The Great Getty: The Life and Loves of J. Paul Getty-Richest Man in the World

J. Paul Getty, born to a loving but not affectionate set of parents, has the luck - good or bad - to have George Getty as his father. And George has the luck to wander into the oilfields when his son is eight years old and when oil is a young business. The stage is set for J. Paul, who will eventually become the richest man in the world. Of course, to get there, he has to get through his father. When his father dies, he's got to get through his mother. The way he deals with his mother is heartlessly business-like but Mother Getty is no fool and fights back as meanly as her son fights her. While he works on that, he seems to work at little else but women.

Getty's marriages overlap, some of his children are questionably legitimate and his empire grows. When he finally has control of the business his father began, he is obsessive about every last detail and dime. His business obsession leaves little room for caring about his children, who are portrayed as unloved and necessary, but not particularly wanted, heirs. Through it all runs the only story that would matter to Getty - business. It seems there's not a trick in the book that Getty wouldn't try to gain control, power and money, and to keep it. When his grandson is kidnapped, Getty's response is to cling to his money and refuse to pay the ransom. He doesn't give in when the kidnappers threaten to dice the boy up and send him home in pieces, either. Until they actually send home a piece of him, Grandpa Getty tries pretty much anything to keep as much money as possible rather than pay up and secure his safety.

In the end, I don't think I know any more about the man than I did before. Ann Getty, wife of Gordon, is pronounced the best Getty ever - and that she was Lenzner's connection to the family is noted in the preface. It hardly gives the author credibility. If there's another book about Getty that you can get your hands on, you might try that one. This one feels too mean-spirited to be accurate. The only nice thing Lenzner's got to say about the man is the title - unless you count the references to his skills as a lover, it's all downhill from there.