A review by angeliqueazul
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin: Writers Running Wild in the Twenties by Marion Meade
5.0
Marion Meade called her book, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin, a chronologically organized collection of vignettes. This structure saves the reader from boring passages where nothing interesting happens as only remarkable moments and scenes are painted out. It takes some time to get used to the quite fast change from one writer and her life to another and keeping all the names (and nicknames) straight can be challenge (one that I have not completely accomplished until the end I have to admit).
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin has surprised me with its detailed account of the lives of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Edna Ferber - as well as a number of people surrounding them. Marion Meade's research is excellent; she does not only give us the 'hard facts' but also very personal information like Dorothy Parker's fear of heights or Zelda's resistance to complain or even acknowledge the pain her ballet training inflicted on her. The intimacy of the scenes in the lives of the four title writers is what makes this book special and worth reading. The choice to include Edna Ferber strikes me as a means to find a balance to Edna St. Vincent Millay (especially in the first couple of chapters), only in later chapters do Edna Ferber's scenes becomes more demanding of the attention and interest of the reader. Nevertheless, I think it was a good idea to include her.
I definitely recommend reading Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin to anyone interested in the 1920s and the four incredibly talented writers portrayed.
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin has surprised me with its detailed account of the lives of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Edna Ferber - as well as a number of people surrounding them. Marion Meade's research is excellent; she does not only give us the 'hard facts' but also very personal information like Dorothy Parker's fear of heights or Zelda's resistance to complain or even acknowledge the pain her ballet training inflicted on her. The intimacy of the scenes in the lives of the four title writers is what makes this book special and worth reading. The choice to include Edna Ferber strikes me as a means to find a balance to Edna St. Vincent Millay (especially in the first couple of chapters), only in later chapters do Edna Ferber's scenes becomes more demanding of the attention and interest of the reader. Nevertheless, I think it was a good idea to include her.
I definitely recommend reading Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin to anyone interested in the 1920s and the four incredibly talented writers portrayed.