Among the Mansions of Eden: Tales of Love, Lust, and Land in Beverly Hills
While the lifestyles of the rich and famous are perennially entertaining, it's the rare writer who can make sense-and humor-of their utter excesses. When journalist Weddle set out to investigate the history and culture of the inhabitants of the 90210 zip code, he started and ended with the most unlikely players: their real estate agents. It's these hustlers-"snake oil salesmen and fever-eyed evangelists rolled into one"-who've crafted this particular version of the American dream. Weddle starts his story back when Beverly Hills was an arid, craggy wilderness too far from anywhere to interest anyone, and follows its makeover into some of the world's most desirable real estate. He covers the over-the-top exploits of the movie star castle-builders, but also the weirdly fascinating tales of the lesser-known players: Bijan and his million-dollar wardrobes, Prince Romanoff and his restaurant and assorted Persian ex-potentates recreating their fortunes. True, all is not golden in paradise. At the famed Beverly Hills High School, kids are overdosing on drugs. Racial profiling is rampant. A megamillion-dollar security industry has developed to deal with stalking. But those are mere snags in an ingenue's silk stockings. Even the big nightmare (recession) doesn't bother these folk. As Weddle's real estate brokers smugly conclude, "money doesn't diminish in a recession, it just changes hands." 16 pages of b&w; photos not seen by PW.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.