The Bettencourt Affair

Sometimes it's nice to read about a scandal that doesn't involve anyone or anything close to my heart, and this fit that bill perfectly. Since no one I care about was involved in the Bettencourt Affair or the upper echelons of French politics or L'Oreal's management, and I myself am most certainly not involved in any of those things, this was quite the entertaining read. Of course because of that distance I'm not entirely sure if Sancton is being absolutely impartial in his reportage, but I like to think so.

Sancton's narrative style is mostly coherent and easy to follow, though it's occasionally jarring in that he tends to jump back and forth across time and between people. More interesting, however, are Sancton's insights into the French people's attitude to immense wealth, and how that relates to politics.