Customer Reviews

Manhattan, when I Was Young

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read this book a few years ago and LOVED it tremendously, declaring it my new favorite book, which is why I owe it a (belated) 5-star ranking. If it had been written in the '50s and early '60s - the time span she covers - it would have enjoyed as much or more success as the "single women in the city" books of the late '90s (Bridget, Girl's Guide, Sex in the City). However, written as a memoir it is even more mesmerizing in it's evocation of a heady, romantic time in Manhattan - nothing like the coldness of today's Sex in the City. I particularly loved Cantwell's voice/writing style which is full-bodied in a light-handed way - with such great observations of detail and dialogue and the culture of that time, against a great backdrop of fashion and manhattan brownstones. It has the intelligence I wish more of today's books which profile young women would have.

First of all, this book has the best title in the world, bar none. More importantly, Cantwell writes about hard times without being even remotely self-pitying or tedious, and that's no mean accomplishment. Manhattan, When I Was Young is an absorbing, evocative valentine to being young and confused in New York City. It's also beautifully written and extremely entertaining.

Mary Cantwell takes you on a wonderful journey through her life in the 50's and 60's from single girl to a divorced mother working as a magazine editor. With us she shares the good times, as well as her tough times which makes for a fabulous life and all that she has accomplished for herself and her children........

Mary Cantwell's Manhattan is vibrant and colorful. She approaches the city with generous admiration and honest trepidation. If you've lived there, her experience will immediately resonate with your own. A must read for stylish and sophisticated New Yorkers or those who aspire to be!

I loved this very memorable memoir. It provides a window into an interesting world in language that sings with truth and clarity. The author is so honest and forthright that one can't help but feel drawn in and compassionate for her. There is no place like New York and this book takes you there during the 50's and 60's, certainly an interesting time. Highly recommend it, I think women and men who were raising children during this time would particularly enjoy it. A friend in publishing in New York commented that what is really scary is that nothing has changed.

This book operates on many levels. It tells the story of a young woman from a repressive background who learns to be herself -- and stand on her own -- through her 20's and 30's... It describes the New York publishing world, particularly fashion, at a time when what Vogue said, went... It stars HER New York, before SoHo and Greenwich Village had descended into urban shopping malls... And it's a picture of how all these things change against the certainties of the 50's and the turmoil of the 60's.
Ms. Cantwell tells her story with simple, crisp images and acute turns of phrase.

One of my favorite books this year.

I read this book a number of years ago and thought it was wonderful. She very affectionately recalls the dreams of glamor from her youth and reflects in a clear-eyed way on how she became sadder and wiser. I think anyone who's dreamed of a career in publishing and labored in obscurity may find someone they recognize here. I wish I could remember more bits now to entice readers, but oh well ... I suggest some book groups out there that have grown a bit weary of exotic tales and flamboyant self-referential authors take it on. They should. We're in a season when we seek warmth and charity, and the author has a lot of both in her memoir.

This book has so many layers. One that intrigued me was Mary Cantwell's recollection of mistreatment by the medical world. The order of the day was that women were kooky and needed to be medicated, and doctors should be paternalistic. The choices were frightening: amphetamines for depression, contraceptives for thinness/maybe an eating disorder. It appalled me tha Ms. Cantwell suffered for months with "infertility" because her obstetrician neglected to tell her she was taking a contraceptive. The fad of the era was prolonged Freudian psychoanalysis with no forseeable end. Contrast that to the current managed care psychiatric environment where you must become well after ten visits. I hope we're doing better than that now

At times my heart goes out to the author; other times she angers me. She is insecure and lacks self-confidence: early on, her world revolves around her husband and she doesn't make a move without his "seal of approval." On the other hand, back in the late 50's and early 60's, when many women stayed home, she worked, not for money, but rather for self-gratification. She and her husband have a "loveless" marriage, yet she is clearly racked with guilt at the thought of divorcing him.

Perhaps what bothers me so much is how true it still rings today. So many women, in spite of successful professional careers, continue to struggle with feelings of guilt for leaving children home with the baby sitter, for being "bad" wives, etc. How sad!

This book is a completely dull, self indulgent utter waste of time and money, even if you "got it for a penny". Not once does this woman go through anything even vaguely resembling struggle or personal growth.
Her "memories" consist of name dropping and the brand names of assorted knick-knacks that decorate the various apartments in which she lives.

There is nothing remotely interesting about this book or this woman, and she does NOT bring New York to life.

Save your money.