. These acknowledgements are worth a read or a listen.
This is an authoritative autobiography on James Packer with his permission given to family, friends & associates to speak openly & honestly. James is a very complex man & if you had to deal with him you’d be left wondering which James you were dealing with.
We often skip or skim through the acknowledgements at the end of a book. These acknowledgements are worth a read or a listen.
January 6, 2019
Unless you’re interested in the explicit details of his business dealings this book was far from exciting. Too much of the book was spent down this path as opposed to what actually created the character/who he is today, in which case the last chapter of the entire book was most interesting
Read
December 13, 2018Engaging read, very well researched. Facinating character, james has had his fingers in so many pies
January 20, 2020
Just awful. Hard to read. Jumps around a lot. Mentions names without introducing who they are. Doesn’t flow. Concentrates on James’ business dealings rather than James’ personality and character. For people wanting to know how billionaire business people think the book lacks info on why James’ did the business deals or his thoughts and feelings around them, his motivations and passions. The book, despite name dropping, doesn’t really explore in depth any of James’ relationships with his wives, kids, friends or business associates.
Skims over his childhood and young adulthood and concentrates more on recent events/deals.
James comes off as confused, miserable, self absorbed and lacking any real direction or passion, maybe this is who he is, or maybe it’s just how he comes across as a result of the writing.
Skims over his childhood and young adulthood and concentrates more on recent events/deals.
James comes off as confused, miserable, self absorbed and lacking any real direction or passion, maybe this is who he is, or maybe it’s just how he comes across as a result of the writing.
August 13, 2019
Good insight into the business and private world of James Packer. But perhaps this is a 200 page book squeezed into 400 pages.
February 4, 2019
What made this an interesting read was the insight to the machinations of this famous Australian family. I do have empathy from James...having Kerry as his father would not have been easy (just as Kerry had it hard with his father, Frank). It is understandable why JP seeks solace on a boat(ship) or on an estate in Argentina...away from the prying eyes of the press. Inspite of the trials and tribulations what a life he has led...lot good and some downright shit ! His mother is obviously a bedrock in his life and the fact he is still friendly with his ex wives is commendable. How on earth he dated that white trailer trash Mariah Carey is beyond me !!!! I hope for JP and his children he finds a life without too much stress and he can enjoy the fruits of his work. He is not the first businessman to make mistakes and am sure there will be more ..hopefully without another breakdown.
November 20, 2019
I was looking forward to reading this book as I'd always admired the Packer family. This coupled with James sharing his struggles with mental illness laid the path for a good ready - and it (mostly) was.
Although I'm far far far from a rich and powerful business man there were parts of his struggles that resonated with me, and seeing how he is dealing with his issues was helpful.
On the biography front I did find it a bit repetitive and felt like I was reading the same comments over and over again.
Although I'm far far far from a rich and powerful business man there were parts of his struggles that resonated with me, and seeing how he is dealing with his issues was helpful.
On the biography front I did find it a bit repetitive and felt like I was reading the same comments over and over again.
July 30, 2020
I was more interested to learn about the psychological issues of the rich heir - how enormous wealth affects someone's mindset but this book is mostly a chronology of his business deals and only a small part dedicated to his mental health issues which was touched very superficially.
The story behind the break-up between James Packer and Mariah Carey is so distasteful- both of them are so money-hungry ...yuck yuck yuck.
This book might be of interest to students in a business school though.
The story behind the break-up between James Packer and Mariah Carey is so distasteful- both of them are so money-hungry ...yuck yuck yuck.
This book might be of interest to students in a business school though.
August 15, 2020
Anyone interested in the Packers, Australian business and (slightly less so) Australian politics will find this very enjoyable. The interviews with the elites of Australian business and politics make the book, on top of the core story which details a very smart and privileged man who has been made miserable by a mixture of impossible expectations (many self imposed) and bad luck. The reader is left with a surprising amount of pathos for such a privileged man.
October 21, 2020
The pain and stress of being James Packer.
A fascinating read. I get it he stands on the shoulders of his giant father who in turn stood on his father. How to live up to the expectations ? How to find love ,business success and contentment?
Being a Sydneysider i have watched with interest as paths tend to cross in this unforgiving city . Yes Sydney is a tough environment but it rewards hard work.
James is still a work in progress with Barangaroo not quite there yet but we all wish him well.
A fascinating read. I get it he stands on the shoulders of his giant father who in turn stood on his father. How to live up to the expectations ? How to find love ,business success and contentment?
Being a Sydneysider i have watched with interest as paths tend to cross in this unforgiving city . Yes Sydney is a tough environment but it rewards hard work.
James is still a work in progress with Barangaroo not quite there yet but we all wish him well.
September 9, 2019
The subject matter was great, it was a fantastic insight into the Packer world. Having James Packer open up about his mental illness was powerful.
I just didn’t think the book flowed very well, it was more like a series of articles. But as the author has been the only one to get uncensored access to James Packer, this is still the best biography you will read about him.
I just didn’t think the book flowed very well, it was more like a series of articles. But as the author has been the only one to get uncensored access to James Packer, this is still the best biography you will read about him.
June 11, 2020
An interesting book about a guy who vacillates between wanting to do deals to prove his expertise and then fear of too much debt that may cause him to live a normal life. I am amazed at this guy who can't fathom $1.4 Billion of debt in companies that cash flow but then buys a $280 million yacht. Truly an odd guy, maybe this is what happens when you grow up having a charmed life.
April 23, 2019
An interesting, if not raw insight into the life of a media mogul.
The key downside to this book is that it jumps around a lot chronologically and feel as though it repeats itself.
It's a fascinating look at the inner world of the ultra- risk and shows the pitfalls of this life as well.
The key downside to this book is that it jumps around a lot chronologically and feel as though it repeats itself.
It's a fascinating look at the inner world of the ultra- risk and shows the pitfalls of this life as well.
September 27, 2019
Interesting read about one of Australia's most well known families. JP has been through his fair share of highs and lows and Kitney provides great detail on each and the enduring effect these events have had on James' life.
May 10, 2020
James Packer biography - he has had a tough time - honest and open about his depression and failures - clearly a very smart guy - makes you appreciate everyone has their own problems and you are just one in a 6 billion universe so get over yourself
September 28, 2022
Dull dull dull. Too stilted & too much about his business decisions & not really a lot about his own personal feelings. I ended up skimming plenty of it. I feel I understand James a little better now, but that’s it.
May 3, 2025
This was an amazing story of the Packer family all the expectations of James & an insight to hangers-on, real friends, loneliness, ambition, failure & family The spotlight lifestyle is harsh but this was a well written book with raw truths & an honest story told
July 14, 2025
Felt more like a PR exercise than a biography. Ended up skimming large parts. Good on him for building up Crown and making a lot of powerful friends and making them all look good in this book. Otherwise a skim read.
January 17, 2019
Well there you go, Money can’t buy you happiness or cure your mental health struggles.
April 11, 2019
Great story but i struggled a little with the way it was told.
December 25, 2019
Poor James Packer, he’s faced inter generational trauma, been given a job he didn’t necessarily want and was used by hangers-on. People need to be kinder to James.
July 8, 2020
Enjoyed it but I do feel for James I wish he’d réalise he’s got nothing else to prove.
July 29, 2020
Stop gambling.
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