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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!
kleonard's review
5.0
Bren's The Barbizon is an informative and often entertaining read about New York's famous hotel for women. Focusing on the building's relationship with Mademoiselle magazine and its editors, and the Katherine Gibbs school and its secretarial students, Bren takes readers through the building's entire history, telling stories about its famous and not-so-famous residents. My mother was a Katie Gibbs graduate, and while she didn't live at the Barbizon--she commuted--I loved reading about New York and the ways in which women navigated it in the period when she had been there. Bren makes it clear from the start that the Barbizon was a place for upper- and some middle-class women, and that, until quite late in the 20th century, all white. By connecting the hotel with its famous residents, such as the guest editors of Mademoiselle, including Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion, Bren deftly crafts the story of the magazine as well. This book should find loads of readers and is terrific for a book club or group of any kind.
elothwen's review
5.0
Glamor and despair. This was beautifully written (although it took me quite a while to get through because of semester demands) and poignant. The major conflict was due to Mademoiselle, and frankly if something like the Barbizon existed still (which it never could, I'm afraid), it could thrive without those guest editor expectations that the women between the pages dealt with. I'm no fan of Sylvia Plath nor Joan Didion, but viewing it through their eyes via the chapters on them breathed more life into the hotel. I do wish there had been more focus on non-Mademoiselle girls, because I'm sure their stories are a lot more harsh, but I understand that it was hard enough getting information on these women. Certainly five stars for the portrayal of information and dedication to women's anecdotes.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
3.0
While I found the history covered in the book fascinating, it felt, at times, like the Barbizon Hotel was secondary to the story. In some ways, I felt like this was more of a history of the rise and fall of the magazine, Mademoiselle, which I knew little about and found very interesting.
The author mentioned the difficulties in researching the Barbizon itself, which may account for why it sometimes felt like an aside to the history being presented. Little information has been preserved (if there were any records to begin with) and some information has been closely guarded to protect the privacy of those who stayed there as guests over the years. Nevertheless, I think the author did a marvelous job of presenting the research she had compiled and taking the reader through the entire history of the hotel from its early glory days until the modern era.
The author mentioned the difficulties in researching the Barbizon itself, which may account for why it sometimes felt like an aside to the history being presented. Little information has been preserved (if there were any records to begin with) and some information has been closely guarded to protect the privacy of those who stayed there as guests over the years. Nevertheless, I think the author did a marvelous job of presenting the research she had compiled and taking the reader through the entire history of the hotel from its early glory days until the modern era.
shadypinesma's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. Beautifully researched non-fiction book of women's dwellings that will delight lovers of New York history as well as social history. It is also a catalogue of the various zeitgeists of the twentieth century (prohibition, Great Depression, WWII, “idyllic” 1950’s, etc) and their implications on women, particularly women in the city.