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Sharp Michelle Dean Books

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Sharp Michelle Dean Books

Author Michelle Dean could herself be the 11th entrant in this book of ten ‘sharp’ women writers of the last century. Her erudition, insight, and synthesizing acumen make the book both an education and a delight.

Part biography, part literary criticism, part social history (with more than a dollop of well documented gossip), Ms. Dean weaves together differing and at times prickly threads (uh, think Hannah Arendt and Pauline Kael) into a coherent and engaging narrative.

I wanted to read Sharp because (shame on me) although I recognize all the names here, I knew little of the ten writers profiled (make that eleven if you count a short chapter - short shrift? - on Zora Neale Hurston). True, if I was really motivated I could have read the wikipedia articles and surfed the web, but Ms. Dean’s book held out the promise of a comprehensive overview coming from an an informed and engaged writer who has spend some time with her topic.

I wasn’t disappointed. I learned enough to whet my appetite, and I plan to read both Mary McCarthy and Joan Didion for sure. That Ms. Dean brings together a bit of cultural history and the feel of the times adds an invaluable context for her subjects.

I am not sure I buy the feminist angle - and neither did some of these writers - but happily it is applied with a lighter than usual touch. All of the 10 are most worthy and all achieved more than a modicum of success.

True, at times Ms. Dean’s narrative becomes embroiled in long past literary feuds which were of interest only to an in-crowd even then, and some of the presumed significance of the New York literary scene itself is excessively reverential, nevertheless there is not a lot to skip over here.

I hope Ms. Dean is not offended when I say her book is a great place to start for those coming to these authors for the first time. No previous knowledge is needed, no critical background, just a willingness to learn about some great writers and their work.

Let me end with a personal preference for the sharpest of the sharp: Dorothy Parker. The oldest of the ten, and the one with the least formal education (she never finished high school). Maybe she didn’t deal with the big issues but she sure had the keenest of insights. Yup, a lot of her work is dated and much of her light verse is dead on the page. But when she was good, she was very, very good. So good that when Ms. Dean quotes a picture caption written for Vogue at the beginning of Parker’s career, the wit is piercing and still hysterically funny.


Tags : Amazon.com: Sharp (9780802129246): Michelle Dean: Books,Michelle Dean,Sharp,Grove Press,0802129242,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Literary Figures,Biography & AutobiographyLiterary Figures,FEMINISM,Fiction,GENERAL,General Adult,LITERARY COLLECTIONS Women Authors,Literary CriticismAmerican - General,LiteratureClassics,SOCIAL SCIENCE Women's Studies,Social ScienceWomen's Studies,WOMEN - 20TH CENTURY HISTORY,WOMEN AS AUTHORS,Women's Studies

Sharp Michelle Dean Books Reviews

No podía dejar de pensar, mientras leí este fascinante estudio sobre escritoras grandiosas, todo lo que perdimos en Noviembre del 2016.
The book starts out a bit slow; the first chapter reads as though there will be separate chapters for each woman. After that, however, the author illustrates the interactions, positive and negative, among them. Lots of interesting facts about them all. A very good read for anyone interested in the literary women of recent times.
Insightful, inspiring, ascerbic - highly recommend.
My friend loved it!
I wanted to like this book, but didn't. Our book club chose it for our June book. We all decided the author didn't care for her subjects or chose to portray them in the worst light possible.
Well written and enjoyable read.
My 3-star review is perhaps random because I ended up picking and choosing which chapters I wanted to read. I was more interested in some of the women over others. But I love the research that went into each chapter, the pulling of them all together...bravo. I never would have known what I know now about the fabulous women portrayed in this book.
Author Michelle Dean could herself be the 11th entrant in this book of ten ‘sharp’ women writers of the last century. Her erudition, insight, and synthesizing acumen make the book both an education and a delight.

Part biography, part literary criticism, part social history (with more than a dollop of well documented gossip), Ms. Dean weaves together differing and at times prickly threads (uh, think Hannah Arendt and Pauline Kael) into a coherent and engaging narrative.

I wanted to read Sharp because (shame on me) although I recognize all the names here, I knew little of the ten writers profiled (make that eleven if you count a short chapter - short shrift? - on Zora Neale Hurston). True, if I was really motivated I could have read the wikipedia articles and surfed the web, but Ms. Dean’s book held out the promise of a comprehensive overview coming from an an informed and engaged writer who has spend some time with her topic.

I wasn’t disappointed. I learned enough to whet my appetite, and I plan to read both Mary McCarthy and Joan Didion for sure. That Ms. Dean brings together a bit of cultural history and the feel of the times adds an invaluable context for her subjects.

I am not sure I buy the feminist angle - and neither did some of these writers - but happily it is applied with a lighter than usual touch. All of the 10 are most worthy and all achieved more than a modicum of success.

True, at times Ms. Dean’s narrative becomes embroiled in long past literary feuds which were of interest only to an in-crowd even then, and some of the presumed significance of the New York literary scene itself is excessively reverential, nevertheless there is not a lot to skip over here.

I hope Ms. Dean is not offended when I say her book is a great place to start for those coming to these authors for the first time. No previous knowledge is needed, no critical background, just a willingness to learn about some great writers and their work.

Let me end with a personal preference for the sharpest of the sharp Dorothy Parker. The oldest of the ten, and the one with the least formal education (she never finished high school). Maybe she didn’t deal with the big issues but she sure had the keenest of insights. Yup, a lot of her work is dated and much of her light verse is dead on the page. But when she was good, she was very, very good. So good that when Ms. Dean quotes a picture caption written for Vogue at the beginning of Parker’s career, the wit is piercing and still hysterically funny.