Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? by Marion Meade
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Book Reviews of Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?
Book Review: Like watching a train wreck
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most engaging biographies I have ever read. Whether or not you are a Parker fan, this is a fascininating look at her life. I didn't know too much about her life prior to reading Meade's book, other than the common info about her drinking and suicide attempts. Everytime Parker headed for disaster, I wanted to shout "what were you thinking" but then her life wouldn't have been so memorable. This book is also a very interesting look at society and the role of women in publishing in the 1920s-1940s. Reading this biography will give any reader a greater understanding of Parker's work.Book Review: Candid, outrageous, sad and saucy...Just like Mrs. Parker!
Summary: 5 Stars
"What Fresh Hell is This" was recommended to me by a co-worker. I found it to be a very easy read about a woman about whom we don't know much. It's at times touching--stories of her multiple suicide attempts; at times juicy--the tales of herself and her many friends like Robert Benchley, and at times, very forthright in letting us know that behind the wit of the Round Table was a woman who had many troubles in her life, but still manages to plow through. I recommend it to anybody who likes a light read about a lady whose style was anything but light. Five stars! Ron CaldwellBook Review: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many of her witty pals at the Algonquin roundtable, Parker is relatively unknown to the general public today. Unlike her contemporaries (and friends) Fitzgerald and Hemingway, she never wrote a novel to insure her immortality. This is sad, but somehow appropriate, because as Meade's excellent biography illustratrates, Dorothy didn't want to live unitl next week, let alone forever. Fortunately, Meade has captured all of the spirit (and most of the quips) of this depressed, funny and above all, complex woman.Book Review: Those were the days
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a vivid well written book about the life and times of legendary wit and wordsmith Dorothy Parker. Marion Meade gives the reader a colorful view of that boozy, eccentric group The Algonquin Round Table of which Dorothy was the reigning "femme fatale". Parker's life as portrayed here was not an easy one being as it was plagued by alcoholism, emotional agonies and literary output of uneven quality. This book expertly depicts an era that has passed and some of those names who made it notable.Book Review: A fine look back at an astounding woman
Summary: 5 Stars
This biography of Dorothy Parker is well-researched and well-written. I knew very little about her but now want to read more. Also, visited the Algonquin Hotel which is still lovely and saw the movie "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle". Her life reminded me how some people pack a lot into their lives, much more than the rest of us. The book was recommended by my daughter who is an editor-in-chief for many magazines at the Meredith Corporation. I will continue to take her advice!