Fool's Paradise: Players, Poseurs, and the Culture of Excess in South Beach

I own property and live in the historic Art Deco District in South Beach. And finally I have a book that is just all-too-perfect to give to friends who have visited or plan to visit. Lenny Bruce once said, "Miami Beach is where neon goes to die" (quoted by Steven Gaines at the beginning of chapter three). Maybe it does, but this books goes a long way in making the reader aware that the neon is alive and well here in South Beach. What I like in a book is a grand beginning. Nothing could beat the opening chapter of this page-turner, a re-telling of a thirteen-year-old's bat mitzvah (she is really not Jewish!) that could only happen here. And then, having hooked the reader, the author in wonderful prose gives us a ride through the history of this place which a century ago was uninhabited by humans. The reader will meet the most amazing cast of people from the very rich who built hotels such as the Fontainebleau to the amazing woman who had the vision to fight to make our art deco an historic national treasure. I once taught the son of the mayor the reader will meet, a man with an enormous appetite for life. In fact the entire cast in this book has that enormous appetite. Not until I read the book did I realize this: we have no cemeteries! None! This is not just a book for those who live here or come here for the sun, the fun (meaning booze, drugs and sex). Oh, no, this is a book for everyone. Wrap yourself in a mink stole, turn on the neon, and enjoy some wonderfully entertaining and enlightening pages of life as it was and as it is in the place where neon does not come to die. And for those without the mink, then do it naked, just to get the feel of the place where nightclubs stay open until the sun comes up.

History of how Miami Beach has come and gone and come again as the Party Mecca of the rich and famous and not so rich and not so famous. Fun reading especially if you were at the Beach and saw the degradation of South Beach in the 70s & 80s and how it changed and became the "it place" to be and be seen.

As I Miami Beach local I bought this book upon Mayor Daoud's review and a write-up this little piece got in the New York Times. I have read, by comparison, many if not most of the other critiques, impressions, or histories of both Miami and Miami Beach. The current one is the most lamentable, for it adds very little to Miami Beach's story.The first half of the book is simply a generic history of the oft-retold tales of the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc hotels -- their founders, architects, and (often-mob-connected) guests. The second half of the book is a bit more personal look at the lives of what the author considers important contemporary Miami Beach figures, including a look at the Miami Beach experiences of two young aspiring models circa 2006. But the bottom line on that section is, who cares?While the material might be average at best, the biggest burden this volume has to carry is its atrocious writing. Often times the writer attempts a flair for the dramatic turn of phrase that simply falls flat. The writer also overuses cliches and at one point is a bit dihonest in his narrative; on p. 120 the writer claims that the words "Save me" were spraypainted on the "facade" of an old hotel facing demolition. However, a photo in the book clearly shows this graffito on a column of the building, a less startling image than the author would have had you believe.

When you live some place like New York, there's a high chance you've never visited Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and you won't be seen dead or alive at the Times Square. I lived in Miami Beach for many years, and never set foot in any of the grand hotels and other places well covered in this book, much less even cared about their history. So now, long after moving out across the country, I enjoy playing a tourist once in awhile, taking a stroll on Lincoln Road, actually buying stuff for myself at those touristy t-shirt stores, and all that. The book is a welcome eye opener, especially for someone who subconsciously felt and breathed everything without actually understanding the story behind it, so for me this is like watching a TV for 20 years, junking it, and then finding a manual that describes all the features I've never known about, and wish I did back in time. So it's probably a great read for an out of towner, but for someone local it's a must, it'll make you value what you have now and give you a plenty of reasons to hold on and enjoy everyday things that otherwise you would've passed by without noticing. Like that Eden Roc? What Eden Roc? Now you know.

An interesting read about rich people and crooks in Miami Beach's long and storied history.

I bought this book after having devoured Laurence Leamer's "Madness Under the Royal Palms" about Palm Beach, FLA. I also loved Gaines' previous book about the Hamptons. Unfortunately, "Fool's Paradise" is a snoozer. The first half of the book deals almost exclusively with real estate and development. Hardly the "juicy, gossipy read" that the reviews stated aside from a tidbit here and there about someone's poor etiquette or behavior. I find myself continually falling asleep while trying to get into this book. Also, for so much of the book being centered around the real estate- why are there hardly any pictures of the real estate? I would have like to have seen photos of the Eden Roc and the Fontainebleau and the Art Deco buildings of South Beach in their heyday considering 4 to 5 chapters are about them. But, no, just a random scattering of weird pictures of people mentioned occassionally. This book claims to be about the "players, poseurs, and the culture" but it's really seems to be more regurgitated stories about the "rise and fall of Miami real estate." I wouldn't recommend it unless perhaps you lived there at some point or plan on it.

I found "Fool's Paradise" a most interesting book that I could get lost in. The descriptions and historical accounts of life in one little corner--Miami Beach--are vivid and compelling. Anyone to whom the city is unfamiliar territory and who likes to loose themselves in a book for awhile should read it.

Excellent - thanks!