Gramercy Park: An American Bloomsbury

by Carole Klein

Looks at the history of the Gramercy Park section of New York, describes its origins, and includes profiles of the American authors who once formed part of its community

Genres: Nonfiction

330 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Judith Cartisano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It wasn't what I expected. I was given a copy and thought it would be about the development of Gramercy Park. Instead it was a fascinating account of the lives of artists, writers and others who called the Gramercy Park neighborhood their home from 1822 to 1939. Highly recommended.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful portrait of an amazing neighborhood! This illuminating multibiography of the amazing personalities that have hung their hat in this historic New York neighborhood will keep you reading for hours. Highly recommended for its lively description of literary and artistic stars. This book is a guaranteed to please if you enjoy historical nonfiction.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember exactly when I got this book - while in summer school at NYU in 1999. It's been on my shelf ever since, waiting to be read. I had a vague idea that it was some sort of late nineteenth century work of american lit. That was completely wrong - it's actually a non-fiction history of the neighborhood in New York City. It's surprisingly compelling. The author essentially strings together a series of mini-biographies of famous New Yorkers who were in some way affiliated with the neighborhood. Definitely not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently a "sleeper", its a description of the development of Gramercy Park, NYC, from 1822-1939. Fascinating historical depiction of the area and the times.