Bachelor Girls [Paperback]

Wendy Wasserstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 1991

In plays such as Isn't It Romantic, Uncommon Women and Others, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles, Wendy Wasserstein put her finger on the pulse of her past-modern, post-feminist sisters and delivered her diagnosis with shrewd good humor and an unerring sense of the absurd. That same engaging sensibility bubbles through the twenty-nine essays in Bachelor Girls, in which Wasserstein presents her observations on:
-- Boyfriends -- "The worse the boyfriend, the more stunning your American Express bill."
-- Role Models -- "In the forties emulating an ideal woman meant bobbing your hair like Betty Grable's. In the eighties, because of Jessica Lange, women have to get a Pulitzer Prize-winning actor-playwright to fall in love with them, have a child by one of the world's great dancers, be nominated for two Academy Awards, and enjoy doing the laundry alone on a farm."
-- Success -- "I knew my friend Patti was a big-time Hollywood agent the first time I saw her dial a telephone with a pencil."

Ranging from the dietary secrets of lemon mousse to the politics of the second marriage, with stopovers at a bar mitzvah in Westchester, a chess tournament in Rumania, and a Tokyo production of Isn't It Romantic, Bachelor Girls is pure Wasserstein, which is to say, pure joy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 29 semi-humorous essays, Wasserstein expatiates on topics including manicures and body-hair waxing, relationships between men and women, and her love of plaid. "Possibly amusing as stage patter or magazine filler, such trite ephemera turn deadly gathered between a book's covers," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

A collection of 29 personal essays, most of which previously appeared in magazines. Heavy, it's not. Lots of fun, it is. From tales of an Auntie Mame-type mama (who once dressed up as Patty Hearst, complete with beret and toy gun) to a surprisingly poignant description of a romance gone awry, Wasserstein paints a vibrant picture of today's single young women who aspire to independence but still want meaningful relationships. A literary "Cathy" (the cartoon) with the same appeal. --Diana C. Hirsch, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, MD
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (July 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679730621
• ISBN-13: 978-0679730620
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,219,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Average Read, May 13, 2001

By 

Pearl of Wisdom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bachelor Girls (Paperback)

This book is a very fast read because it is a collection of twenty-nine short episodes from a "bachelor girl's" life. Wasserstein speculates on these episodes in an informal manner, as if she's writing in her journal, but her language carries a somewhat academic tone.

This book is intellectually amusing in some places because of Wasserstein's clever insights, but it certainly isn't laugh-out-loud funny. Most "bachelor girls" will probably be able to relate to a couple of her experiences, but I found a lot of the episodes and insights to be unique to Wasserstein's life and not exactly universal in their appeal.

"Bridget Jones's Diary" is a much more humorous and satisfying read, but "Bachelor Girls" does have its virtues. Brevity is one of them. Also, "Bachelor Girls" does tend to inspire a reading "bachelor girl" to think about her own experiences and bounce them off the insights provided by Wasserstein.

Overall, this is a good read to pass the time with, but it is about 2 stars short of my desirable standard. I expected it to contain more humor, more universal appeal, and more cohesive chapters.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, August 14, 2001

By 

Ms Diva "cycworker" (Nanaimo, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bachelor Girls (Paperback)

There were certainly some insightful essays in this book. The problem was I expected more humor, and it just wasn't there. As a result, the book doesn't have alot of value as something I'd reread over again. With the exception of two essays - one about a bar mitzvah she attended, and one about the Balkans, most of the book just wasn't all that interesting. Well written, technically, but somewhat dull. And I got tired of some of the self-congratulatory remarks and stories about her plays.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Honest, August 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bachelor Girls (Paperback)

I enjoyed this novel. The chapters are very humerous and honest - Ms. Wasserstein clearly enjoys laughing at herself. My best friend read my copy, as did my sister, mother, and grandmother. Everyone reported rave reviews for Wasserstein's talent. My copy of Bachelor Girks was last seen with my college professor, and I hope that it continues to circulate.