Jennifer M. (Kaydence) reviewed Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953 on + 380 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Summary:
This book gives a week by week chronicle of Sylvia Plath's life for one month as she begins her internship at Mademoiselle magazine. Along with a group of girls, she is given a very small salary to do copy for the magazine, put up in the Barbizon Hotel in New York, and invited to several New York society social events. Plath dresses up, focuses upon fashion and glamor, and has a cocktail or two. Being her first out of college experience, she is a mode of exploration and indulgence, with some self reflection thrown in. She completes very little writing during this time of her life, so most of what has been used within this story is through observation and piecing together quotes. The highlight of the novel is a look at New York and the life of a socialite during this time.
My thoughts:
Although there is a lot about the fluffy side of being a girl, I felt like I was getting to know a young girl with an entire life in front of her. There is a good amount of speculation that this time of Plath's life brought up anxieties that led to later works of creative writing and possible psychological issues. The novel is filled with interview information, drawings, and pictures. I entered the book with the hope to get to know Plath better. That may have happened, but what I really got out of the novel was a better knowledge of New York. All of the research that Winder has completed brought New York in the late 50's to life. Plath could have been any girl during that time period. She doesn't come across all that unique, but the situations that she was placed in are really the gems of the story.
This book gives a week by week chronicle of Sylvia Plath's life for one month as she begins her internship at Mademoiselle magazine. Along with a group of girls, she is given a very small salary to do copy for the magazine, put up in the Barbizon Hotel in New York, and invited to several New York society social events. Plath dresses up, focuses upon fashion and glamor, and has a cocktail or two. Being her first out of college experience, she is a mode of exploration and indulgence, with some self reflection thrown in. She completes very little writing during this time of her life, so most of what has been used within this story is through observation and piecing together quotes. The highlight of the novel is a look at New York and the life of a socialite during this time.
My thoughts:
Although there is a lot about the fluffy side of being a girl, I felt like I was getting to know a young girl with an entire life in front of her. There is a good amount of speculation that this time of Plath's life brought up anxieties that led to later works of creative writing and possible psychological issues. The novel is filled with interview information, drawings, and pictures. I entered the book with the hope to get to know Plath better. That may have happened, but what I really got out of the novel was a better knowledge of New York. All of the research that Winder has completed brought New York in the late 50's to life. Plath could have been any girl during that time period. She doesn't come across all that unique, but the situations that she was placed in are really the gems of the story.
