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4th out of 13 books
—
5 voters
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin Writers Running Wild in the Twenties
by
Marion Meade (Goodreads Author)
In her exuberant new work, Marion Meade presents a portrait of four extraordinary writers-Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St.Vincent Millay, and Edna Ferber- whose loves, lives, and literary endeavors embodied the spirit of the 1920s.
These literary heroines did what they wanted and said what they thought, living wholly in the moment. They kicked open the door for tw...more
These literary heroines did what they wanted and said what they thought, living wholly in the moment. They kicked open the door for tw...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
June 6th 2005
by Mariner Books
(first published 2004)
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As hard as it was to pull myself away from the television this weekend (six soccer matches! eight episodes of Gilmore Girls!), I did also read a book. A non-fiction book, even. This book, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin, which is a mixed autobiography of four American women writers from the 1920s, Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber, and Zelda Fitzgerald.
You'd think that with subject matter like that, you couldn't lose. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. This book is just not very good....more
You'd think that with subject matter like that, you couldn't lose. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. This book is just not very good....more
Edna St. Vincent Millay, Zelda Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber. These names conjure a mystique, almost a mythology: bad girls, notorious woman of the Roaring Twenties.
What fresh hells (with apologies to Dorothy Parker) were behind these exemplars of the energy, freedom, and creativity of those years? Marion Meade chronicles the lives of these women, from the height of their fame through the self-destruction or disappointment of their lives.
Since many of the high points and crashes have a...more
What fresh hells (with apologies to Dorothy Parker) were behind these exemplars of the energy, freedom, and creativity of those years? Marion Meade chronicles the lives of these women, from the height of their fame through the self-destruction or disappointment of their lives.
Since many of the high points and crashes have a...more
A history of four intriguing women, following them from 1920 to 1930 - from a sparkling start to a somewhat less sparkling end (though not everything went awry in the end - just for some...). The author has chosen to present everything chronologically which means the women's stories come together and part and then meet again, just like they did in real life. They all moved in the same circles, knew the same people (which at times can be slightly confusing) and in many cases struggled with the sa...more
I picked this up at an antique store, and was so happy I did.
I've been hard at work on a creative non-fiction of my own of a Ziegfeld Girl turned movie star, and this book was just what I needed to immerse myself in the speech, thoughts, and lifestyles of liberated women of the age without sounding too derivative.
I loved the fact that it wasn't a hardcore biography of any of the 4. I've already read several of those already. It covers a decade (like the title says, it's writers running wild in...more
I've been hard at work on a creative non-fiction of my own of a Ziegfeld Girl turned movie star, and this book was just what I needed to immerse myself in the speech, thoughts, and lifestyles of liberated women of the age without sounding too derivative.
I loved the fact that it wasn't a hardcore biography of any of the 4. I've already read several of those already. It covers a decade (like the title says, it's writers running wild in...more
This book covers a ten-year period(1920-1930). The author discusses four women writers (Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, and Zelda Fitzgerald--yes, she wrote too). When I first learned of the book, I assumed it would be divided into four parts, one for each of the women. However, the book is divided into ten chapters, each covering one year of the roaring twenties. Along the way, we are introduced to the many friends, lovers, and other assorted crazies that these women hung...more
I really enjoyed the parts of this book that focused on Zelda Fitzgerald (about whom I've already read two biographies anyway), Edna St. Vincent Millay and Dorothy Parker. However, I found the parts on Edna Ferber lacking in depth. Why was she included? Was it to provide some sort of counterweight to all of the insanity and misery and fucked-up-ness that seemed to trail after the other three women? Was it to show a successful writer from that time period who didn't self-destruct in a fireball of...more
I've always been interested in the writers of this era and it was particularly fascinating to read a book that focuses on the female authors rather than the male. Having said that, as a fan of F Scott Fitzgerald, the tidbits on him were eye-opening! He sounded like a nightmare! In all, one is left with the impression that to be a really great writer one has to have something of a narcissistic personality disorder and/or at least the hint of a mental illness of some kind. Or perhaps that was just...more
Very interesting book which captured the "scene" -- although the book left me rather sad. These ladies never seemed to be content or happy. The line in the back of the book explained my malaise.."Here are the social an literary triumphs and inevitably the penances paid..." Why does there have to be such dreadful penances for art, or for "economic independence, politcal power, and sexual freedom"? Even though these ladies were truly trailblazers for the modern women writers, I think that they app...more
May 12, 2013
Deborah Necessary
added it
I enjoyed this book, but it's like I always say, there is a fine line between genius and madness. All these authors led somewhat tragic lives.
I probably shouldn't give stars when I'm only halfway through a book, but I can't imagine I'll change my mind by the end of this one. I picked up the audio book for the car (really just as background research for my second novel), and I'm so hooked I'm making excuses to run errands just to listen to it. I do love the voice of the reader -- she sounds like an older, sophisticated woman, leaning close to fill you in on gossip she just learned -- and I'm reminded again of how much a reader can make...more
[2.5] For all of the personal feelings and anecdotes of the lives of four women prominent in the wild writing scene of 1920s American literature, "Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin" was a quite superficial treatment of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Zelda Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, and Edna Ferber and their times and acquaintances. Everyone, it seemed, knew each other and spent much time drinking, squabbling, and engaging in other debauchery. Depression and mental illness were common ailments as well.
Mead...more
Mead...more
Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna Ferber and Edna St. Vincent Milay are the focus of Meade's biography - which is as much a biography of an era as it is about the individuals portrayed here. The story of the roaring twenties is played out through the stories of these troubled, vibrant souls. There have been some negative reviews on this one...I think I was helped along considerably by listening to this one on audio during my commute to work. Vocal talent Lorna Raver was perfect in her exube...more
The definitive guide to the Jazz Age's top female writers and their lives, loves and travels: Dorothy Parker (my absolute favorite), Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna Ferber and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Superb history of these Jazz Age heroines and a must for students of the literary and art scene of the '20's, for an inside look at F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Paris, and the Riviera with the Murphy's fabulous writers oasis near Cap D'Antibes. An inside look at life in the Jazz Age and as a huge fan of s...more
Superb history of these Jazz Age heroines and a must for students of the literary and art scene of the '20's, for an inside look at F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Paris, and the Riviera with the Murphy's fabulous writers oasis near Cap D'Antibes. An inside look at life in the Jazz Age and as a huge fan of s...more
I became fascinated with the twenties when I happen to stumble on two different young adult series set in the 1920s. I loved those books and like with a lot of my interests, I immediately sought out books and other things that took place in the 1920s.
This book was one of the books I bought last year along with Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern. I read Flapper at the end of last year and was slightly disappointed in it.
I was in for a surprise...more
This book was one of the books I bought last year along with Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern. I read Flapper at the end of last year and was slightly disappointed in it.
I was in for a surprise...more
The author arranged the information by year, rather than by topic, and I think that detracts from the book's effectiveness. It's a weird style choice that an editor should have talked her out of.
That being said, I liked learning more about these women. I suppose this book serves as a sort of intro to the writers, kind of like an appetizer that makes me want a main course? Whatever, I'm bad at figurative language. What I mean to say is this: now I want to read proper biographies and/or the works...more
That being said, I liked learning more about these women. I suppose this book serves as a sort of intro to the writers, kind of like an appetizer that makes me want a main course? Whatever, I'm bad at figurative language. What I mean to say is this: now I want to read proper biographies and/or the works...more
view all 3 comments
Told through the tangled lives of four free-spirited but very different women in the same forward thinking, hard drinking New York literary circle, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin is a brisk social history of 1920’s. There’s the surprisingly fragile Dorothy Parker, a scathingly clever but not especially insightful wit, and the sparkling but ultimately tragic Zelda Fitzgerald, whose talent for art and life is overshadowed by her more famous husband and her own eventual madness. Rounding out the group...more
Overall, a quick, interesting read that added to my knowledge of the four women Meade highlights - Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, & Edna Ferber - & that makes me want to read more by and about them. The book is a little uneven & despite its title, succeeds in making it sound as though these women led lives of less than quiet desperation. If you think you're going to read about a group of young, creative women having fun, breaking barriers and lighting up t...more
This book was amazing. It led to two amazing books about Gerald and Sara Murphy (people that kept popping up in these author's lives). This book is mainly about Edna Ferber, Edna St. Vincent Millay, F.Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker). I loved it, but highly recommend you also read, "Everybody Was So Young" which is about the Murphys. It is written by Amanda Vaill. I loved her book so much that I actually wrote to her to tell her so. It's the FIRST time I have ever done that!
If you like to climb inside the private lives of famous writers "back in the day" like I do, this book is for you. The paths of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber, Zelda Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker criss-crossed in the 1920s and 1930s in interesting ways. Marion Meade is a more-than-capable researcher who clearly loves what she studies. She cuts deep to reveal these writers' durable spirits as well as their tender hearts.
Meade does a terrific job of immersing the reader in the era and in the lives of the writers she chronicles. While I was already attached to Dorothy Parker and Zelda Fitzgerald, I had grown almost equally attached to the Ednas by the time I finished the book. If you are looking for literary analysis, move along, but if you want to understand the women behind the words, Meade's work is a fun place to start.
Very entertaining look at the female writers of the twenties -- especially Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber, and Zelda Fitzgerald. Written in a clear and lively style with lots of dish and (especially in the sections about Parker) some laugh-out-loud material. Makes an interesting case for the reason the Roaring Twenties produced such a prominent cast of female writers.
Feb 14, 2008
Todd Jenkins
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
"chick lit" aficionados who need to get back to the roots ;-)
How refreshing to find a book on the 1920s literary scene that doesn't let Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds hog all the limelight! Bobbed Hair celebrates the contributions of four unique, creative, often brilliant women to American literature. The portions in this book about Zelda Hemingway are suitably interesting, but more importantly, they are proportional to her real significance in hindsight. Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber and Edna St. Vincent Millay are all certainly as deserving of the limeligh...more
Despite the mixed reviews, I loved this book. It introduced me to the two Ednas, Zelda and Dorothy - Meade goes into their personal lives so I feel like it's okay for me so call them by their first names. Though I wish she would have given equal focus to their literary lives as she did with the gossip and their private lives. This is another good rainy day, weekend read.
Three stars for Marion Meade's uneven set of four biographies. She plays favorites, lavishing time on Edna St Vincent Millay while Edna Ferber, arguably the most prolific of the four, is hardly more than a footnote. At times she meanders with secondary characters, and in Zelda's sections she is sorely overshadowed by her husband. In fact, Zelda doesn't do much writing at all over the course of the novel. Her sections provide much more of complete picture of Scott. Dottie Parker shines, but, agai...more
Loved this book! It's not exactly a biography - but a collection of detailed stories, anecdotes, and well-researched info about the authors (mainly women)of the 1920's. Each chapter takes on a different year between 1920 and 1930 and what happened in the crazy, exquisite lives of these literary figures. Interesting stuff!
This is a book I picked up on a sale table and found that it was well worth having. A look at the lives of four female writers in the 1920s, full of juicy anecdotes and insider gossip...........it provides a window on the "roaring 20s" and how these ladies became an integral part of the literary scene in those halcyon days.
Another great from Marion Meade. I couldn't keep my nose out of Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase and now I have eaten up this bio of 4 women writers in the Roaring 20's. Vincent was my favorite by far ;) These women were scandolous even by todays standards!! Completely reccomended~!
Combines the biographies of Zelda Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Edna Ferber. LOVED IT! Women are awesome, as are the tidbits of their lives pulled out of history by Margaret Meade. If you like the 20s and you like biographies, read it.
I LOVED this book about the lives of 4 female American writers throughout the 1920s (mainly in New York) - Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna Ferber, and Edna St. Vincent Mallay. I gobbled it up and regretted when it came to an end. I wanted it to keep on going.
Jun 28, 2011
Ellen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
readers who are interested in the 1920s, women writers, poets, the New Yorker, and publishing
I went back and forth on my feelings about this book, frankly. The information about the four women authors (Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna Ferber, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Dorothy Parker), was interesting indeed, but the choppy pace of the book made it difficult to keep things straight. The book is organized by year through the decade of the 1920s and finishes with the year 1930, and follows the lives of these four authors through the times. I learned a lot I didn't know about the writers' private...more
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Marion Meade is an American biographer and novelist, whose subjects stretch from 12th century French royalty to 20th century stand-up comedians. She is best known for her portraits of literary figures and iconic filmmakers.
Her new book, Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney, is a joint biography of a husband and wife whose lives provide a vivid picture of the art...more
More about Marion Meade...
Her new book, Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney, is a joint biography of a husband and wife whose lives provide a vivid picture of the art...more
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