Dorothy Parker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Name Dropper

there was not much of a story. it was similar to reading a Wikipedia entry