Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?
by Marion MeadeSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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Read in January, 1986
recommends it for:
anyone who thought Sacco and Venzetti were framed.
Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker.
I won a night of cocktails at a gay bar that friend Roger took me to in the early 1980s because I could quote the second stanza of 'Resume".
Please.
I could have read her book reviews verbatim (review of Winnie the Pooh written as Constant Reader " Tonstant Weader fwowed up.")
I could have recited them verbatim and probably did at times.
So, when I say this is a good overview of Dottie's life, believe me or suffer the chance I will make y...more
I won a night of cocktails at a gay bar that friend Roger took me to in the early 1980s because I could quote the second stanza of 'Resume".
Please.
I could have read her book reviews verbatim (review of Winnie the Pooh written as Constant Reader " Tonstant Weader fwowed up.")
I could have recited them verbatim and probably did at times.
So, when I say this is a good overview of Dottie's life, believe me or suffer the chance I will make y...more
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Read in September, 2007
I dived into this book, but lingered for a bit towards the end. By use of the word "lingering", I am confessing that I found myself more inclined to set it aside for a quick foray into the new arrival at the local grocery store of month old OK magazines. That's my caveat, folks. My caution too. I can put aside a good book to read stale smut.
But if you are still interested in my opinion on this particular book, I'll share it: it's good. Interesting. Cerebrally, I know that I ...more
But if you are still interested in my opinion on this particular book, I'll share it: it's good. Interesting. Cerebrally, I know that I ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
sharp-tongued women everywhere
I know so many women today who would feel right at home with Dorothy Parker but have probably never heard of her. This book is a respectable (perhaps too much so) biography of one of America's greatest women of letters. Deeply flawed in many ways, from her alcoholism to her choices in men, Parker masked it all with a rapier wit that redefined a woman's role in literature. Alternately hilarious and nasty, she presented a new feminine face that had rarely been seen in society prior to her emergenc...more
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Read in October, 2007
Did she live an interesting life? Well, sure, at least for the first 40 years of it. Does Meade provide insight into Mrs. Parker? Hard to say. After 400+ pages, I don't feel I know her much better than I did before. This is a great read for those who dig scenic looks at literary salons (or in this case saloons?) and scenes, at least for the first 40 years of Dottie's life. Then the story (and perhaps more sadly the life) becomes redundant and at times even (dare I say?) pathetic. But by t...more
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recommends it for:
teenage girls after they've bought The Portable and memorized choice stanzas
One of my very favorite biographies of all time -- a HUGE influence. My copy is inscribed by my old boss from the bookstore I worked in, who knew I was thrilled about it coming out. he hid it and pretended like we didn't get our shipment of it so he could give it to me as a going away gift. It was at the height of one of my many Dorothy Parker phases, sophomore year in college, when all I wanted in life was to be a witty writer and have cocktails at the Algonquin. Sigh. Since then I have had...more
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An in-depth biography of Dorothy Parker with well-researched accounts of her childhood and youth. I liked the "extra" information given about each of her Algonquin Round Table buddies (Benchley, Woolcott, FPA). This is well worth the read for those with any interest in the subject. Dorothy had so much potential to do good, but was hampered by her own addictions and life choices, as well as her parent's decisions. Incidentally, the title comes from what Dorothy would sarcastically say w...more
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I was very excited about starting this book and enjoyed learning more about Dorothy Parker. However, it was a fight to get through this book and I ended up not finishing before my book club was meeting to discuss it. And I wasn't the only one. The girl who chose it apologized for doing so - it had been recommended to her. It was definitely informative and Dorothy Parker herself is interesting. However, I've also purchased a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine also written by Marion Meade, and...more
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I did like it, mostly because the middle meanders into a rather interesting biography of the New Yorker, but as someone else said, I'm not really sure there was much there otherwise. Unfortunately, Dorothy Parker here is reduced to a sot who dictated brilliantly vicious poems and columns to her editor while sloshed. This is really sad, as any reading of any of her poems - particularly Resume, but others as well - will tell you that there was a lot more going on in her mind and soul than the drin...more
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Read in August, 2006
I started out really, really interested in this book, and then I got bogged down in all the details and started to not be able to keep track of all the people Meade throws in the account. Still, I think this is more a comment on me as a reader than the book.
Parker is one of the great American wits, and this book gives you a satisfying glimpse into her circle. It is chock full of details, and was obviously meticulously researched, so if that floats your boat, you will really like it.
Parker is one of the great American wits, and this book gives you a satisfying glimpse into her circle. It is chock full of details, and was obviously meticulously researched, so if that floats your boat, you will really like it.
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Read in July, 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but it turns out that biographies are not really my thing. I think the book was fine, but I just couldn't get into it. If you like biographies, then I would recommend it. Dorothy Parker led a very interesting life and it is worth reading about. But if you are like me, and would prefer to read anything other than a biography, stick with her poetry and short stories.
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It's rather embarrassing how little I know about Parker. For years I've thought that Robinson was an obedient child she took to soirees and dinner parties who happily slept in her lap and played beneath her chair in complete contentment. Imagine my surprise upon examining the cover of the book and discovering it's a photo of Dorothy and Robinson. Dorothy and Robinson, her dachshund.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Biography lovers and Dorothy Parker fans.
The author doesn't leave much out of this biography and so I think we get an accurate picture of a talented but flawed writer. I doubt I would have enjoyed hanging out with Dorothy Parker on a regular basis, but if her funny, jaded writing is the result of her tumultuous life, I might have been down for throwing back the occasional gimlet in a speakeasy.
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The beginning was great. Dorothy Parker as a young woman was interesting and very funny. I couldn't get past her marriage to Alan whatshisname and brought it back to the library. I love Dorothy Parker don't get me wrong, but those people who say that she lived a bit too long may have been right. (Forgive me Dorothy!)
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Read in July, 2007
The writing is just the frame you look through in this fucker. Watch Dottie's life pile up one Situation at a time; I wonder sometimes why all my heroes* are unhappy people. I wanna give her a hug and slap the booze out of her hand early on. Oh, the of it all.
*The ones that are not artists anyway.
*The ones that are not artists anyway.
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This was one of the resources I used most when I wrote an article on Parker for The Literary Encyclopedia (http://www.litencyc.com/php/sp.... Meade's biography is very informative and well written, but a bit scattershot in its organization.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
someone witty
The amount of information and detail is not boring, by any means. The author did an amazing amount of detective work to get insights that other biographies fail to find.
Its often times hilarious, sometimes sad and depressing, but it is never boring.
Its often times hilarious, sometimes sad and depressing, but it is never boring.
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Read in January, 2004
Nobody wielded sarcastic wit better than Dorothy Parker, and very few people could lay claim to being so adept at screwing up their lives and yet so accomplished at disaster recovery. This book is a comprehensive review of Mrs. Parker's wild ride.
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One of my favorite curmudgeons - the title refers to her response every time the phone or doorbell rang, must confess I know that feeling!
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
dorothy parker fans
I'm a big Dorothy Parker fan and found this book very...uh, longwinded. Bio's are not usually as interesting as this but just a LITTLE too much info on trivial things. Some GREAT lines in this book - still a good read. Just a long one.
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'what fresh hell is this?' is a great phrase and one my sister and I use frequently, I bet if everyone started saying it pretty soon it would be the new catchphrase and Dorothy Parker would get the credit.
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