Scan barcode
kbuchanan's review against another edition
3.0
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, requesting it somewhat on a whim. Overall, I'm glad I did. It's a somewhat strange book to try to review, as it is largely a collection of previously published material on divergent subjects, much of which is very short in length. Robert Gottlieb, who has served as editor in chief of both Simon and Schuster and Alfred A. Knopf publishing, as well as spending time as editor of "The New Yorker," is a sharp and engaging writer whose expertise in his field is clearly felt. The book is particularly strong on cultural figures of the early twentieth century, with Gottlieb's most elegant and personal writing represented in his sections on ballet and dance, clearly personal passions for him. Artistic giants such as Isadora Duncan, Sarah Bernhardt, and Sergei Diaghalev share the stage with film stars from Hollywood's Golden Age and famous political figures. Gottlieb also writes particularly insightfully about literature, giving succinct, thoughtful accounts of Dickens, Steinbeck, Thackeray, Kipling, and more recent figures such as James Thurber. This eclectic mix makes for a collection that is rarely boring, and reading through the whole takes on certain aspects of a treasure hunt. The next ten pages could be about anyone, from anywhere.
I will admit that the brevity of many of the essays, presumably due to their former lives as journalistic pieces, occasionally left me dizzy. A large portion of the "lives" sit somewhere between book review and super-speed biography. For much of the book, however, this was part of the fun. Gottlieb's collection presents tantalizing tidbits on a fascinating set of characters, and his reviews often spark an interest to read on these subjects further. In this, Gottlieb's point is successfully made. While the final three pieces in the collection (revealed by Gottlieb in the introduction to be the most personal of the works) are written in a pseudo-memoir style that I found to be effective, it was difficult at times to swallow the personal intrusions into earlier pieces in the work. It may be journalistic integrity that prompts Gottlieb to reveal his personal relationships with some of his subjects, but at times it comes to feel a bit more like name-dropping.
I found it helpful to take this book in small doses, so that I didn't end up reading ten 5-page pieces about ten different people in one day. The organization of the book was troubling at times. The first chunk of the book, the "lives" section is roughly organized alphabetically by the name of the subject, much like a biography section in a library would be. Though this is logical, it does not always work for the book. I feel that a chronological order, either by the subjects' dates, or by the date of the pieces original publication, might have been more illuminating. It would have given the reader a chance to see how people who crossed paths with one another in their own times may have interacted. Despite a few reservations, this was an enjoyable read. Gottlieb's self-assurance enhances his writing, and his extensive experience with the publishing world and its colorful characters are assets for this book.
I will admit that the brevity of many of the essays, presumably due to their former lives as journalistic pieces, occasionally left me dizzy. A large portion of the "lives" sit somewhere between book review and super-speed biography. For much of the book, however, this was part of the fun. Gottlieb's collection presents tantalizing tidbits on a fascinating set of characters, and his reviews often spark an interest to read on these subjects further. In this, Gottlieb's point is successfully made. While the final three pieces in the collection (revealed by Gottlieb in the introduction to be the most personal of the works) are written in a pseudo-memoir style that I found to be effective, it was difficult at times to swallow the personal intrusions into earlier pieces in the work. It may be journalistic integrity that prompts Gottlieb to reveal his personal relationships with some of his subjects, but at times it comes to feel a bit more like name-dropping.
I found it helpful to take this book in small doses, so that I didn't end up reading ten 5-page pieces about ten different people in one day. The organization of the book was troubling at times. The first chunk of the book, the "lives" section is roughly organized alphabetically by the name of the subject, much like a biography section in a library would be. Though this is logical, it does not always work for the book. I feel that a chronological order, either by the subjects' dates, or by the date of the pieces original publication, might have been more illuminating. It would have given the reader a chance to see how people who crossed paths with one another in their own times may have interacted. Despite a few reservations, this was an enjoyable read. Gottlieb's self-assurance enhances his writing, and his extensive experience with the publishing world and its colorful characters are assets for this book.
More...