Listened to in the Ohio>Michigan>Wisconsin>Iowa legs of the camp trip. Delightful. ( )

Dorothy Parker has always been a personal fascination, one evidenced by the myriad collections of her work, biographies, and even a movie starring Jennifer Jason Leigh that grace my bookshelves. So naturally I picked up Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin by Marion Meade, with its arresting title, and promises to be an account of "writers running wild in the twenties".

Though not strictly speaking a scholarly work - the footnotes and liberal use of quotations notwithstanding, it is often difficult to separate accounts from conjecture - this nonetheless provides a detailed, intimate look at the lives of poetess Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, and of course, Dorothy Parker from 1920 to 1930. Those familiar with the Algonquin Round Table will see familiar names pop up, though even I had trouble keeping track of everyone since Meade refers to them mostly by their first names.

This conceit makes sense, as the book reads more like a fiction novel than a biography. Meade is not entirely objective, whether she strove to be or not (it's difficult to tell), and clearly has mixed feelings about some of her subjects while clearly adoring others. The quotes and writing are superb, with just the amount of caustic wit and unbridled charisma that draws readers to read about these extraordinary writers and their extraordinary lives in the first place. While there are successes, this is a highly private look: the tragedies, the setbacks, and the behind-closed-doors and private letters type of information, without ever resorting to scandalous gossip or unverified rumors the type tabloids live on. She treats the ones she likes with dignity, though a few telltale tidbits slip out that point to her feelings toward what could euphemistically be called "bad behavior". That said, I realized about halfway through that something was bothering me - namely, the absolute erasure of any evidence that Edna St. Vincent Millay was queer. There may have been a fleeting mention, but it was quickly swept under the rug. While it may have been an oversight or simply left on the cutting room floor since it didn't fit into Meade's narrative, it felt uncomfortably close to queer erasure.

Despite that, if you're not looking for a source for a textbook, but instead interested in a period of time that can never be repeated but only imagined, this is your book. ( )

Such an immensely readable book. Really enjoyed it ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I was, likely, predisposed to since I came to it with a long-time interest in the period (Roaring 20's), in the literature of the times, and it's celebrated authors. I think The Great Gatsby is, perhaps, the finest novel of American Literature and Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald's lives are major portion of the book.

Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin:Writers Running Wild in The Twenties focuses on four "superstar' women from the culture of The Twenties: Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald and Edna Ferber. Well-researched, with extraordinary access to personal diaries and correspondence, plus extensive interviews with descendants, "Bobbed Hair..." puts us inside the daily lives of these four and their fast-living, artistic friends.

Author Marion Meade gives us the real-life story in a novelized fashion that is fun to read. In addition to the four stars, we encounter other major players in business, literature, publishing, the theater and Hollywood. Ernest Hemingway, George Kaufman, Jerome Kern, Sam Harris (George M. Cohan's former partner), Edmund "Bunny" Wilson, Harold Ross, John Dos Passos and on-and-on.

Part social/proto-feminist history, part psychological study of a hard-drinking, non-conformist lifestyle, part literary history of an era, this book touches many genres, and is a respectable addition to all, in my opinion.

A great read! ( )

Marion Meade is also the author of a biography about Dorothy Parker, *What Fresh Hell Is This?*. This was such a fun book. What a shame that I seem to be the only member with this book in her library. I HUGELY recommend this book.

Here's a line taken from random, typical of Meade's writing: "Westport, a peaceable village, characterized by lawn mowers and cocktail shakers."

Meade has written a group biography: she includes Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, and Edna Ferber. You don't have to know a single fact about these women before picking up the book in order to be hugely entertained. Plus you can trust her information. Meade really knows 1920s Manhattan. ( )