George, Being George: George Plimpton's Life as Told, Admired, Deplored, and Envied by 200 Friend...
Contributors include Harold Bloom, Jules Feiffer, John Guare, Norman Mailer, Peter Matthiessen, Maggie Paley, Richard Price, James Salter, Robert S...
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Jan 04, 2009
Jim
rated it: 
This oral biography of George Plimpton has the feel of a chat over drinks with friends of a celebrity. You hear lots of great anecdotes, get some sense of what it must have been like to know him, but don't run into a lot of deeply considered evaluations.
He comes across as starting out a life of incredible privilege (cocktails with young Jackie Bouvier, dinner with Princess Elizabeth of England)and then stumbling into publishing The Paris Review because his literary friends from coll More...
He comes across as starting out a life of incredible privilege (cocktails with young Jackie Bouvier, dinner with Princess Elizabeth of England)and then stumbling into publishing The Paris Review because his literary friends from coll More...
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Dec 07, 2008
Hood
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http://miamisunpost.com/archives/2008/11...
Bound - Miami SunPost
Nov. 20, 2008
A Gentleman Among Men
George Plimpton Was All That and Then Some
By John Hood
George Plimpton and I first met at his Manhattan home back in ’90 or ’91 when he hosted a wedding reception for then Paris Review Senior Editor Fayette Hickox. I was just coming into my ego then and still a bit reticent around celebrity, but Plimpton made me feel immediately More...
Bound - Miami SunPost
Nov. 20, 2008
A Gentleman Among Men
George Plimpton Was All That and Then Some
By John Hood
George Plimpton and I first met at his Manhattan home back in ’90 or ’91 when he hosted a wedding reception for then Paris Review Senior Editor Fayette Hickox. I was just coming into my ego then and still a bit reticent around celebrity, but Plimpton made me feel immediately More...
Dec 25, 2008
Aaron
rated it:
In this oral history/hagiography of George Plimpton, we are treated to over-the-top antics of the patron saint of Upper East Side privilege. At times the breathless tone seems overblown, given that his three miracles appear to be:
1. Being born rich
2. Being born well-connected
3. Being not quite as snobbish as someone that rich and well-connected typically is.
It's hard to talk about a book like this and not make it a referendum on the subject. I hope my complai More...
1. Being born rich
2. Being born well-connected
3. Being not quite as snobbish as someone that rich and well-connected typically is.
It's hard to talk about a book like this and not make it a referendum on the subject. I hope my complai More...
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Jan 02, 2009
Casey
rated it:
loved it. this will sound like a complaint (though it's quite the opposite): after reading 300+ pages full of thoughts by the people who seemed to have known him best (including the two women he married), he's still an enigma. amazingly approachable and yet totally unknowable; remarkably warm and yet oddly cold in certain circumstances. loved it.
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Dec 09, 2008
Ryan
rated it: 
We all know a word cannot be defined by reiterating the word itself: "Confusing? That's when you're, you know, confused about something." This same idea is why this is a thrilling biography. Some will see it as its main weakness, but for this reader it's its strongest suit. Let me explain.
Two of the most common phrases in this oral biography of blue-blood Paris Review editor and bon vivant George Plimpton are, "George was George," and "That was just George More...
Two of the most common phrases in this oral biography of blue-blood Paris Review editor and bon vivant George Plimpton are, "George was George," and "That was just George More...
Mar 08, 2011
Jim
rated it:
I read this because I'm interested in people living more fulfilling and memorable lives, and Plimpton certainly belongs to that group. Growing up, I mostly knew him as the WASPy sounding Coleco pitchman and actor, and was unaware of the extent of his accomplishments, which include boxing with world champions, wrestling the gun out of Sirhan Sirhan's hands, and setting off a myriad of illegal fireworks.
I loved the "oral biography" format - a more multifaceted approach than yo More...
I loved the "oral biography" format - a more multifaceted approach than yo More...
Feb 15, 2009
Michael
rated it: 
Diverting in its way. You come to understand that Plimpton was who he seemed to be; an old style WASP who had a pathological need for company. Somehow though nothing terrible comes down about him, I liked him much less after reading it than before. Ditto on Peter Mathieson who somehow manages to come off as snarky, passive-aggressive and mean-spirited towards Plimpton with every quote. Not sure it adds up to anything, maybe the presentation of a life that had genuine literary promise and dege
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May 20, 2009
Martin
rated it:
Ok. I really really wanted to love this. Have always been a big fan of Plimpton the writer as well as Plimpton the raconteur, Plimpton "the brand"...but sad to say this book just did not grab me at all...in fact i was only able to get about two thirds of the way through it (if that) before giving up. It mostly had to do with the way it was put together...brief one or two paragraph recollections on a variety of topics from various (dozens) former colleagues, co-workers, friends, love
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Dec 10, 2008
Robert
rated it:
As I read this book, I was reminded of James Thurber's Walter Mitty who escaped the boredom of his life and the miseries of his marriage by imagining himself in all sorts of situations that are far more exciting and (especially) much more glamorous. Having an equally active imagination, George also proceeded to do (or at least attempt to do) whatever seemed like "fun" while living an already exciting and glamorous life that included relationships with those who share their reminiscence
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Jan 26, 2009
Kent
rated it:
A terrific recounting of a life richly lived but always wanting, George Being George is structured as an oral history of George Plimpton's life. Rather than take the form of a traditional narrative, the book is a collection of brief anecdotes, observations and snippets harvested from interviews with Plimpton's friends and associates from his youth on the Upper East Side, to his New England schooling, the founding of the Paris Review, the assasination of Bobby Kennedy and Plimpton's growing cele
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Jun 12, 2009
Josh
rated it:
George Plimpton was a real life Walter Mitty -- if Walter Mitty had actually did all the things he dreamed of doing. Whether wrestling with Sirhan Sirhan after the assassination of RFK, or playing a game with the Detroit Lions, or pitching baseballs to major league hitters, George did it all. Makes you wish you could have spent an evening with him. (Sounds like he wasn't an easy person to be married to though).
Feb 14, 2009
Cynthia
rated it:
This is not a conventional biography by any means. It is written in the style that Plimpton himself used to write/edit his life stories on Capote and Edie Sedgwick. By allowing the interviewees to speak for themselves, more is revealed about Plimpton than would be in a straight chronological narative. Enlightening, funny, sad and complicated - much like the man himself. It was a "good read."
Mar 02, 2009
Tom
rated it:
I enjoyed this collection of comments about Plimpton, whom I didn't know all that much about. But the book is not very well organized; chapters are ostensibly chronological, but the editor deviates from that a lot. In the chapter on the 70s, I was confused when one writer mentioned cell phones, until I realized that he worked at the Paris Review in the late 90s. After that, I noticed a lot of comments that seemed to be in the wrong place, which was distracting. Still, it's an interesting first t
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Nov 24, 2008
Eric
rated it:
An oddly organized, but very readable, biography of George Plimpton. Presented in "oral history" format, including entries from ex-wives, rivals, literati, and friends. Plimpton ran in the most exlusive of circles - but was revealed to be a very lonely man. An interesting look at the world of American publishing in the secod half of the 20th century.
May 25, 2009
Frances
rated it:
I certainly grew up knowing about George Plimpton, but before reading this I don't think I fully appreciated the scope of his literary reach. The book details the start of the Paris Review, Plimpton's extensive network of famous friends, the parties Plimpton threw, and the evolution of the New York literary world. This is a fun, breezy read.
Dec 20, 2011
Mark
rated it:
I remember the "Paper Lion" special on television as well as George Plimpton's amusing guest appearance ("I'll go back to doing whatever it is that I do") on "The Simpsons." I've always found him an appealing and sympathetic figure, so I suppose I was predisposed to like this. Nonetheless, it is a fine book, and well worth a read.
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Jan 05, 2009
Brian
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The NYT Book Review suggested that George Plimpton was the American version of Nick Jenkins — Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time protagonist. I couldn't resist and thoroughly enjoyed this.
May 12, 2009
Candy
rated it: 
George Plimpton was an interesting fellow, but this book was too boring for me to finish. It's a collection of funny memories George's wealthy, self-indulgent friends have regarding George.
Feb 02, 2011
AdultNonFiction
rated it:
I think the title says it all. I find George a bit fascinating and anyone who does will find this a very satisfying read.
Dec 10, 2008
Terri
rated it:
the problem with this type of book is that you tend to not like the person as much as when you started the book.
Jan 04, 2009
David
rated it:
Friends, relatives, and acquaintances reccount tales and impressions of this legendary waspy archetype.
Nov 24, 2008
Beth
rated it:
A nice look at the literary world of the 1950s and the birth of the Paris Review
Oct 28, 2010
Kate
rated it:
Was paging through this on the subway and remembered how much I liked it.
Jan 11, 2010
Brendan
rated it:
I am running out of ways to express how fucking awesome this book is.
Jun 18, 2010
Michael
rated it:
A delightful oral history of one of the great literary lives of the 20th century. A real pleasure.
Feb 16, 2009
Barr
rated it:
This is really wonderful. Very funny, very preppy, very "to themanner borne"
Nov 21, 2008
Nathan
rated it:
Utterly motherfucking delightful. The next best thing to chillaxing with the man himself.
