A gossipy, entertaining peek into a glam world.
After giving the inside scoop on life in the Hamptons in Philistines at the Hedgerow (1998), Gaines now offers a cook’s tour of tony Manhattan addresses.
Gaines’s primary interest lies in the apartments that line Fifth Avenue, the so-called “best addresses.” Historically, these homes have housed the bastion of Society: those listed in the Social Register, those who might populate an Edith Wharton novel. Turning his attentions to the complex etiquette that governs posh Manhattan real estate, the author reminds us that the prestigious San Remo turned away Madonna in 1985; they worried that her recent photo shoots in Playboy and Penthouse would reflect badly on the building. Barbra Streisand was rejected by another Fifth Avenue co-op board because the residents thought that she’d host too many parties. In this neighborhood, it makes news when Tommy Hilfiger is allowed to buy into 829 Fifth Avenue. After all, his money is not only new, it was made selling urban gangsta clothes to teenagers—how déclassé! Gaines introduces readers to the powerful personalities behind the scenes of New York real estate. The most entertaining chapter features Linda Stein, so-called “broker to the stars,” who represents the likes of Donna Karan. We also meet Alice Mason, a real estate mogul whose 60-person dinner parties are legendary, and 78-year-old Betty Sherrill, a dowager who rules the roost at One Sutton Place South. Sherrill is chair of the building’s board of directors; thanks to her sharp eye, the board is known as “one of the most difficult” in New York. (For example, Sherrill tends to turn down singletons—overnight guests might tarnish the building’s reputation—but made an exception for Bill Blass.) Those with new money need not despair. Real estate done by the social register, Gaines implies, may be a thing of the past. His last chapter focuses on a new breed of Manhattan brokers, those who are solely interested in racking up sales.
A gossipy, entertaining peek into a glam world.Pub Date: June 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-316-60851-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2005
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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