Grand Ambition

"With a love for the sea and sailing, Knecht, a former senior writer and foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, tells the story of tricked-out yacht Lady Linda, a gigantic ship which cost a fortune to build and controlled the fate of the rich man who loves it. The lavish construction of such a yacht required the dream of big-spender Doug Van Allmen, a wealthy private equity investor, and a colorful cast of characters such as Evan Marshall, the influential Brit yacht designer; Gale Tribble, the prideful shipfitter; and Mitch Davies, the steady New Zealand builder. Knecht reveals the demands of high society and luxury, where Van Allmen's big losses amid the recent economic downturn opened him up for a corrupt Ponzi scheme. Regardless of the challenges presented by the cost and construction of Lady Linda, Van Allmen's grand vision comes true, with all of its custom-made treasures and accessories, and the result of its well-earned triumph makes the book required reading for those who dream big with the grit and persistence to make it happen. (Mar.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

andlt;divandgt;"Reads like a novel of suspense and financial intrigue, proving that fact is often stranger and more unbelievable than fiction.

"Bruce Knecht is my kind of reporter--a master storyteller with a great eye for the tales of our time. andlt;iandgt;Grand Ambition andlt;/iandgt;is centered around the building of a huge yacht, but it is ultimately about our bipolar society--the rarefied lifestyles of the very, very rich and the day-to-day realities of blue-collar laborers who have never worked indoors or been paid more than $20 an hour."

"Knecht deftly tells a tale of craftsmanship and conspicuous consumption, and he challenges us to think about the boundary separating ambition and hubris, creativity and narcissism. Above all, he paints compelling portraits of the dedicated craftsmen who designed and built her."

"If this lively book doesn't 'lift your boat,' nothing will!" author of A Man and His Ship: America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the SS U

"Illuminative and utterly engaging."

"If this lively book doesn't 'lift your boat,' nothing will!"

andlt;divandgt;"Illuminative and utterly engaging."andlt;/divandgt;

and#8220;Illuminative and utterly engaging.and#8221;

"Reads like a novel of suspense and financial intrigue, proving that fact is often stranger and more unbelievable than fiction. A great read and a cautionary tale for all of us whose ambitions exceed our means.and#8221;

and#8220;The pacing and the narrative hold your interest, and you find yourself engrossed.and#8221;

andlt;Bandgt;DOUG VON ALLMEN, andlt;/Bandgt;a self-made man who grew up in a landlocked state dreaming of the ocean, was poised to build a 187-foot yacht that would cost $40 million. andlt;Iandgt;Lady Linda andlt;/Iandgt;would not be among the very largest of the burgeoning fleet of oceangoing palaces, but Von Allmen vowed that it would be the best one ever made in the United States. Nothing would be ordinary. The interior walls would be made from rare species of burl wood, the floors paved with onyx and exotic types of marble, the furniture custom made, and the art specially commissioned. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;But the 2008 economic crisis changed everything. Von Allmenand#8217;s lifestyle suddenly became unaffordable. Then it got worse: desperate to reverse his losses, he fell for an audacious Ponzi scheme. Would Von Allmen be able to complete andlt;Iandgt;Lady Lindaandlt;/Iandgt;? Would the shipyard and its one thousand employees survive the financial meltdown? andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The divide between the very rich and everyone else had never been greater, yet the livelihoods of the workers, some of them illegal immigrants, and the yacht owners were inextricably intertwined. In a sweeping, high-stakes narrative, the critically acclaimed author of andlt;Iandgt;The Proving Ground andlt;/Iandgt;and andlt;Iandgt;Hooked andlt;/Iandgt;weaves Von Allmenand#8217;s story together with those of the men and women who are building his yacht. As the pursuit of opulence collides with the reality of economic decline, everyone involved in the massive project is forced to rethink the meaning of the American Dream.

andlt;Bandgt;G. Bruce Knecht andlt;/Bandgt;is a former senior writer and foreign correspondent for andlt;iandgt;Theandlt;/iandgt; andlt;iandgt;Wall Street Journalandlt;/iandgt;.andlt;iandgt; andlt;/iandgt;Author of andlt;iandgt;The Proving Ground:andnbsp;The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Raceandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Hooked:andnbsp;Pirates, Poaching and the Perfect Fish, andlt;/iandgt;he has also written for andlt;i andgt;Theandlt;/iandgt; andlt;iandgt;Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazineandlt;/iandgt;,andlt;iandgt; andlt;/iandgt;andandlt;iandgt; Conde Nast Travelerandlt;/iandgt;.andnbsp;An avid sailor, Knecht raced across the Atlantic in 2005 on the yacht that broke the 100-year-old transatlantic race record.andnbsp;He lives in New York City.