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mborer23's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating look at the lives of some of the foremost women writers of the 1920s, including Dorothy Parker and Zelda Fitzgerald. This book is not for the squeamish, as there's plenty of frank discussion of sex, alcohol abuse, mental illness, and abortions.
This was a great read, but it's kind of a bummer that women are still wrestling with the question of how to juggle career, relationship, motherhood, etc. almost 100 years later.
This was a great read, but it's kind of a bummer that women are still wrestling with the question of how to juggle career, relationship, motherhood, etc. almost 100 years later.
gillsbooks21's review against another edition
2.0
A comprehensive, narrative biography that examines the lives of four women writers from 1920-1930: Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Zelda Fitzgerald. I’ve not read any novels, short stories, or poems by these women (mostly they were overshadowed by male writers at the time including Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald). Marion Meade describes in great detail the tortured lives of four women living in an era that is frequently characterized as care-free and fun, but wasn’t as much for these authors who battled mental and physical illnesses.
noesbookishthings's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting book. Can be slow at times, but super cool to get some back story on infamous writers.
audreyjo85's review against another edition
4.0
I often have trouble staying interested in non-fiction, but the narrative style of this book and its subject kept me engaged and entertained. Even though I already knew a lot about some of these writers, there was still more to learn.
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
A joint biography of some of the members of Algonquin's Round Table. It focused on Zelda Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber and Edna St. Vincent Millay--and the people that were a part of their lives. Gossipy and fun, my only quibble is that there was no real intro to the book, which might have been helpful.
andydrew2's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. So much happened in the 20's and it was nice to see the female side.
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
This biography of four women writers, Edna Ferber, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, and Zelda Fitzgerald, in the years from 1920 to 1930, weaves together their lives and personalities. These women had four different experiences, lived in four different worlds, and enjoyed four different levels of commercial success, but each of them carved out literary careers that would benefit generations of female authors who would follow them. Written as a series of vignettes, this book is engaging and interesting, but, unfortunately, it tends to focus on the darker side of each woman's experience. Many of the anecdotes highlights failed relationships, illnesses, alcoholism, suicide attempts, and mental illnesses. The book would have benefitted from tighter editing, but it is an introduction to four women whose lives are detailed more fully in other biographies.
ms_aprilvincent's review against another edition
4.0
The author arranged the information by year, rather than by topic, and I think that detracts from the book's effectiveness. It's a weird style choice that an editor should have talked her out of.
That being said, I liked learning more about these women. I suppose this book serves as a sort of intro to the writers, kind of like an appetizer that makes me want a main course? Whatever, I'm bad at figurative language. What I mean to say is this: now I want to read proper biographies and/or the works of the women discussed here.
The author assumes the reader already has a basic knowledge of Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, which is a bit of a leap, if you ask me. She references their work with generic descriptions, and I guess I'm supposed to know what she's talking about; I don't. I didn't know Ferber wrote Showboat, and her novel sounds way better than the musical, so I want to check that out. Also, Millay co-wrote an opera, The King's Henchman; I need to find that!
In other news, F. Scott Fitzgerald was an a--hole, the end.
That being said, I liked learning more about these women. I suppose this book serves as a sort of intro to the writers, kind of like an appetizer that makes me want a main course? Whatever, I'm bad at figurative language. What I mean to say is this: now I want to read proper biographies and/or the works of the women discussed here.
The author assumes the reader already has a basic knowledge of Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, which is a bit of a leap, if you ask me. She references their work with generic descriptions, and I guess I'm supposed to know what she's talking about; I don't. I didn't know Ferber wrote Showboat, and her novel sounds way better than the musical, so I want to check that out. Also, Millay co-wrote an opera, The King's Henchman; I need to find that!
In other news, F. Scott Fitzgerald was an a--hole, the end.