The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World
Written by Nancy Jo Sales
Narrated by Kathleen Mary Carthy
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
The true story that inspired the Sofia Coppola film
Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson: robbed. More than $3 million in stolen clothing, jewelry, shoes, and handbags reported missing. Who is behind one of the most brazen string of crimes in recent Hollywood history? Meet the Bling Ring: a band of club-hopping teenagers from the Valley with everything to lose.
Over the course of a year, the members of the now infamous Bling Ring allegedly burglarized some of the biggest names in young Hollywood. Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, these seven teenagers made headlines for using Google maps, Facebook, and TMZ to track the comings and goings of their targets. Many of the houses were unlocked. Alarms disabled. A "perfect" crime— celebrities already had so much, why shouldn't the Bling Ring take their share?
As the unprecedented case unfolded in the news, the world asked: How did our obsession with celebrities get so out of hand? Why would a group of teens who already had so much, take such a risk?
Acclaimed Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because each stolen T-shirt or watch brought them closer to living the Hollywood dream . . . and because it was terrifyingly easy. For the Bling Ring the motivation was something deeper than money—they were compelled by a compulsion to be famous. Gaining unprecedented access to the group of teens, Sales traces the crimes minute by minute and details the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy, and troubling, world of the real young Hollywood.
Nancy Jo Sales
Nancy Jo Sales is an award-winning journalist who has written for Vanity Fair, New York, Harper's Bazaar, and many other publications. She has written profiles of Damien Hirst, Hugh Hefner, Russell Simmons, Donald Trump, Tyra Banks, Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Taylor Swift. Her acclaimed 2010 Vanity Fair piece ""The Suspects Wore Louboutins"" is the basis for the Sofia Coppola film The Bling Ring. Sales lives in New York City with her daughter.
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Reviews for The Bling Ring
17 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5amazing detail loved the book
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Probably best to read this as a newspaper article. Stretching the news-story into a book version requires more interesting tidbits and back stories. I gave this a 2.5* if I can, because the journalistic effort and the writing is very good. I did see the movie with Emma Watson in it. Turned out even Sofia Coppola couldn't help lift the story from muddled ending. Good way to waste your weekend :)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent blend of true crime story intermixed with a search for motive. What drives a bunch of privileged, celebrity sword hopping fashionistas to burglarize the homes of Lindsey Logan, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton and others, often returning up to four times. The Bling Ring was led by a little psychopath who stayed around for hours, trying on designer clothes, as she packed bags. All got religion after getting caught, of course, but the story of these celebri-thieves as they actually operated are compelling and thoughts provoking.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was essentially a really long article, but unlike other books I've read that are like that, this one definitely kept my interest. Sales has an interesting point of view on the scandal, and I feel that I got a full story of why the Bling Ring did what they did.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5nice one: )
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn into this book. In fact, I read the whole thing in a day. Fascinating.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5If the story's about the burglar bunch (2009/10), were interesting to u, u'll like this. Especially Alexis Neiers a real inane, megalomaniacal brat... It's good, so much so, it's jaw dropping -almost unbelievably- entertainment. Most is interesting and some is the opposite... The NARRATOR is horrendous. If u have the time do the Ebook.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Nancy Jo Sales wrote an article about "The Bling Ring" for Vanity Fair and then turned it into this book that was made into a movie by Sofia Coppola, so she managed to cash in on this story three times. Good for her, but there isn't enough material on these self-absorbed and celebrity obsessed teenage burglars to fill a book, so Sayles filled it out with every pop psychologist theory on teenage behavior she could find.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Ugh.
Why is there so much unnecessary content?
The author goes off of so many tangents.
You can't shame a whole generation based on the actions of five dumb teenagers.
Why are there so many chapters!?!?! Chapters are meant for a break in theme or scenery or action o9r thoughts. She literally just picks up where she left off. Just keep going!! Write a chapter longer then two pages.
Ugh.
Anyway, I didn't like it. The film was far more entertaining.