The Glam!

The Barbizon, by Paulina Bren, is a very accessible book that lets the reader into a very glamorous world!

Oh, I would have loved living there! But the author is very frank in her history and in the early days of The Barbizon’s glory, it was exclusively white – with no place for me lol. The author does tell us a little bit about the very first African American woman who was allowed to stay there – and what a strange experience it must have been for her!

The book focuses more on some of the most famous (and iconic) residents, all while giving us a glimpse into the history and culture of America and how The Barbizon played a role. It’s definitely a story of glamour, but it’s also a story of feminism and independence and of a place that gave women a footing to fight for what they wanted.

I also loved the photos interspersed in the book, though I’d love to have seen even more!

This was a wonderful escape of a read – a bit of time travel into days gone by.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I love this book. It has so many historical facts about the Barbizon Hotel as well as the women who stayed there. So many women that you will recognize – famous and not so renowned stayed at the Barbizon Hotel. The historical facts of NYC are also fascinating. The author, Pauline Bren, does a fantastic job taking you along through the years and the customs. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history and Nw York City.

The Barbizon is a Hotel that was made for only women. At the time there were places where men could go that only allowed men. Now the Barbizon only allowed women. Most of the women were young looking for careers. Models, secretaries, movie, journalists, authors and more with these dreams passed through the Barbizon doors. Some accomplished their dreams some did not.
This book tells the history of this Hotel, and the people that stayed there.

It’s always fun to be able to peek into the lives of other people both famous and not so famous. This work lets us see into the daily goings on of women during a time of wonder and happenings. Lots of research went into this! You will be amazed by the familiar names that pop up. Enjoy the NY history and the early struggles.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster, and author Paulina Bren for this advanced copy

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. After reading The Doll House by @fionadavis, I have been fascinated by this all-women hotel. Small town girls from all over the country moved to NYC to make it big and the Barbizon is where they stayed. With a low rent, big rules, chaperoned atmosphere, this is the only way women could convince their daddies of this new life. This book is a non-fiction account of this iconic building. Opened in 1927, women were able to come to NYC and live in a safe environment while trying to make their dreams come true. Mademoiselle magazine would hire junior writers right from college, paid for them to live in 5 floors of the this hotel while writing for the mag. Several Broadway stars lived here, one being Grace Kelly. Nancy Davis (Regan) lived here about the same time she met her future husband. Sylvia Plath wrote a book about her time in this hotel (The Bell Jar). However, it wasn't all fun and games. There were also 55 suicides swept under the rug. In the early 2000's, in financial trouble, this hotel was turned into luxury condos. However, there is a handful of women who still live here from the glory days. Under law, they have a rent controlled apartment and paying the same rent they paid in the 1950's. I enjoyed the history about this hotel, however, each chapter was written about a particular time and/or personal accounts that over lapped so several times, the story was repeated. #thebarbizon #paulinabren #mar2021

This book is a history of New York City’s most famous residential hotel for women. It opened in 1927 for the hordes of single women who were setting out on a life of their own as independent women. They were actresses, models, dancers, singers, secretaries, nurses, you name it. This hotel was THE place to be, with a performance stage, library, lecture rooms, gym, and a full-size swimming pool. There were even shops that had entrances inside the hotel so that residents could shop without ever having to go out on the street.

The hotel was well known for Gibbs girls, which were secretaries that attended the Katherine Gibbs school, Powers girls which were models employed by the Powers Modeling agency, and the rotating line of guest editors for Mademoiselle magazine. There was also a revolving door of famous residents, like Molly Brown, Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, and Ali McGraw.

I had never heard of the Barbizon hotel before, and I’m really glad that I found this book. It was really interesting reading about all these different women and the struggles they had less than 100 years ago for acceptance in this world. This was very well researched and written, and a worthwhile read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Barbizon was a hotel for women located in New York City. Residents have included well known actresses, writers, and students at the Kathryn Gibbs School. This volume gives a history of the Barbizon and New York City in general. For those interested in history and New York.

This is a brilliant social history of women during the transitional years of the mid-Twentieth century. The author used the nexus of the Barbizon Hotel to tell the story. There is emphasis on the emergence of working and independent women, with the focus shifting to specific women and events.

Some residents became iconic, Grace Kelly and Sylvia Plath, others became leading lights in other professions. This book totally combines careful research with fascinating readable stories.

As a historian and voracious reader, I found this satisfying and engaging. I intend to recommend it to my women’s studies classes and reading groups.

FYI, for many years, my mother-in-law had a business in the building so this book brought back so many memories. Bravo, Paulina Bren!

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to read and review this book.