Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin - by Marion Meade (Paperback)

About the Book

The lives and times of four extraordinary writers and personalities of the 1920s: Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Edna Ferber.

Book Synopsis

In her exuberant new work, Marion Meade presents a portrait of four extraordinary writers-Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St.Vincent Millay, and Edna Ferber- whose loves, lives, and literary endeavors embodied the spirit of the 1920s.

These literary heroines did what they wanted and said what they thought, living wholly in the moment. They kicked open the door for twentieth-century women writers and set a new model for every woman trying to juggle the serious issues of economic independence, political power, and sexual freedom. Here are the social and literary triumphs and inevitably the penances paid: crumbled love affairs, abortions, depression, lost beauty, nervous breakdowns, and finally, overdoses and even madness.

A vibrant mixture of literary scholarship, social history, and scandal, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin is a rich evocation of a period that will forever intrigue and captivate us.

From the Back Cover

Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St.Vincent Millay, and Edna Ferber--their loves, lives, and literary endeavors embodied the spirit of the 1920s.
These literary heroines did what they wanted and said what they thought, living wholly in the moment. They kicked open the door for twentieth-century women writers and created a new model for every woman trying to juggle the serious issues of economic independence, political power, and sexual freedom. Here are the social and literary triumphs and inevitably the penances paid: crumbled love affairs, abortions, lost beauty, nervous breakdowns, and, finally, overdoses and even madness.
A sparkling mixture of literary scholarship, social history, and scandal, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin is a rich evocation of a period that will forever intrigue and captivate us.
"Shows why so many young Americans after the '20s wanted to grow up to be writers. Free love! Staying up late! Dancing and drinking! Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber and Zelda Fitzgerald are visited once again, with wonderful results."--The Washington Post (Book World Best Books of 2004)
MARION MEADE is the author of Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? She has also written biographies of Woody Allen, Buster Keaton, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Madame Blavatsky, and Victoria Woodhull, as well as two novels about medieval France. She lives in New York City.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR BOBBED HAIR AND BATHTUB GIN
"Reading Meade's book is like looking at a photo album while listening to a witty insider reminisce about the images. Her writing is bright, her language charged with gritty details . . . gossipy tidbits . . . and accomplished one-liners."-SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Stories like these are what made many of our generation long to be writers. Paris! Greenwich Village! Free love! . . . Glamour, and looks, and the sure sense that if we joined that insouciant fraternity/sorority we'd be better than the rest-so much better." -THE WASHINGTON POST
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