American Heiress (Toobin)

Book Reviews
American Heiress, Jeffrey Toobins new book about Patty Hearst, is a clever companion piece to The Run of His Life (1996), his book about the O. J. Simpson case. Mr. Toobin has used the same winning formula of delving deeply into an American crime story that had tremendous notoriety in its day and retelling it with new resonance. Ms. Hearst's tale is much more bizarre than Mr. Simpson's. And much less of it has to do with legal proceedings, Mr. Toobin's specialty. But in an age of terrorism, the chronicle of how a sedate heiress named Patricia morphed into a gun-toting, invective-spouting revolutionary calling herself Tania holds a definite fascination…. Mr. Toobin's account makes the transformation understandable.
Janet Maslin - New York Times


[T]errifically engrossing…As in his earlier book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, Toobin uses his knowledge of the justice system and his examination of the evidence to pierce the veil of spectacle and make sense of many contradictory elements…His particulate telling is measured and understated, which is the right approach to such a high-mannerist American extravaganza…. The book's real power comes from Toobin's ability to convincingly and economically evoke a broad range of people…. Toobin's take on Hearst's state of mind is credible because he doesn't pretend clarity where there is none.
Dana Spiotta - New York Times Book Review


The abduction and subsequent radicalization of Patricia Hearst is one of the most bizarre but illuminating episodes of that tumultuous era of protest...and in American Heiress Jeffrey Toobin retells the story with a full-blown narrative treatment that may astonish readers too young to remember it themselves.... Toobin spins this complex chapter of recent history into an absorbing and intelligent page-turner.
Washington Post


[R]iveting…. American Heiress is a page-turner certainly, but Toobin, a gifted writer, infuses it with much more…. Even if he ridicules the ideas and condemns the violent deeds of this ragtag group of revolutionary wannabes, they emerge not as cardboard villains but flesh and blood protagonists.
Boston Globe


Toobin has crafted a book for the expert and the uninitiated alike, a smart page-turner that boasts a cache of never-before-published details.... Toobin’s book successfully captures the unrivaled spectacle of the Hearst drama.
San Francisco Chronicle


[A] spell-binding retelling.… In the end the real test of a writer’s worth is…how well they can tell a story that’s already been told many times before by many different people, including — in this case—by some of the main characters themselves. By that standard Toobin gets an A-plus for American Heiress… Everything about this book feels right: the structure, the style and the tone, which is the New Yorker meets Raymond Chandler. As always with great writing, it comes down to a strong, distinctive narrative voice spiced with the judicious use of juicy details.
LA Weekly 


(Starred review.) Toobin’s rigorous detective work is enhanced by his placement of the Hearst case in the context of its times.... His thorough research, careful parsing of all the evidence, and superior prose make the book read like a summertime thriller.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Toobin's meticulous research is the book's bedrock, but his flair for dramatic storytelling makes it a pleasure to read. Though the author never states directly whether he believes Hearst's conversion was real, he provides all of the pieces needed for readers to assemble the puzzle for themselves. —Stephanie Klose
Library Journal


[A] detailed but swiftly moving account of the 1974 kidnapping that mesmerized the nation.... Despite the lack of participation from Hearst, this is a well-informed, engaging work from a highly capable author.
Kirkus Reviews