Customer Reviews

Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't think there is another decent review of Dorothy Parker's life in print.

I could go on and on about the individual bits of interesting data the book highlights: her relationship with Benchley, the Algonquin Round Table, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, plus her socio-political views, her misguided love life, her bitterness/love toward men. I suppose I could tell you a lot about what this book says in these regards.

I could lament how I think she is still an underrated fiction writer, as most people get stuck on her quips and witticisms, but her better skill was in unpeeling the subtleties of the everyday moment. I could, couldn't I?

There is plenty I could say about her insecurities, her foolish business mistakes and something bizarre about her dog. Oh yes, that would be interesting, that whole dog thing.

Instead, I'll just tell you this book is what is says, a thorough examination of the life of Dorothy Parker. You will be happy you bought it. It says everything I didn't say and more.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

I have read several bios of Parker, as well as bios of and memoirs by other denizens of the Round Table, and this book is BY FAR the most complete. Meade punctures so many of the oft-told tales about Parker, which are blythely repeated in other bios. She interviewed anyone and everyone still alive who could shed light on Parker, and does an impressive bit of detective work to prove that one of Lillian Hellman's many self-aggrandize stories was a fabrication. The negative reviews here are just puzzling to me -- I can't understand what more they want from this book. Far from being full of gossip or taking a kid-glove approach, this biography is exhaustively researched, fully footnoted, and shows all the contradictory -- sometimes unpleasant -- colors of Dorothy Parker.

All I could think of when I finished reading this biography was...wow. What a life, what a career, and what foolish choices smart ladies like Dorothy Parker can make. Parker had risen to almost iconic status with me as a writer and social commentator of her time. This book brings her back down with the balance of her brilliance with the reality of her misfortunes. The book could have used a *tighter* editor, but this is a must-read biography!

The reader must approach this amazing biography with an open mind in order to truly comprehend the life of Dorothy Parker. Ms. Parker was a rebel of her time: she scoffed at the traditional housewife, laughed and exceeded men's expectations of women, and turned society on its ear with her personality. She questioned the preconditioned male society around her to create a world only she could ultimately live in (true to the subtitle of this book). Meade provides Dorothy's story with a writing style that compliments Dorothy in many ways. Meade captures Dorothy's sense of humor, self-destructiveness, and self-hatred beautifully. In a sense, this biography parallels Dorothy's short stories and poems . . . Meade remembers Dorothy for who she was and the struggles she endured.

"What Fresh Hell is This" was recommended to me by a co-worker. I found it to be a very easy read about a woman about whom we don't know much. It's at times touching--stories of her multiple suicide attempts; at times juicy--the tales of herself and her many friends like Robert Benchley, and at times, very forthright in letting us know that behind the wit of the Round Table was a woman who had many troubles in her life, but still manages to plow through. I recommend it to anybody who likes a light read about a lady whose style was anything but light. Five stars! Ron Caldwell

This is one of the most engaging biographies I have ever read. Whether or not you are a Parker fan, this is a fascininating look at her life. I didn't know too much about her life prior to reading Meade's book, other than the common info about her drinking and suicide attempts. Everytime Parker headed for disaster, I wanted to shout "what were you thinking" but then her life wouldn't have been so memorable. This book is also a very interesting look at society and the role of women in publishing in the 1920s-1940s. Reading this biography will give any reader a greater understanding of Parker's work.

Meade's book, obviously the result of years of research, takes the reader behind the public image of Dorothy Parker as just the rapier wit of the Algonquin Round Table to show us the complexity of her life. The joy and the tears are both well presented. This is a great read, even for those who are not familiar with Parker. A remarkable book about a remarkable woman.

Like many of her witty pals at the Algonquin roundtable, Parker is relatively unknown to the general public today. Unlike her contemporaries (and friends) Fitzgerald and Hemingway, she never wrote a novel to insure her immortality. This is sad, but somehow appropriate, because as Meade's excellent biography illustratrates, Dorothy didn't want to live unitl next week, let alone forever. Fortunately, Meade has captured all of the spirit (and most of the quips) of this depressed, funny and above all, complex woman.

I always wanted to learn about Dorothy Parker's claim to fame and this book tells it all. Unraveling the complexities of her life had to be a daunting if not impossible task. Her talent and struggles are very well detailed. When Sam Goldwyn complained that her screen scripts had no happy endings, her answer was that life has no happy endings..... maybe true but she might have liked Marion Meade's portrayal of her. You can draw your own conclusion. It's a good read and very well written.

I am a big fan and was excited to read this book. It was a good read on some days and eye-burningly boring on others. I DO suggest the book but don't feel bad about skipping over parts - you won't miss anything. It could have been 50-80 pages shorter with the same info.