Schonungslos und messerscharf geht Dorothy Parker die Frauen an. Sie erzählt in zahlreichen Kurzgeschichten wie es der holden Weiblichkeit in der Großstadt der 1920er und 30er ergeht.

Es ist immer schwierig, eine Rezension zu einer Kurzgeschichtensammlung zu schreiben. In diesem Fall ist es unmöglich jeder Geschichte an sich gerecht zu werden. Insgesamt werden in "New Yorker Geschichten" dreißig Kurzgeschichten von Dorothy Parker zusammengefasst. Verbindende Thematik dieser Geschichten ist die holde Weiblichkeit, die in vielen Facetten zu tragen kommt.

In erster Linie hat es Dorothy Parker auf die verwöhnten Damen abgesehen. Mit äußerst spitzer Zunge rechnet sie mit den Frauen der New Yorker Gesellschaft ab, die sich mit dem Chamagnerglas in der rechten Hand von einem Herren zum nächsten schwingen, um dem Zwang einer Berufstätigkeit zu entgehen.

Oberflächlich betrachtet könnte man die Autorin fast boshaft nennen, so wie sie das Leben dieser Frauen beschreibt. Allerdings prangert sie die Abhängigkeit der Frauen vom männlichen Geschlecht an. Sie zeigt, wie eingesperrt - egal ob in der Ehe oder in der vom Geliebten finanzierten Wohnung - viele Damen sind.

"Wenn das nicht die Musterfrau gibt! Immer tun, was irgendwer anders will, ob's dir passt oder nicht. Und nie fähig, mal eine eigene Idee auch nur zu murmeln." (S. 155)

Es sind dreißig Geschichten über Geliebte, Ehefrauen und solche, die es werden wollen, schöne Mädchen und gediegene Damen - die von einer Abendveranstaltung zur nächsten hetzen.

Mir haben Dorothy Parkers "New Yorker Geschichten" gut gefallen. Manche Geschichten haben mich mehr inspiriert als andre, was bei diesem Umfang bestimmt der Regel entspricht.

Berührt hat mich, dass die Autorin zeigt, wie sehr Frauen für ihre Unabhängigkeit kämpfen müssen, wie rasch aus einer sanften Liebe Abhängigkeit wird, und wie boshaft das weibliche Geschlecht oft gegenseitig zueinander ist.

Parkers Schreibstil empfinde ich als wohlgeformt, auf elegante Art provokant und manchmal ein bisschen anzüglich. Sie überzeugt durch einen klaren Blick, ihre schneidende Zunge und eine faszinierende Boshaftigkeit, die sie meist durch das Ende der einzelnen Geschichten entschärft. 

Meiner Meinung nach hat Dorothy Parker eine Sammlung vollendeter Boshaftigkeit geschaffen, die mit den Frauen abrechnet und den Männern die Rechnung präsentiert.

„New Yorker Geschichten“ ist für Leser, die sich für Frauen der gehobeneren Gesellschaft der 1920er- und 30er-Jahre interessieren und Feminismus auf boshaft-elegantem Niveau erlesen wollen.

Halley’s Casino is a good action and adventure book. It got some historical fiction with science fiction with the time travel. I liked it. It kept you guessing and entertained. I loved the fact that you get to time travel by going back though earth history.

 

The author does a wonderful job. I like that Nebula Yorker is the problem solver. Is Halley a Comet or is it an Intergalactic Casino? We see what Rome looks like at 12 BCE? Who is Nebula Parents? You find all kinds of surprises and twists along the way. I enjoyed the plot.

 

Will Neb save earth or will not? It adventures of a lifetime. Find out by reading. This book has a few stories and adventures waiting from beginning to end. Is the world as we see it or his it something we never imagined?

Up til this point, I could most likely count the number of biographies written for children that I've read. Actually I could probably count how many biographies in total I've ever read because I have to admit biographies in general not my favorite genre. However, there are always exceptions and every now and again there are people who I find intriguing enough to seek out more information about them. Last year I read My Ears Are Bent which included different excerpts from The New Yorker along with background on the magazine itself. I discovered from this book just how much of the writing was done by E.B. White. (You might recognize him from such things as Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web.) This piqued my interest in White but I had so many other things on my TRL that I somewhat forgot about him until I saw Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet pop up as a recommended read. I think E.B. White would have heartily approved of this biography even though he was an intensely private, low-key individual. This book delivered not only on giving me the biography that I was looking for but also offering up beautiful mixed media layouts which make it more accessible to children.  His approach to writing and his proliferation of works is fascinating and astonishing. Sweet manages to educate the reader about his works but she also manages to paint a portrait of a writer that was passionate about his craft, his family, and his farm. She does this almost from the start. This book is great if you want to learn more about E.B. White yourself or if you want to introduce your kids to biographies. It's easily accessible and the layout is beautiful. Quick, fun read that I'd recommend for reluctant biography readers (like myself). 10/10

 

To give you a taste of what I mean about the mixed media approach:

 

Source: NPR

Source: NPR

 

What's Up Next: Brian Selznick Masterpost including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Marvels, and Wonderstruck

 

What I'm Currently Reading: Alice by Christina Henry

Remembrance of Blue Roses - Yorker Keith I had insomnia & stayed up most of the night reading a couple of books.
I'm very glad that I decided to read this one . Very touching & moving.
I really wish I was capable of writing a decent review.
I typically only leave stars because I feel I cannot come up with the words needed to adequately describe how much I enjoyed a book.
This is one book I enjoyed enough to leave a very heartfelt, yet awkward review.

Nate And The New Yorker - Kevin Klehr Book – Nate and the New Yorker
Author – Kevin Klehr
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 87

Cover – Very nice!
POV – 1st person, past tense
Would I read it again – Yes!

Genre – LGBT, Cross-dressing, Contemporary, a sprinkle of paranormal


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **


Blind-sighted. That's the only way I can explain what just happened to me. I mean...holy cow!

First off, let me just say that I'm writing this immediately after completing the book and I'm still a little speechless. This story began in such a fun, lighthearted manner that I really expected some cute little rom-com story. What I got was a sucker punch to the gut halfway through, that left me in tears and wondering if I'd ever be able to stop thinking about this story.

I loved Nate, as a main character. I loved being in his head, with his feisty nature and his need for independence. I wasn't sure about Elliot at first, but then I grew to love him so much that he may just have stolen the show for me. I mean, his scenes with Nate frequently left me in tears.
I liked the minor characters, Ben and ??, Roger, Rowena and Cameron's aunt.
However, as a love interest, it took some time to warm up to Cameron. He just wasn't what I'd expected, though I do love the way that his relationship with Nate progressed. It was far from perfect, with a lot of unsure moments which then slowly grew and grew naturally. There was no insta-love here, just two guys taking a chance with each other, to see how it panned out.
For me, Cameron came off supremely clingy, strangely possessive and a little dismissive of Nate's feelings in the beginning. I'm pretty sure that's how he was supposed to come off (I think!), so that we'd see he was this spoiled little rich boy, expecting everything his own way. What I really loved was the way Nate fought back. Every time I got indignant about what Cameron was saying or implying, Nate stood up for himself and tried to broaden Cameron's mind. That was fantastic.

Personally, the most powerful moment was symbolised with my favourite quote, shown below. It was the pinnacle moment of the story, where everything fell into place and Nate finally made sense as a person and as a character.

Overall, a surprisingly touching rom-com, with enough giggles to get you through, until the tears take over. Great writing, great plot and some fantastic characters. There wasn't anything I didn't like.

~

Favourite Quote

““For not being Elliot.””

And, no, I won't explain what it means. Go buy yourself a copy! Find out for yourself.