Through alternating perspectives presented by two sisters, the Thornton saga unfolds in a whirlwind of surprising revelations, unexpected drama, adventure, and glamour. Just imagine beautiful models, pin-up girls, Hollywood royalty—Thornton was a true trendsetter. This book unveils the captivating story of Thornton's rise from an orphan to a charismatic male model, to a visionary who transformed advertising by founding the first-ever agency for advertising models. But hold onto your hats because there's more! Get ready for dramatic twists, encounters with models who transformed into Hollywood legends such as Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, and Grace Kelly, and a hint of McCarthy-era intrigue—it's a gripping tale worthy of the silver screen itself!
** Purchase a copy of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
I'll admit, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs often sound interesting, or they're done by/based on an interesting individual but... they often don't pan out.
They can be boring, self-indulgent and short on any unique facts. Don't stop reading here because I said that. This book is different.
I was drawn to The Merchant of Venus, The Life of Walter Thornton by Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo with Philip Mershon, as I love old Hollywood, like history, and this is a topic and subject I didn't know much about. I'm glad I agreed to read it.
This is definitely worth reading ,with tidbits about such people as the beautiful Susan Hayward and even the legendary Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly's beginnings as Walter Thornton models... to a sprinkling of other lesser known stars.
An intriguing, fun fact is that Robert Thornton---the subject of the book and originator of the well known and well regarded modeling agency, which started the trend for managing and advertising models--- was a model himself. And pretty well known. Remember seeing all those vintage magazine ads with the dapper guy in the spiffy hat? Yup, that was him. Thornton's near-perfect classic features put him in the place of being the most requested and highest paid hat model in the industry.
What I found amazing was that after the daughters were grown, they were lucky enough to find their father's papers and photos still hidden away in the former family home.
There's also a unique family mystery his daughters try to solve along the way about why their father was in a Depression-era photo with a sign saying his car was for sale as he needed money. It turns out they found he never went broke and in fact seemed to weather the Depression well.
If you like old Hollywood, history, and more, you'll enjoy this book. It's an interesting, compelling, and easy read. Hat's off! I give it 5 stars, or more appropriately, let's give it 5 hats. 🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩
About the authors:
