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khannah2218's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.25
A cast of characters that could have belonged to Alfalfa and Spanky’s He-Man Woman Haters Club. Learned. Lot about Perkins and his authors. Would’ve liked to learn even more about his process.
siria's review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting biography of Max Perkins, an editor most well-known now for discovering F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe—though he also edited many bestsellers of the 20s, 30s and 40s which are now forgotten. There are times when Berg's coyness in telling anonymous anecdotes, coupled with his seeming desire to excuse Perkins' sexism with sexism, makes for a slightly frustrating read. Perhaps it might also be more enjoyable for people who have an interest in Perkins' most famous authors (I am indifferent to Fitzgerald, can't abide Hemingway, and had never heard of Wolfe), though I was certainly interested in what I learned. All in, however, this is a solid introduction to Perkins, and to the era in which he lived.
francesmthompson's review against another edition
5.0
This book is everything a non-fiction biography of one of twentieth century America's literary greats should be - insightful, informative, comprehensive - but it is also everything the fiction that Maxwell Perkins used to oversee was - moving, encompassing, wonderfully character driven and full of prose that makes you sigh with a smile.
I got lost in Max Perkins' story immediately and kept turning the pages thanks to surprisingly unexpected twists and turns that surrounded his career, or rather the careers of the greats he led so well; Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Wolfe and James Jones. An essential read for anyone interested in the New York publishing scene in the first half of the 1900s and the whole book - so stodgily well written - serves as a reminder of how beautiful biographies can be.
I got lost in Max Perkins' story immediately and kept turning the pages thanks to surprisingly unexpected twists and turns that surrounded his career, or rather the careers of the greats he led so well; Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Wolfe and James Jones. An essential read for anyone interested in the New York publishing scene in the first half of the 1900s and the whole book - so stodgily well written - serves as a reminder of how beautiful biographies can be.