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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Kathleen Rooney’s Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk is a rather sweet novel about an 84-year-old lady, once America’s highest paid female advertising copywriter, taking a walk around Manhattan on New Year’s Eve in 1984.
As she takes her evening stroll en-route to a party she’s been invited to, she meets and interacts with ordinary New Yorkers and recalls the highs and lows of her extraordinary life and career.
It’s an easy read and nothing too taxing, the exact kind of story I was looking for while I nursed a sore mouth having undergone some rather invasive oral surgery recently. I simply switched the brain into neutral and enjoyed accompanying Lillian around the streets of New York.
Said to be inspired by the life of Margaret Fishback, who worked at R.H. Macy’s and was the highest-paid female advertising copywriter in the world during the 1930s, the book is as much about one woman’s rise to the top of a male-dominated world as it is about the changing fortunes of Manhattan, from the Prohibition era in the 1920s to sky-high homicide rates in the 1980s.
Admittedly, I didn’t much warm to Lillian, whose tone of voice is forthright and arrogant (what you might call brimming with chutzpah), but her story is such a fascinating one it hardly seemed to matter. Plus, her tale is laced with plenty of self-deprecating humour and great one liners so it’s a fun read — and the advertising poems dotted throughout give a light-hearted tone to the narrative.
Mind you, there are some heart-rending moments, too, which knocks the self-confidence out of Lillian and lets the reader see her in a new, more human, light.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
As she takes her evening stroll en-route to a party she’s been invited to, she meets and interacts with ordinary New Yorkers and recalls the highs and lows of her extraordinary life and career.
It’s an easy read and nothing too taxing, the exact kind of story I was looking for while I nursed a sore mouth having undergone some rather invasive oral surgery recently. I simply switched the brain into neutral and enjoyed accompanying Lillian around the streets of New York.
Said to be inspired by the life of Margaret Fishback, who worked at R.H. Macy’s and was the highest-paid female advertising copywriter in the world during the 1930s, the book is as much about one woman’s rise to the top of a male-dominated world as it is about the changing fortunes of Manhattan, from the Prohibition era in the 1920s to sky-high homicide rates in the 1980s.
Admittedly, I didn’t much warm to Lillian, whose tone of voice is forthright and arrogant (what you might call brimming with chutzpah), but her story is such a fascinating one it hardly seemed to matter. Plus, her tale is laced with plenty of self-deprecating humour and great one liners so it’s a fun read — and the advertising poems dotted throughout give a light-hearted tone to the narrative.
Mind you, there are some heart-rending moments, too, which knocks the self-confidence out of Lillian and lets the reader see her in a new, more human, light.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
Having recently read The Masterpiece, I was curious to see what Lillian Boxfish had to offer because this second book was recommended by the author of the first, both stories being historical fiction.
The fact is, the more I read about Lillian, the more I came to recall what irked me about The Masterpiece (though as you can see, if you click the link above, I did enjoy reading it!) Kathleen Rooney, through her character Lillian Boxfish, talks a better tale and persona far more interesting and believable to me than Virginia of The Masterpiece. Indeed, even basing Clara (from the same book) on the actual artist Helen Dryden did not equal the verve and honesty of Lillian nor the depth of her personality.
(In retrospect, and now having read both books, I feel that New York was a part of Lillian's life, permeating her soul, whereas the author of The Masterpiece simply used her characters to provide a history of part of the city.)
Rooney uses New York as a retrospective for Lillian and her life, and I found it believable, aided in no small part by my growing up a stone's throw from New York City and having had a grandmother who worked at R.H. Macy's. My Aunt (other side of my family) would likely also enjoy this book, as the city permeates her soul, as well.
The fact is, the more I read about Lillian, the more I came to recall what irked me about The Masterpiece (though as you can see, if you click the link above, I did enjoy reading it!) Kathleen Rooney, through her character Lillian Boxfish, talks a better tale and persona far more interesting and believable to me than Virginia of The Masterpiece. Indeed, even basing Clara (from the same book) on the actual artist Helen Dryden did not equal the verve and honesty of Lillian nor the depth of her personality.
(In retrospect, and now having read both books, I feel that New York was a part of Lillian's life, permeating her soul, whereas the author of The Masterpiece simply used her characters to provide a history of part of the city.)
Rooney uses New York as a retrospective for Lillian and her life, and I found it believable, aided in no small part by my growing up a stone's throw from New York City and having had a grandmother who worked at R.H. Macy's. My Aunt (other side of my family) would likely also enjoy this book, as the city permeates her soul, as well.
It was worth a read. It made me want to hang out with the elderly and just be nice. Then It made me realize I was reading a book instead of talking to someone who needed someone to talk to. I think I was just the wrong audience.
Read A Man Called Ove instead.
Read A Man Called Ove instead.
Really enjoyed this book- finally with an older protagonist. Tired of storylines about 18 year olds, Lillian reminds me that life and adventure continues after 85....!
What a delightful read! It tells the story of Lillian Boxfish, an 85-year-old woman who recounts her life story while taking a walk on New Year’s Eve in 1984 NYC. We hear about her career in the 1930s as the highest-paid female advertising exec, her marriage of convenience through the 1940s, and how she wound up in a sanitarium in the 1950s.
The chapters alternate between the past and that night in 1984. Lillian meets an eclectic group of people during her late night walk - a diverse cast of characters that the author lends a well roundedness to, even though they only show up for a few pages.
I saw shades of myself in Lillian: she was accomplished, a real broad with dry wit who could appreciate a man and a drink. Very Shirley MacLaine-ish. I loved the author’s multidimensional look at Lillian. I hope to be a Lillian one day. Lovely read!
The chapters alternate between the past and that night in 1984. Lillian meets an eclectic group of people during her late night walk - a diverse cast of characters that the author lends a well roundedness to, even though they only show up for a few pages.
I saw shades of myself in Lillian: she was accomplished, a real broad with dry wit who could appreciate a man and a drink. Very Shirley MacLaine-ish. I loved the author’s multidimensional look at Lillian. I hope to be a Lillian one day. Lovely read!
This is a quaint story about a woman (based on an actual woman's life) who lived in New York City in the 1930s. She was a poet and worked in advertisement for Macy's. In fact, she was the highest paid female advertisement employee of the time. The story flashes back and forth in time but isn't hard to follow at all. I liked the character, Lillian, very much and admired her spunk.
This was a great choice for a book club made up of members of retirement age or older. We had a terrific discussion (about the elderly Lillian, treatment of women in the workplace, cities, civility, mental illness, and more) and everyone seemed to enjoy the book well enough.
You must like the inner voice of Lillian Boxfish to enjoy this novel. She's a feisty old thing for sure, but the narrative is a bit slow moving, rather like her long walk around the city of New York on New Year's Eve. I had to look up the definition of multiple words while reading this book, which is a good reflection of Lillian's advertising character.
Lillian Boxfish was based on a true woman advertising pioneer. In this day of sexual harassment and #metoo, this book was particularly timely, as she fights for a salary equal to what a man would get, has to quit her job when she gets pregnant, and gets called a "girl" in her 50s.
The details about New York and the eras covered seemed very well researched - I was convinced the stories from the 1920s to 1984 were full of accurate details.
I liked the seemingly random way the author gave us information about Lillian's life. We know very early that Lillian was married and had a child, but we also know very early that she intended never to marry or have children.
The section where Lillian but others in the group thought it was effective.
- half a star for librarian stereotypes in this passage about a party Lillian threw: "I invited Hattie, the downstairs neighbor, of course, to avoid complaint, and because the more the merrier. She worked at the main branch of the New York Public Library, and luckily for our harmonious neighborliness, she got all the peace and quite she needed while laboring amid the stacks. A little racket on the weekend was fine by her. She certainly wasn't shushing anybody present that night." (p. 108) Boo hiss - I don't care if it is 1933.
You must like the inner voice of Lillian Boxfish to enjoy this novel. She's a feisty old thing for sure, but the narrative is a bit slow moving, rather like her long walk around the city of New York on New Year's Eve. I had to look up the definition of multiple words while reading this book, which is a good reflection of Lillian's advertising character.
Lillian Boxfish was based on a true woman advertising pioneer. In this day of sexual harassment and #metoo, this book was particularly timely, as she fights for a salary equal to what a man would get, has to quit her job when she gets pregnant, and gets called a "girl" in her 50s.
The details about New York and the eras covered seemed very well researched - I was convinced the stories from the 1920s to 1984 were full of accurate details.
I liked the seemingly random way the author gave us information about Lillian's life. We know very early that Lillian was married and had a child, but we also know very early that she intended never to marry or have children.
The section where Lillian
Spoiler
ended up in an institution receiving electric shock therapy after a suicide attempt didn't work for me- half a star for librarian stereotypes in this passage about a party Lillian threw: "I invited Hattie, the downstairs neighbor, of course, to avoid complaint, and because the more the merrier. She worked at the main branch of the New York Public Library, and luckily for our harmonious neighborliness, she got all the peace and quite she needed while laboring amid the stacks. A little racket on the weekend was fine by her. She certainly wasn't shushing anybody present that night." (p. 108) Boo hiss - I don't care if it is 1933.
What a wonderful book! Lillian Boxfish delighted me and inspired me with her candor, her wit, and her love of walking. I would be charmed to walk Manhattan with her any day.