I don't feel like I have a much better sense of Melania Trump now than before I read this critical biography, despite the author's extensive research and documentation (about 25 pages of notes, an index). There's a good chance that's because she's not all that knowable, or that she's too controlled to let anything slip. Jordan's interview subjects characterize Melania Trump as professional. Some say cool, and others say warm. She and her staff are reported to have the tightest lips in the White House. When talking to her parents and son, Trump speaks Slovenian, even if Donald is around, which apparently he isn't much. They genuinely seem to like each other, sources say, but they don't spend much time together, day to day.

When Melania does speak, her statements are generally broad, like "children shouldn't be harmed," but she doesn't get specific, even for the sake of illustrating her points. She seems to prefer her privacy above all else. The only time Jordan records Trump having lost her cool was once when a reporter made a weak joke about Donald being able to name a child "Barron," but not having the authority to bestow the title "Baron."

I had understood that the story would include Trump renegotiating her prenup, but though the original prenup was mentioned, there's no talking a revision. The information on how Trump and Donald reconciled after a breakup isn't provided, nor is their decision to get married. I wonder if the book got chopped up before its final publication. Anyone have an early ARC???