My Friend Anna (Unabridged)
-
-
4.4 • 183 Ratings
-
-
- $3.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Sex and the City meets Bad Blood and Catch Me if You Can in this riveting true crime memoir that tells the astonishing firsthand story of Anna Delvey—the fake heiress who conned New York’s elite—and the friend she betrayed.
When Rachel DeLoache Williams meets Anna Delvey, Anna claims to be a wealthy German heiress with boundless ambition and an extravagant lifestyle. She treats generously, covering lavish dinners, luxury hotels, high-end workouts, and nights out across Manhattan. Drawn into Anna’s orbit, Rachel is flattered by the friendship and dazzled by the access it provides.
The illusion shatters during a dream trip to Marrakech, when Anna’s credit cards suddenly stop working. Anna insists the problem is temporary and persuades Rachel to front the costs—first flights, then meals and shopping, and ultimately a private villa costing thousands per night. By the time they return to New York, Rachel has been charged more than $62,000, and Anna’s promises of repayment quickly unravel.
As Rachel pieces together the truth, she discovers Anna has left a trail of unpaid bills and deception throughout the city. Determined to reclaim her life and dignity, Rachel goes to the authorities and finds herself at the center of the investigation that brings down one of the most infamous con artists of the decade.
Fast-paced, immersive, and deeply personal, this memoir offers an insider’s account of fraud, privilege, and the seductive power of ambition—told by the woman who lived it.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Anna Delvey was a gorgeous German heiress who captivated New York’s social scene—until her 2017 arrest on multiple counts of grand larceny, when she was revealed to be a Russian-born con artist named Anna Sorokin. Vanity Fair photo editor Rachel DeLoache Williams was a close friend of Anna’s, until the friends’ impulsive vacation to Marrakech saddled Williams with $60,000 in credit card debt. Williams narrates the story of how she fell for Anna’s party girl charms with complete candor, showing surprisingly little rancor or self-recrimination beyond an occasional embarrassed giggle. If the streaming series Inventing Anna got you curious about how any of this could happen, My Friend Anna is a deep dive into the story, straight from one of the grifter’s victims.
Customer Reviews
Good read
It was a good insight into the lives of both girls but the only thing I didn’t care for was the back and forth text. I knew Rachel was innocent of wrong doing and she was used by Anna but she spent an large majority of the book clearing her name.
What a Ride
Friends, this is a great story, so jumping in with both feet is great fun. You feel like you’re right in the middle of this chaos, but in the best way (spectator vs. participant, but you feel like both at different times.) One hundred perfect worth the listen (or read. My thing of late is audiobooks, particularly the ones narrated by the actual author. This one doesn’t disappoint.)
One of the best books I’ve read
Rachel is an exceptional and intelligent writer. This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. She is wise beyond her years and extremely strong for being able to write about her trauma and betrayal like this. My favorite quote “Attention has value… be careful where you spend it and understand the cost”.
Well done.