A Privileged Life: Celebrating Wasp Style by Susanna Salk
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Book Reviews of A Privileged Life: Celebrating Wasp Style
Book Review: Pretty good!
Summary: 3 Stars
I was excited to read this book just from a review in a magazine, but I was a little disappointed. It's more of a "fun" read when you want to breeze through something and not think too much. It's quite predictable; not too many surprises. But my husband read it also and he thought it was good.Book Review: Big Ego, Little Info
Summary: 2 Stars
This book breaks the cardinal rule of WASP style-- discretion! The book is basically all about the author, how very WASPy her upbringing was, and what paragons of style her various family members were. As if being born in a rich New England family was some sort of personal achievement. I agree with another reviewer that it could have been really interesting minus the self-absorption and plus information to make it relevant to readers who aren't personal friends of the author or her family-- some discussion of history, architecture, design and so on. As it is, flipping through for five minutes at the bookstore or library should be plenty to get the full effect, there's no need to buy the book.Book Review: It's been done much better
Summary: 2 Stars
Narrative is unoriginal and somewhat sloppy: "My own childhood home was the same one in which my mother grew up in." There's no apparent research on architecture, design, or education although these constitute chapters of the book; nor is there real insight or new point of view. The book has some lovely photos (the cover is the highlight), but I've seen many before and the others - largely of the author's family and friends - were not edited for interest to a non-relative. Everyone has a black & white photo of female relatives wearing white ankle socks, or Aunt Rose & Uncle Mike on a dinghy.Book Review: Not WASPS
Summary: 2 Stars
Salk's sense of style seems best personified and articulated in this book by those who had only the white part of WASP (white Anglo Saxon Protestent) part in common with the author. She credits Grace Kelly with her Irish Catholic background but seems to claim the Kennedys, the Bouviers, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others as her own. The thesis and title need a rethink.Book Review: a narrow picture
Summary: 2 Stars
I found this book disappointing. it is a very shallow superficial look at a really interesting subject. It goes into no depth whatsoever, and the only wasps she knows anything about or portrays are her small new england family. It seems to be a strictly commercial try at making a little money with virturaly no real research or information.