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book_concierge's review
4.0
Audiobook read by Andi Arndt
4****
Subtitle: The Hotel That Set Women Free
I remember reading Mademoiselle magazine when I was a teen, anxiously poring over the “College” issue and imagining myself on some distant campus, dressed “just so.” I never saw myself in New York City, however, HAD I imagined that I would have imagined myself living at the Barbizon.
Bren has done her research and chronicles the history of the iconic hotel from its conception and construction in 1927 to its eventual conversion to multi-million dollar condominiums in 2007. As she tells the story of the hotel, she tells the story of women in America, of their hopes, dreams and aspirations as contrasted with society’s expectations and the structured roles assigned to “proper” women. The list of famous women who lived there is impressive, from writers such as Joan Didion and Sylvia Plath, to film stars (Grace Kelly and Ali McGraw), but it is the countless others who grabbed the chance for independence and success who should really be celebrated. Brava, ladies!
The audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt and she does a marvelous job of it. Even my husband got hooked on the story when he listened as we drove to dinner one evening.
4****
Subtitle: The Hotel That Set Women Free
I remember reading Mademoiselle magazine when I was a teen, anxiously poring over the “College” issue and imagining myself on some distant campus, dressed “just so.” I never saw myself in New York City, however, HAD I imagined that I would have imagined myself living at the Barbizon.
Bren has done her research and chronicles the history of the iconic hotel from its conception and construction in 1927 to its eventual conversion to multi-million dollar condominiums in 2007. As she tells the story of the hotel, she tells the story of women in America, of their hopes, dreams and aspirations as contrasted with society’s expectations and the structured roles assigned to “proper” women. The list of famous women who lived there is impressive, from writers such as Joan Didion and Sylvia Plath, to film stars (Grace Kelly and Ali McGraw), but it is the countless others who grabbed the chance for independence and success who should really be celebrated. Brava, ladies!
The audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt and she does a marvelous job of it. Even my husband got hooked on the story when he listened as we drove to dinner one evening.
threeara's review against another edition
4.5
I loved how this used the hotel as a jumping off point to talk through young white women's history and NYC history in the 20th century. Wish it went wider discussing class and race, and wish it spent way less time naming the weight and physical attractiveness (or lack thereof) of women, even if many were models and thus the info mattered to some of their careers.
cmftwintwo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
kmhst25's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
In a classic example of me seeing someone else’s review, thinking, “I’m sure I won’t feel that way about this book,” and then feeling that way after all: this book contains too much information about other people and not enough information about the hotel that it is suppose to be about. It’s quite readable, but you should know going in that you’re going to learn a lot more about American culture, Sylvia Plath, and Mademoiselle magazine than The Barbazon.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but it meandered a lot. It’s clear that Bren decided to pad the work to make it novel length, instead of accepting that this could have been a short book. She also takes some serious digs at Sylvia Plath and doesn’t really seem to empathize with her subjects, particularly if they ever told a slightly mean joke.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but it meandered a lot. It’s clear that Bren decided to pad the work to make it novel length, instead of accepting that this could have been a short book. She also takes some serious digs at Sylvia Plath and doesn’t really seem to empathize with her subjects, particularly if they ever told a slightly mean joke.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Misogyny
Minor: Abortion and Rape
jower's review
4.0
This was a in-depth, poignant look at a building and phenomenon in New York's history that I had never heard about before. Bren does a wonderful job at exploring what life was like for the women who called the Barbizon home, and the unique situation that they were put in that helped many to succeed and others to stagnate. The parts that I found the most hard-hitting were the connections with early feminism - this book viscerally communicated the hopelessness that 1950s femininity placed on women with so much empathy. I did not expect to like the chapters about Sylvia Plath but they became my favourites. An excellent read!