The Women of Amy Sherman-Palladrino: Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, and Mrs. Maisel

by Scott Ryan, David Bushman (Editor), Darren Richman

Smart, quirky, female-centric, drenched in pop-culture references—Amy Sherman-Palladino's singular TV voice has won her legions of fans and critical appreciation over the past two decades, thanks to shows like "Gilmore Girls," "Bunheads," and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Sherman-Palladino—the first woman ever to win Emmy Awards for both comedy writing and directing in a single year—may write about different decades and milieus, but her sensibility is unique and unmistakable throughout. Her greatest contribution may be her pantheon of unforgettable female characters, including Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy), Michelle Simms (Sutton Foster), Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein), and Miriam "Midge" Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan). In The Women of Amy Sherman-Palladino , writers from different walks of life—scholars, critics, writers, comedians, dancers—take us on a journey through the worlds of these characters, and how they have influenced their own lives. This is the second book in "The Women of" series, after The Women of David Lynch , published in June 2019. This unique series, covers great female characters in television and film.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2019

About the author

Scott Ryan is the managing editor of The Blue Rose magazine, the author of Moonlighting: an Oral History, Fire Walk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared, the co-president of Fayetteville Mafia Press and the host of The Red Room podcast.

Reviews

[bluerose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a few thoughts:

1) Why do none of these authors know that the show’s title is “Gilmore girls”? The second “g” is not capitalized.

2) Apparently we were all unhappy with A Year in the Life for different reasons (though I look at it with much kinder eyes since the dumpster fire that was Veronica Mars—separate rant, moving on).

3) I will be sticking with my decision not to watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

4) I will never not be devastated by the untimely death of Bunheads.

[sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I love the essay about rose weissman

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

We’ll call this 3.5/5. I guess my expectations were off for this book. I thought it was going to be an analysis of each of her key female characters - traits, moments of growth, why we love them, etc. but it was a collection of essays written by a bunch of different people. So they were very “this is how this character/show relates to me and my life” which is something I could find pretty easily on the internet (in fact, I have done that many times), so that made the book less enjoyable for me.

Also, there was a TON of Rory, a lot of Midge and Rose, not that much on Lorelai and basically nothing on Emily, Lane, Sookie, etc. so it didn’t feel all that well rounded either. It was interesting to read different perspectives, but I probably wouldn’t pick up another book like this.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the different essays, however the Gilmore Girls essays in particular felt very juvenile and more focused on how the show let the writers down personally than actually tackling the show in an objective way.

The Masiel ones were the best essays to read, and I particularly loved the one talking about the tangential Jewish-ness of the show as related to ASP’s own relationship with her Jewish heritage. As a gentile, it was fascinating to read the different perspective.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women of Amy Sherman-Palladino, edited by Scott Ryan, is a fascinating look at the women in three series (Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, and Mrs. Maisel) told from different perspectives. I am not familiar with Bunheads except to know of it, I came late to Gilmore Girls but really like Mrs Maisel. So being a diehard fan is not a requirement for enjoying this book.

I have read several books of late that focus on the reception of an artist or work(s) rather than strictly the formation and/or creation. These run the gamut from fairly academic works to ones aimed more at the popular readership. This book has a nice mix while still being aimed at the fans and not the scholars or critics. The essays discuss what it was like watching Gilmore Girls while an adolescent, through some theories about what Mrs Maisel or the Gilmore Girls really meant and accomplished in popular culture. Maybe "in popular culture" isn't correct, it might be more accurate to say what they accomplished in helping people grow into the adults they became.

While I do come at this more from an academic perspective, I am also reading it as a fan. I think for those who were really big fans of any or all of these shows this will be both nostalgic and make you think about what the shows meant. Probably even argue with the viewpoints in a couple of the essays. And those are the best kind, the ones that strike a chord and you want to either dispute or add to the argument in the essay.

These are not academic essays so they are readily accessible to any fan of the shows. That said, they do more and go deeper than just talking about what they meant to each writer. Each essay has substance. I found myself every bit as interested in reading about Bunheads as I was the shows I knew. The ideas, while specifically about the shows, are also about viewership and fandom, and how even the most basic television show can have lasting impact.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this essay collection is better than its execution. More cohesiveness among the essays by different authors would have been more impactful. Gilmore Girls is an all-time favorite show, so I didn't care for the multiple essays criticizing the revival. I vaguely remember watching and liking Bunheads and liked those essays. I am not as familiar with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but those essays made me interested to watch it.

[Joanne Bamberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essays in the second & third sections are well-written & thoughtful. Those in the first third don’t rise to the level of the rest - poorly fact-checked, misidentify actors. But if you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls/Bunheads/Marvelous Mrs Maisel, it is entertaining, especially in this time when we are all so distracted with the state of the world

[Paul Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've seen and liked Amy Sherman Palladino’s shows (Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), you’ll enjoy this assemblage of essays. As in many such collections, the quality varies, and different pieces will resonate with different people. On the whole, it’s a fitting tribute to and reflection on ASP’s work.

[Eden Tullis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5- Love it or hate it, many people have dissected Amy Sherman-Palladino's shows over and over. Because of the critique and review, I believe ASP shows to be some of the most notable and interesting shows of our time. My favorite essay was "Rory Gilmore, the Patron Saint of Good Girls". Very on the nose.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading the different perspectives and critiques of these shows! Kind of makes me want to rewatch them all.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of these essays are great! I think the best essays were about Mrs. Maisel which makes sense as it's the most recent show.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of either Gilmore Girls, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, or Bunheads you will enjoy this book. It's a series of essays written about the shows.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed, not what I expected at all.