La Grande Therese: The Greatest Scandal of the Century

The story of a lady living far beyond her traditional means but with the extraordinary capacity to persuade people to give her money. The surprising thing is how long her scam lasted until she was finally caught, investigated, and sentenced to five years hard labour. This is a short fast read, but tells a little known story with insight and humor. Ms. Spurling seems to write like a journalist withgreat attention to detail but keeping the story moving right along.

One of the ways that we develop misconceptions is to believe what we see, without further inquiry. This book provides a classic example of the folly of that approach. Therese Humbert acted and spoke as though she was the wealthiest and most influential woman in Europe, and people treated her that way even though she was totally penniless. She either spent borrowed money (with annual interest rates as high as 60 percent) or the bills were never paid. Yet she was able to keep it all going for years, mortgaging properties that didn't exist and making promises that she wouldn't and couldn't keep. Although I majored in French history of the 19th century in college, I only ran into passing references to the affaire Humbert as a student. Having read this book, I can see why it has been deeply buried away from mainstream French texts. This story is as embarrassing as the Dreyfus Affair of a few years earlier, because it was only possible due to support from members of the government (one of whom was Therese's uncle) and the bar. This details of this story are so amazing that the author felt compelled to keep providing evidence that she hadn't made it all up. The story is all the more remarkable because it is connected to one of the greatest painters of modern times, Matisse (through his wife, who was the daughter of Therese's best friend and later housekeeper), and an esteemed finance minister of the early days of the Third Republic (the same uncle mentioned above). Based on imaginary inheritances, the Humbert family conspired to borrow tens of millions of francs, buy estates all over France, purchase and operate a newspaper, and entertain the leading lights of French society in their salon and at their dinner table. Claiming to be worth hundreds of millions of francs, they constantly lived one step ahead of hostile creditors (who occasionally took a shot at them) while living the life of billionaires. It was all a hoax. This was kept up for many years, as is beautifully illustrated by the many photographs, cartoons, and portraits of the people involved in the hoax. When their bluff was finally called, their lawyers were all disbarred. Some creditors committed suicide. Therese and her husband were eventually sentenced and served five years of solitary confinement, and were never heard from again after having been released. Further investigations and reporting on the story were discouraged by the government, and the story fell into the shadows until this book resurrected the tale. The next time you assume that things are as they seem, remember Therese Humbert. You'll probably be better off for the extra caution!

Too bad there wasn't more information available for the biographer to use. This story would have made great fiction; it definitely would make a terrific movie. Even though the scandal is over 100 years old, the writing is so lively and the story so intriguing, that there is a fresh feeling to the book. I also enjoyed the glimpse into the foibles of the aristocracy of the time. The rich and arrogant always seem so out of reach and inscrutable that it was entertaining to see that they can be scoundrels and dupes.

We're in an age of biography bloat, when lives of people who aren't all that memorable lurch towards 700 pages--and that's without notes, etc. So often I wonder where the editor was in the process.But Hilary Spurling's new book is a rarity--you find yourself aching to know more, wishing the book were several hundred pages longer so you could revel in the juicy and sometimes unbelievable details and situations.Her biography is a portrait of power and PR. A French hick with a gift for story-telling manages to snow le gratin (the elite) in late 19th century Paris into believing she's the heiress to an American fortune tied up in litigation. With the help of corrupt and even thuggish relatives in high and low places, she and her clan parlay this mythical fortune into a social position and vast but insecure wealth built on loans and deception (and possibly murder).It's been compared to a study in greed by Balzac (think of Cousin Bette, perhaps, for its rapaciousness), and it's completely cinematic in potential. Fraud, wealth, politics, murder, scandal, public sensation--and a memorable trial. Yes, it's short, as one reviewer notes, but it's unforgettable. Lev Raphael, author of LITTLE MISS EVIL, 4th in the Nick Hoffman mystery series...

One of the ways that we develop misconceptions is to believe what we see, without further inquiry. This book provides a classic example of the folly of that approach. Therese Humbert acted and spoke as though she was the wealthiest and most influential woman in Europe, and people treated her that way even though she was totally penniless. She either spent borrowed money (with annual interest rates as high as 60 percent) or the bills were never paid. Yet she was able to keep it all going for years, mortgaging properties that didn't exist and making promises that she wouldn't and couldn't keep. Although I majored in French history of the 19th century in college, I only ran into passing references to the affaire Humbert as a student. Having read this book, I can see why it has been deeply buried away from mainstream French texts. This story is as embarrassing as the Dreyfus Affair of a few years earlier, because it was only possible due to support from members of the government (one of whom was Therese's uncle) and the bar. This details of this story are so amazing that the author felt compelled to keep providing evidence that she hadn't made it all up.The story is all the more remarkable because it is connected to one of the greatest painters of modern times, Matisse (through his wife, who was the daughter of Therese's best friend and later housekeeper), and an esteemed finance minister of the early days of the Third Republic (the same uncle mentioned above). Based on imaginary inheritances, the Humbert family conspired to borrow tens of millions of francs, buy estates all over France, purchase and operate a newspaper, and entertain the leading lights of French society in their salon and at their dinner table. Claiming to be worth hundreds of millions of francs, they constantly lived one step ahead of hostile creditors (who occasionally took a shot at them) while living the life of billionaires. It was all a hoax.This was kept up for many years, as is beautifully illustrated by the many photographs, cartoons, and portraits of the people involved in the hoax.When their bluff was finally called, their lawyers were all disbarred. Some creditors committed suicide. Therese and her husband were eventually sentenced and served five years of solitary confinement, and were never heard from again after having been released. Further investigations and reporting on the story were discouraged by the government, and the story fell into the shadows until this book resurrected the tale. The next time you assume that things are as they seem, remember Therese Humbert. You'll probably be better off for the extra caution!