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Ghost of a Chance: A Memoir
“The story of [Peter] Duchin’s life has an elegiac aura of glamour and tragedy that might have come directly from the imagination of F. Scott Fitzgerald.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “This book brings back marvelous memories of a very special time.”—Frank Sinatra Called “a living compendium of a hundred years of social history” by The New York Times Book Review, Peter Duchin has lived through tremendous highs and dismal lows. Orphaned by his glamorous parents, the Newport debutante Marjorie Oelrichs and the famous bandleader Eddy Duchin, he was raised in the privileged, old-money world of Averell Harriman, the diplomat and former governor of New York. He grew up to be one of America’s preeminent bandleaders, effortlessly entertaining and charming partygoers at thousands of society galas, from the White House to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball. In Ghost of a Chance, he looks back on a life that another man may not have survived. And as he relates the frank, often surprising recollections of the many friends and famous figures who made up the strange family of his youth, Duchin chronicles the changing face of social life in America. Praise for Ghost of a Chance “A tale told with wit and charm . . . It is a sprightly, engaging, and at times hilarious look back at a life spent in music, show business, and what used to be called society.”—The Boston Globe“A bittersweet gem of a book.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer“Peter Duchin’s glamorous story is about absent fathers, surrogate mothers, and dwelling on the edges of money and power in a tuxedoed world.”—Gay Talese“A great read.”—Frank Sinatra
- GenresMemoir
376 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 29, 2020
Very enjoyable honest autobiography
What a storied life Peter Duchin has led. I first met him when he played at a party in 1964 or so. I’ve seen him casually here and there on and off over the years, as a band leader and socially, to say hello and trade smiles and a few stories.
He has always been talented, and fun. I had no idea he had such an interesting life, and I’m glad to have learned about it.
A note about some other reviews:
I see that a number of people have dissed the book, citing name dropping and arrogance. Peter’s never been arrogant with me, and the “name dropping” - I didn’t take it that way. It’s just that those were the people he met, or saw or knew. Some people do know famous people after all and famous people do hang out with other famous people.
What a storied life Peter Duchin has led. I first met him when he played at a party in 1964 or so. I’ve seen him casually here and there on and off over the years, as a band leader and socially, to say hello and trade smiles and a few stories.
He has always been talented, and fun. I had no idea he had such an interesting life, and I’m glad to have learned about it.
A note about some other reviews:
I see that a number of people have dissed the book, citing name dropping and arrogance. Peter’s never been arrogant with me, and the “name dropping” - I didn’t take it that way. It’s just that those were the people he met, or saw or knew. Some people do know famous people after all and famous people do hang out with other famous people.
August 26, 2021
This is one of the most compulsively readable memoirs I have ever read.
It seems as though Peter Duchin went everywhere and knew everyone that mattered. But he writes about his life with a wry detachment that pulls it far from the realm of self-aggrandizement.
Son of a famous orchestra leader, born sickly, not expected to survive, and his mother dying shortly thereafter, he was raised in the home of his mother's best friend ... who happened to be married to W. Averell Harriman. Yes, *that* Averell Harriman, while his father toured. Here was a young man who was given every material advantage and yet found that those things did not insulate him from trouble or heartbreak.
He writes so well, and his story is so good. This is just an amazing book. Highly recommended.
It seems as though Peter Duchin went everywhere and knew everyone that mattered. But he writes about his life with a wry detachment that pulls it far from the realm of self-aggrandizement.
Son of a famous orchestra leader, born sickly, not expected to survive, and his mother dying shortly thereafter, he was raised in the home of his mother's best friend ... who happened to be married to W. Averell Harriman. Yes, *that* Averell Harriman, while his father toured. Here was a young man who was given every material advantage and yet found that those things did not insulate him from trouble or heartbreak.
He writes so well, and his story is so good. This is just an amazing book. Highly recommended.
March 16, 2020
Being a fan of big bands and of jazz, I really wanted to read Peter Duchin's biography. I found it interesting, especially since I did not grow up in the kind of environment that he did. I actually couldn't relate to much of it. Although I was also a musician (definitely not famous) and spent a lot of my younger years working in that field, it was not at all close to what he experienced. In a sense, I was envious of the connections he had, the people he knew, the opportunities and the travel he experienced. In essence, I was introduced to the world of the rich, the famous, the influential from Peter Duchin's perspective. Like I said at the beginning, it was interesting, not great.
March 22, 2020
This was a very interesting memoir by the son on the famous Eddy Duchin, pianist and band leader who was popular in the 40's and early 50's. Peter's mother died of complications from his birth, and he is raised by Averell Harriman (former governor of New York and diplomat) and his wife, Marie. As he grows up, Peter becomes well acquainted with the rich and famous in America and Europe and eventually achieves musical success on his own. Less pleasant to read is the description of his promiscuity and dissolution, as a young man.
March 8, 2020
Great!!
What a life the author has led. He seems to have known and was friends with all the various leading lights of his times and had a fascinating career, social life and a lot of amazing, fun adventures. Well written and quite engaging. He has had quite the passionate sojourn on this earth.
What a life the author has led. He seems to have known and was friends with all the various leading lights of his times and had a fascinating career, social life and a lot of amazing, fun adventures. Well written and quite engaging. He has had quite the passionate sojourn on this earth.
June 24, 2020
I got this book on nook because it covered a period of time that is more of my parents who were born in the 20s. Really never heard of Peter or his father, but was pulled into the period. Certainly a book about the rich and famous especially in the 30s-60s. Made you see how interconnected the mover and shakers were. Would recommend.
October 6, 2020
At first, this book presented an interesting story with an accomplished list of names. As it continued, it became nothing but a who's who of the rich and famous. So many names dropped I skipped through whole paragraphs. If you are a fan of the 40s thru the 60s, you'll enjoy the personal stories.
October 27, 2022
Maybe the finest autobiography that have read. If anyone is interested in family dynamics, music (Mr. Duchin is a society bandleader), following the story of his father Eddy Duchin, or life in America chiefly in New York for the period 1950-going forward. Highly recommended.
November 30, 2018
Not a great book but an enjoyable and interesting read.
February 26, 2020
didn't finish. Had difficulties with all the name dropping, arrogance,etc.
March 1, 2020
Really enjoyed it. I don't think it was .name-dropping. I think that was his life. I graduated GeorgetownNursing and I know where the Harriman house was.
March 9, 2020
Didn't finish - lost interest
April 4, 2020
A charmed life
Orphaned into an elitist lifestyle reserved for a very few and name dropping of the politically and socially elite throughout his life, he finally understands he's a fortunate child. Most artists have to struggle for fame and fortune, not Peter. His social connections provided opportunities but his talent assured success. Loved the historical photos of times past depicting how the other half lived...the haves and have nots.
Orphaned into an elitist lifestyle reserved for a very few and name dropping of the politically and socially elite throughout his life, he finally understands he's a fortunate child. Most artists have to struggle for fame and fortune, not Peter. His social connections provided opportunities but his talent assured success. Loved the historical photos of times past depicting how the other half lived...the haves and have nots.
November 14, 2014
I read this because I had heard that it recounted scenes from the youth of one of my heroes, Robert Silvers. And it does, along with cameos from illustrious others, like George Plimpton, Frank Sinatra, Lester Young, Toots Shor, Jackie O., Winston Churchill, Marie & Averill Harriman.
Duchin's an amiable narrator & has had an exciting life. But he's not a particularly good or introspective writer, so his behavior is often puzzling, especially his sexual dalliances, the motives for which I presume were omitted because they were unflattering.
Philip Roth said of memoir writing in The Facts, "Even if it's no more than one percent you've edited out, that's the one percent that counts."
Duchin appears to have cut much more than one percent.
That said, I liked the shots he leveled at Pamela Harriman, but thought his parting shot at his first wife—"Cheray claims she has to find herself" (345)— was cruel, esp. given the flattering depiction she garnered earlier in his story.
The book ends with Duchin happily married to wife #2, but given the description of the whirlwind romance leading up to it, readers won't be surprised to learn that it, too, ended in divorce.
One constant throughout Duchin's life would appear to be his lifelong female hound-dogging—a consequence, perhaps, of his birth mother's tragic passing at a young age? Who knows. His own behavior and motives are rarely if ever given much analysis in these pages—which is more of Roth's "one percent that counts" that is missing from his tale.
This story was mostly pleasant, but I can't imagine ever rereading it.
September 6, 2012
I guess it's difficult to live in one's father's shadow, but that's what Peter must do. I really loved the movie about his father, Eddy Duchin, and it was wonderful that he was able to agree that Tyrone Power was the best actor to be typecast for the role; got to dance and converse with Kim Novak when the movie was made in 1956.
The book, hence real life, differed from the movie but isn't that always the case? Good effort, good pictures. Very nice.
The book, hence real life, differed from the movie but isn't that always the case? Good effort, good pictures. Very nice.
January 1, 2009
Actually read this book in hardback. It was a little bit interesting - about his early life - his mother died at his birth and his father was a mostly a mostly absent father meaning that he was brought up by Averill Harriman and his wife. However, it's pretty clear that this man thinks way too much of himself and has traded on his father's reputation for a good part of his life.
September 20, 2009
A nice, fluffy memoir with a straight-forward writing style. A good break between heavier things.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews