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misslonely85's review
4.0
This oral history of Edie Sedgwick is fascinating and disturbing. The book is composed of memories of people who knew Edie - well or briefly. Andy Warhol, Nico, Patti Smith, Bob Neuwirth... This kind of biography disconcerted me in the beginning, but once I was used to the rhythm, I found the story vivid and more interesting than a conventional biography.
nhumble's review
5.0
what an intoxicating slow burn. you can tell stein and plimpton took their time to meticulously present edie to the reader (10 years!) in all of her facets. i feel like i’ve never read anything like this. yes it’s an oral history and a biography, but the details are so fantastical at times, it feels like fiction.
storysteph's review
4.0
This book was hard to read. One reason is because it lacks a central narrator, instead using snippets of interviews with friends, family, and associates. It was a little hard to follow at times, but also a pretty interesting way to tell the story. The other reason was because this is just a sad story. No one's mentally healthy or happy here, and it's hard to feel sorry for anyone. In fact, I spent quite a bit of time being disappointed in myself for the amount of schadenfreude over ridiculously-wealthy-but-fundamentally-unhappy people I felt.
This isn't a book I regret reading, but it's not a book I'm gonna seek out again anytime soon. People are sick fucks, yo.
This isn't a book I regret reading, but it's not a book I'm gonna seek out again anytime soon. People are sick fucks, yo.
iancarpenter's review
3.0
Probably drawn here by the Warhol content - the book is immense and couldn't possibly be more thorough. I had no interest in her childhood and the great dynasty and wealth she sat atop. But, her time in New York with Warhol and various filmmakers and drug scenesters was great fun in tiny doses. I probably read 5 pages a day. Anything else would have been overkill for me because there's a repetition in her life - get catastrophically high, go out, blow people's minds with her beauty, have loads of sex, feed the need. The pain and trauma visited on her by her family and especially her father is palpable.
takeahike's review against another edition
While I do remember enjoying this book, I read it far too long ago to accurately rate.
theamytivillelibrary's review
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail