I found this book to be quite fascinating. It included stories about the hotel and it's history, as well as many of its' famous residents throughout its' long existence. At times, it delved into stories more about Mademoiselle magazine and the guest editor program, which brought many of these young ladies to The Barbizon. The end chapter touched on the current-day incarnation of the building. This is a nice book for those who like to learn about more recent pop-culture history.

I really loved the premise of this novel and wanted to learn about The Barbizon. The first half of the book was fantastic, the second half not so much. I started to lose interest about halfway through.

The Barbizon is a treasure of a book. I've always been fascinated by tales of this icon of pre-feminism, real-world women's life, yet wasn't surprised to read here that feminism was practically born in the Barbizon. It was the original safe zone for women. Recommended for any readers--especially any young women--who think that their great-grandmothers' lives were all spent baking cookies, or becoming secretaries who worked only to find husbands. Loved the glamour as well as the tragedy.

This review is of a paper copy I bought after I accidentally let the Net Galley copy archive.

Ooh time goes by and if i don't write the review right away...sigh. I'm trying to be better. The best i can do right now is give a star count...

Oh how i wish i could live at the Barbizon...

Award winning author #Paulina Bren's novel # The Barbizon has wonderful history. New York's most famous residential hotel for women designed for women with artistic aspirations. Women who stayed there, including Grace Kelly, Joan Dion, and Sylvia Plath.
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Paulina Bren, and # Simon & Schuster 💜🐾🐾

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This was a history of the Barbizon hotel that was way more fascinating than it sounds.

I was hoping to read more about the celebrities that stayed at the Barbizon hotel and their lifestyles at that time. I expected this book to be more about the occupants, but found it rather wordy and not as interesting as I had hoped.

This fabulous history of New York City’s famous Barbizon Hotel follows it from its construction through its conversion to luxury condominiums, focusing primarily on some of its most famous residents, including the unsinkable Molly Brown, Sylvia Plath, and Grace Kelly. However, it is as much a history of Manhattan and independent women as it is a history of the building.

The author admits the scarcity of archival material, which is perhaps why she focuses so much on Mademoiselle’s Guest Editor program, which counts Sylvia Plath as most famous alum (along with Ali McGraw). It’s fascinating to witness the different stages of Nee York’s history, through its halcyon days of the mid-twentieth century, decline in the 1970s, excess of the 1980s, to its pre-pandemic status as a tourist destination. Other landmarks are also treated in the book. It is a must-read for anyone interested in women’s history or the history of New York City. Although there are relatively few photographs, those included are stunning. #TheBarbizon #NetGalley

While there are:many interesting stories, details, commentary of the various decades of the Barbizon’s existence, it is overly long, repetitive and in need of some serious editing.

This was an interesting look at the famous Barbizon hotel which shaped so much New York history in the early 20th century. I enjoyed the early chapters focusing on the hotel’s origins. The later chapters which told the stories of two of its most famous residents didn’t hold my attention as well. Overall it was a very detailed account for those interested in the city’s history.

This was a great book. I love this period in history and reading this book made me feel like I was stepping back in time. I highly recommend this book.

Publisher's intro:

"WELCOME TO NEW YORK’S LEGENDARY HOTEL FOR WOMEN

Liberated from home and hearth by World War I, politically enfranchised and ready to work, women arrived to take their place in the dazzling new skyscrapers of Manhattan. But they did not want to stay in uncomfortable boarding houses. They wanted what men already had—exclusive residential hotels with daily maid service, cultural programs, workout rooms, and private dining.

Built in 1927 at the height of the Roaring Twenties, the Barbizon Hotel was intended as a safe haven for the “Modern Woman” seeking a career in the arts. It became the place to stay for any ambitious young woman hoping for fame and fortune. "


Growing up in New York I had heard of the Barbizon. Having read Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, I knew that The Amazon was in honor of The Barbizon. So, you can imagine my excitement when I was approved for this book!

Honestly, I had no idea how many famous people had resided at the all-women's hotel, or how long the hotel had been around.. I had always thought it stopped being an all-women's hotel in the '40s. So, I was pleasantly surprised by how long the hotel had resided in New York and the history it contained.

Paulina Bren's research, her entertaining writing kept me interested in learning about the people of The Barbizon and the history of the early 1920s New York until the '80s. I've read some historical writings where it the books were so mundane with the "who's who" of a place that you just stop reading, but The Barbizon was not that book and I am thrilled it wasn't. I wanted to learn more about its fascinating history.

It's the Roaring '20s. The years of freedom for women! The idea of an all-women's hotel at the time of the first wave of female independence seems to me to be a little ironic, only because women weren't trusted to use their own common sense when it came to parents letting their daughters leave the nest and go out into the world to work. These parents thinking their daughters would fall prey to conniving men seems to be a lack of education from them to their daughters. Although The Barbizon gave these girls/women a place to go and live in New York with the "babysitting" of a house-mom and I am grateful for that, I wonder how much more independent and successful these ladies would've been had they had to learn from the experience of being out on their own completely, vs, being guarded as they were by hotel rules?

The greatest thing about The Barbizon is the idea that for the first time, the women had what the men had, a place to stay that was all their own, freer than say a boarding house stay. They learned to budget their money for food, rent, and miscellaneous items that were needed to live on their own. The friendships they made while staying at The Barbizon let them know they weren't alone in their drive for being more than what society wanted them to be. We all need friends like that.

I appreciate the women who did go out on their own, show the world that it was okay to be single and not have to rush to marriage, and I am sure it was frustrating for those same women to notice that as the years went on women continued to be hampered by being pushed to get married, to give up their work, go back to the kitchens of the '50s. The Barbizon made me realize how strong you had to be to push back and continue to be out on your own when the world told you that your place belonged with someone else and not your own individuality.

Paulina Bren kept me wanting to learn more, to find out who these women that stayed at The Barbizon, worked at Ford's Modeling, went to work for the summer at Mademoiselle magazine, and learned to be a secretary at Katherine Gibb's secretarial school. I was fascinated by "The Women" those who stayed longer into their maturity or went to The Barbizon as an older woman, like Molly Brown. I am sure it kept the older women more youthful to be around the young ladies who were sent to New York to learn a trade, to refine themselves, and to become the person they were meant to be before getting married and running a household, or finally find the answer to their dream of becoming an artist, a musician, an actress, a writer, a famous model, or even the dream of just living life to your fullest on your own terms!

They couldn't all be Grace Kelly become a famous actress and then a princess, but they could be the person they dream to be and The Barbizon helped them do that!

Thank you, NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Paulina Bren for the opportunity to learn about this magnificent hotel and the history surrounding it so I can share it with my readers, and followers in exchange for an honest review.

** I'm curious to find out why Ms. Bren decided to tell the story of The Barbizon, after all, it has been decades and no one had up until now.
I am so glad she did!

An ambitious mid-twentieth century woman “ready to remake herself, to start an entirely new life,” might dream of traveling to New York. In an era when young unmarried women couldn’t get credit cards, stay out past curfew, or acquire birth control, this “new” American woman “had taken her fate into her own hands” and had sought out opportunities the big city could provide. While she was in New York, she might have found herself living at the Barbizon, a residential hotel catering specifically to upper- and middle-class single women.

In The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free, Paulina Bren examines the hotel and its residents, narrating a “forgotten story of women’s ambition.”

COMPLETE REVIEW FORTHCOMING in The Women's Review of Books.

3.5 stars

This is an extremely readable and exhaustively researched book about the Barbizon residential hotel for women in New York City. If that sounds like it might not be a broad enough subject for an entire book, there is truth in that, but the Barbizon really symbolizes the complexity, confusion and hypocrisy of life for many women in 20th century America.

Built in 1927, the hotel provided a safe haven for young women teeming into the Big Apple to learn careers, flee small town life, and experience independence. Vastly anecdotal and downright gossipy in tone, the book captures the conundrum of pre-Feminine Mystique, post flapper womanhood. Is it all encompassing? No, admittedly these are mostly middle to upper class white women.

The Barbizon represented the illusion of freedom for many. It had many famous residents and indulges in a lot of interesting name-dropping, from Grace Kelly to Sylvia Plath to Joan Didion. There is a lot of information about the publishing industry and Mademoiselle magazine in particular, since they housed their illustrious guest editors there. Forthrightly feminist, the book charts the double standard for women, the lack of meaningful employment for the bright young women, and the unwavering assumption that all women should be channeled into marriage and motherhood regardless of their feelings. Particularly through the experiences of Sylvia Plath, the mental health costs of these attitudes is discussed.

An interesting story about an almost mythical building, and a good summary of women's issues from the 20th century. I did find it odd in such a book that there were frequent mentions of the (often unattractive) physical appearances of many women. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a quick and light read relative to most nonfiction, but a delight nonetheless.

If you read a lot of Manhattan history or mid century historical fiction, much of this won’t be new to you, but it’s rife with more esoteric anecdotal information for those already somewhat informed on the topic and hits the basics for those who are new to the history of the Barbizon.

As someone who was woefully undereducated on the early life of Sylvia Plath prior to reading this, I greatly appreciated this snapshot of her life.

Equally interesting are some of the non-big name women who lived in the Barbizon who haven’t seen as much attention in other glimpses into life at the hotel.

There’s plenty of good historical fiction that touches on the topic (particularly Fiona Davis’ The Dollhouse), but Bren’s account is at once detailed and well-researched but also narrative-driven in the sense that it makes you feel like you’re reading a novel.

A must for fans of day-in-the-life style history, NYC history, mid-century culture enthusiasts.

A very well researched history of a women's hotel that was truly remarkable. It was fascinating reading about some of the women who stayed there over the decades it was in operation. Shared history with Mademoiselle magazine, as they housed their guest editors there every June. Very interesting association with Gibbs business school that taught many women skills to get office jobs and with different modeling agencies that employed so many of the women. Built to give women a safe place to stay, it kept men limited to the lobby with a vigilant doorman and desk clerks keeping tabs on guests. Really interesting!
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

Growing up in Central New York in the late 60's, early 70's. The word Barbizon led to thoughts of glamour and excitement. A life that I wanted to be a part of. So I was extremely excited to find a book that detailed the long and varied history of the world of the Barbizon. I don't know what I was expecting, however, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. True, it was a little long and at times a little heavy going. But the stories and legends surrounding The Barbizon were worth the time and effort. Paulina Bren was meticulous in her study of the subject and i will be interested in reading more of her in future.

The Barbizon is well worth the time and was a pleasure to read/ I would recommend it hardily.

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this wonderful book.

The Barbizon
by Paulina Bren

History sits within the walls and rooms of the building at 140 East 63rd Street, Manhattan, New York. The Barbizon Hotel for Women as originally envisioned was an institution for single women only, a goal, a hub, a conspicuous start. Built in 1927 as an answer to the question of what to do with the many “new” single girls – women who wanted more than a man, marriage and babies. For many it was a launching pad, home base, and a staging area for the future. For some it was the very last deadline, the end, and final fizzle. Others were just passing through, on their way to someplace unlimited by an urban framed view. Some stayed forever. Some called it a mistake and quickly fled.

This read was a Who’s Who starting even before the actual building came to be, and through to this very day – all the famous, influential women who enjoyed the attention of the applicant reviewers who ensured that all those hundreds of rooms were peopled with the Right Kind of People. I enjoyed meeting them all, seeing who complied, who didn’t, who loved it, who didn’t, and then the changes that come with time, both in tangible and non-tangible aspects.

I’m always looking for new reads, and because this property lent itself to the writing community, it was fun to be able to read of an author’s life before they knew they were an author. . .a pre-authorial existence is often filled with informative hijinks, and what better time than that of newly minted independents in a city far from home? Needless to say, my TBR list grew as the pages turned. Other birds from the fashion, modeling, publishing, theater, arts, Hollywood, and journalism flocked to this famous address as well.

This was a very satisfying read – many names were dropped, over many years, NYC history and the changes the property has gone through. Filled with tried and tested tenants who came for skill building and to face challenges, also discovered were social surprises of every stripe, evolving feminism, career building with a wary eye on that glass ceiling, along with expectations and an appreciation of how far opportunity goes, and the power of stubborn limitations that remain.

There’s a certain type who will definitely find this book intriguing. If you don’t know if that’s you. . .crack it open anyway.

A Sincere Thanks to Paulina Bren, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

The Barbizon was an immensely enjoyable read. This book chronicles the amazing history and glamour of the hotel that was a beacon for women throughout the 20th century. The author does a wonderful job of including facts with little tidbits of information that you wouldn’t find anywhere except from guests who stayed in the hotel themselves. I feel like I learned so much reading this book and truly appreciated how well it was written. I definitely recommend it for fans of non-fiction, but also for those wanting to take a trip down memory lane and learn about a bygone era.

As a woman in her 60’s, I found this book most timely and interesting. When deciding to live in New York City in the 1970’s I actually thought about the
Bar bizon. Interestingly enough, my daughter lives on East 63rd St now
What an interesting timely read.