The co-founder of legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Tom Perkins, has written and published what he terms a work of fiction ?taken from real life? called
Perkins, who in real life turned down the opportunity to star in a reality TV show that was to pair him with a bevy of young beauties, has molded a plot around just such a show causing havoc and adventure in the life of a senior ? and single – investment titan.
A speed-read through the 285-page book reveals that Perkins, 73, has delivered not so much a wealth of pornography as the pornography of wealth. Readers hoping to learn about the libidinous activities of single, senior citizen venture capitalists may come away disappointed. But when it comes to the accoutrements of the ultra-high-net-worth crowd, the book packs a wallop.
The main character, Steven, has an ?obsession? with collecting contemporary art, ?Van de Velde, Caillebotte, and so forth?. His Manhattan doorman asks if he will be needing the Bentley tonight. He discusses with friends which private club has the best chef. He delineates the difference between a Lear and a G-5.
Perkins was pressed into this creative endeavor by his ex-wife, the popular novelist Danielle Steel. He gets credit for penning the novel without a ghost writer. And to be fair, the plot includes a touching back story involving the passing of the main character's beloved wife.
But where's the sex? Page 266: Steven is given some ?Vitamin V? by sexy Eve and the two engage in a passionate merger. Page 153: two nude vixens and a leather harness confound a peeping Steve.
Perhaps the most titillating scene, however, happens near the beginning on page 8. An excerpt:
Finally, every GP's fantasy put to prose.
QUOTABLE
Permira's Damon Buffini in this month's Privately Speaking (see p. 36).
John Griswold, executive director of the Commonfund Institute, quoted in
KKR co-founder Henry Kravis, quoted in
Philip Delves Broughton, a student at Harvard Business School, writing in the