Sintesi dell'editore
In this lively, absorbing biography, Marion Meade illuminates both the dark side of Parker and her days of wicked wittiness at the Algonquin Round Table and in Hollywood.
Altri titoli dello stesso
Cosa pensano gli ascoltatori di Dorothy Parker
Recensioni - seleziona qui sotto per cambiare la provenienza delle recensioni.
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Generale
- h and l
- 05/01/2010
heartbreaking and hilarious
the writer did a great job of capturing the dry caustic wit of parker, and all that it cost her through the years of her life. sometimes this audio book was laugh-out loud hilarious, as the writer sprinkled the text with actual quotes from parker, and sometimes heartbreaking as her life fell apart again and again, only to be remade with style and courage and too much to drink.
the reader gives it a very sympathetic voice and at the end of the book her voice matched my emotion perfectly, which was satisfying.
i first loved parker´s short stories, then her poetry, and now her biography. i wish audibles had many other biographies of writers from the 20th century. glad they have this one ! i highly recommend it.
21 people found this helpful
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- bookbug
- 13/06/2012
Witty, informative biography
In spite of Dorothy Parker's sad, tragic life, her point of view gives a cynical, humorous twist to all the tragedies she encounters. I've heard this book many times and I always enjoy it because of Dorothy's complexity (insanity?) and the people she knew: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Gerald and Sara Murphy, and, of course, the Algonquin Round Table (Robert Benchley, Alexander Woolcutt, etc.). Dorothy's sarcastic quips are a quick relief from the heartbreaking choices she makes as a pre-feminist writer: hiding her Jewish background, selecting handsome (gay?) men that she emasculates, attempting suicide several times, embracing the fast life of NYC and Hollywood, naively supporting Communistic causes, and failing to complete a long-awaited book. However, Dorothy Parker's short stories and poetry are still relevant today, especially for feminists and literature lovers. Narration is fine, but a couple of phrases like "turn over the tape for side 2" can be jarring. I hope you enjoy this audiobook. I did and still do.
7 people found this helpful
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- isabelle
- 31/03/2015
Interesting read
Good narration but at some basic mispronunciation even Ms. Parker would have blanched. Otherwise, the timbre suited the theme and the writing was interesting. Clearly the research for the book was in depth.
3 people found this helpful
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- Audio Diva
- 29/04/2016
Dorothy Parker is Brilliant! What a quick wit!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes! If you are interested in literary history and the people who's talent made it so wonderful, this is a book to read.
What did you like best about this story?
The stories of the Algonquin Round Table and the brilliant and talented minds that sat around it.
What about Grace Conlin’s performance did you like?
She made Dorothy come alive!
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed out loud at times. There will never be another like Dorothy Parker.
Any additional comments?
I loved this book and I've listened to it a total of 3 times.Wish I could have met the woman.
2 people found this helpful
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- Edie
- 01/10/2011
Good bio, but I didn't care for the narrator
The author succeeds in creating empathy for Dorothy Parker, a very talented but very troubled woman. Her career spans four decades of American history, including the Jazz Age, the War Years and the McCarthy Era, and her life intersects with many other famous American authors. However, the narrator sounds rather bored and snobbish, and pauses often. Increasing the speed helped somewhat.
2 people found this helpful
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- Gerald
- 25/09/2015
Delightful!
Any additional comments?
What a joy to listen to! The narrator was excellent. The book was as witty and clever as Dorothy Parker herself.
1 person found this helpful
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- Louisiana Gal
- 21/06/2011
HUH!
Witty, Clever, Fascinating, Funny, Intelligent, Complicated... I could go on and on - these are some of the things that Dorothy was - and all the things that this book isn't.
How does someone write so unemotionally and without any sympatico for her subject?
I was looking for more - I was sadly disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
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- mel
- 13/10/2019
Name Dropper
there was not much of a story. it was similar to reading a Wikipedia entry
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- Peter
- 01/03/2011
Great biography, poorly executed!
This biography of Dorothy Parker by Marion Meade is a wonderful work. Parker never wanted a biography written during her life or after her death in the first place and though there is an earlier bio, that one only follows Parkers life (which is interesting enough). Mead?s book combines Parker?s life with her literary output in great detail and is often as funny as the literary lady her herself. If you want to read a very good biography of one of the literary greats of American poetry and short story, look no further. Meade did a lot of research on especially the early and later years of Parker and is a kind of expert on Parkers work, she did the introduction of The Portable Dorothy Parker and also wrote Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin (three writers of the Jazz Age) and contributed to A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York, a wonderful photo book and a guide for all Parker fans.
Unfortunately the audio book doesn?t really live up to this. The reader has no feeling or instinct for the wit and irony of both Dorothy Parker and Marion Meade and reads so businesslike she could be reading the minutes of some boring board meeting. Second, nobody at Audible took the trouble to edit the original recording, so frequently the reading is interrupted by ?You have reached the end of this cassette (?!), please continue on the other side?. Very sloppy of Audible and very irritating during a 17 hour read of a marvellous biography.
So 5 stars for the book and 1 star for the recording. A poor job and a missed opportunity.
4 people found this helpful
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- Julia Bonner
- 26/09/2019
Fascinating
An insightful account of a type of personality that just doesn’t seem to exist anymore - warts and all. I found this book informative and exposing but I still feel I have more to learn about the kind of person Parker was. This is due to Parker, not the author.
1 person found this helpful
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- emily anne
- 29/03/2021
Read for research & got really involved
For me, this book started with the subtitle: ‘What fresh hell is this?’ I was researching the origin of this line & it led me to Dorothy & Meade’s book. There’s something really touching and tough about Parker & her life, her relationships with writing, men, friends, alcohol & politics were both fascinating & frustrating to hear. Well worth the time