Fifth Avenue: A Very Social Story

by Kate Simon

A history of the Fifth Avenue worlds of money, art, and society, from 1827 to the present, providing a panorama of people and events, forces, powers, and styles extending from Washington Square to Harlem

Genres: History, New York, Nonfiction

371 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Lauren Stoolfire]

Fifth Avenue: A Very Social History by Kate Simon was given to me by a friend and now that both of us have read it I can officially say that we have essentially the same thoughts on this history book. The premise it is quite interesting as it focuses on the history of the most expensive and elegant thoroughfare in Manhattan by discussing people, places, events, and even fashion from 1827 up to this book's publication in 1978. There's lots of intriguing history and gossip to read about, but unfortunately the writing style left a little more than something to be desired. In all honesty, there were times I felt like I was practically having to translate Simon's writing to make it intelligible because there are so many fragments and grammar issues.

[Scott Fuchs]

Syntax! Syntax! Syntax!
Some sentences are merely indecipherable, others incomplete and others grammatical conundrums.
However, the book is rife with historical gossip [not dish-y]. Much is familiar to any Manhattanophile,much of it not. Pass over the pemultimate three or four chapters which are merely biographcal sketches and boring.
All in all this is, even though not exhaustive, a first class history of Fifth Avenue.

[Lisa]

There was a lot of interesting history here, but Kate Simon's writing style drove me crazy; it was full of fragments. Her idea of a sentence is, "Over here, the Guggenheim mansion." What about it?? Oh, you mean the mansion is over here. I kept having to reread sentences when I got to the period without having encountered a verb. Very frustrating!

[Anne]

Lots of weird syntax/grammar issues but a fascinating look at Gilded Age New York Society

[Meg Koch]

The evolution of 5th Ave and it's denizens. Interesting but exhaustive reading. Packed with details; perhaps too many.

[Rogue Reader]

I loved Kate Simon's Fifth Avenue: A Very Social History. I read it on the heels of several others on the era and the people of this place, and Simon provides another point of view. Softsoaps some families and personages that were crucified elsewhere, and damns others without restraint - both with lots of personal and cultural detail. She traces the movement of the smart set, the wealthy class whether nouveau or DAR from the Battery to Queens, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, park by park. Delightful.

Simon's writing is a bit awkward at times, and sometimes seems as old fashioned as the milieu she tells of. Photos are nice though reproduction could be better, the bibliography is limited and there is not an index, map or footnote.