While I was not familiar with the main characters before reading this book, I was with some of the people they crossed paths with. I loved the art scene and the places that Sarah and her family traveled to. It was really atmospheric all around. I could feel the emotions Sarah went through and how she did her best to live the life she dreamed about. I loved how the author highlighted Sarah and Gerald’s friendship. It was the foundation that got them through some of the hardships they faced later in life. If you enjoy art and historical fiction you will enjoy this one.

Thank you @kmickelwait54 @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

This is a fictional retelling of the real-life couple Sara and Gerald Murphy. They were part of the scene in the roaring 20’s and included the likes of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, and many others as their close friends. Going from New York to France to Switzerland to Los Angles, back to the East Coast, and what felt like everywhere in between, The Murphys and their three children (and at some point, a menagerie of animals) experienced the world. That is, until faced with some devastating heartbreak that caused them to settle back in the US for the rest of their days.

The Murphys demonstrated commitment and adaptability in making changes for their children, while also maintaining close friendships, as friends continued to visit them wherever they moved. With as much as this story focused on the parties and social engagements of the time, I was surprised to find myself in tears through the last 30% of this book. It absolutely tore my heart out. This last section was so well written and emotionally charged, it raised my overall rating of the book and changed some of my earlier opinions.

I started this book thinking it was purely non-fiction but found myself confused on the narrative style of the story. With that confusion in mind, I struggled to connect with the story and the characters. Everything seemed a little flighty, jumping around through different topics and locations. Characters who were introduced first thing, didn’t seem to be mentioned after the initial meeting. Obviously, I was struggling to vibe with this book. Some books may require a specific time and mood before readers become fully engaged with them. I set this one down for a month before circling back to it, and I am glad I did. This book is a perfect example of why I struggle with not finishing a book. Though the beginning took a moment to find its stride, shortly past the middle, this story took off.

I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates fictional retellings of real-life events and people. It should be read with that in mind before one gets smashed over the head with the amount of name-dropping that takes place. Ultimately, this is a story about family, of origin, chosen, found, and everything in between.

Thank you to Kirsten Mickelwait, NetGalley and Köehler Books for an advanced copy of this eBook.

Hard to explain what this book is really about; guess that’s why I’m not the writer. But wow. This book is way more than just a dramatic family story. It’s beautifully written and clearly well researched.
You get history, art, literature, and this incredible cast of real-life characters, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso, all set against the backdrop of 1920s Paris and the French Riviera. As an art lover, I was all in.
It’s glamorous and fun, but also heartbreaking. A wild, emotional ride!

This book looks really good. The cover is great and the title really drew me in. Unfortunately the current download formatting no longer works on my computer and this one is not available for the Netgalley reader. So, I may got to read it later, but this is as far as my technology will get me on this arc now.

I started reading the book during my international flight to Europe. I was immediately absorbed into Sara Murphy's story. At some point during their bohemian, party lifestyle in France, Sara and Gerald's marriage felt extremely familiar to me. I had definitely read about them in previous books. I also enjoyed recalling information on F. scott Fitzgerald,, Zelda, Ernest Hemingway and many other notabls players from the 1900s. I enjoyed soaking up their colorful lifestyle. I especially liked the ending as I did not know how the Murphy's lives ended. ""There"s no buttons without buttonholes," said Coco Chanel.

I highly recommend this book which I gave 4 stars.

This woman named Sar A. It was an amazing woman she spanned the twentieth and thirties and the forties and she had a very amazing life. She was.
Friends with GE Rao.D. After eleven years she finally married him against her family's wishes. I Each chapter had a year and this would explain what that Woman was doing at that time. I like the book because she talked about these different writers and stuff she met She especially helped Writer named fitzgerald. It was interesting In paris during the twenties. She met painters and she had an affair with the Picasso. Her husband also had homosexual as well. She had children as well and she would buy an old house.On the southern france coast. They also bought a sailboat as well. Her husband also painted. Things do not go well For this family when the thirties arrived. They had to sell a lot of their stuff and they lost two of their children as well This Woman had to I'd be very strong because she had to deal with a lot of stuff. I like the story because it had a lot of interesting points

I'm a sucker for books about Sara and Gerald Murphy, the legendary hosts of everyone who was anyone in 1920s Europe.

Kirsten Mickelwait's novel, The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty, focuses on Sara, an heiress completely uninterested in the life society has mapped out for her. She finds a kindred spirit in Gerald, who shares her restlessness. Together, they're determined to create the world they want to inhabit.

The book is arranged chronologically, and the early years proceed at a gallop. They spend idyllic days on the beach in the south of France surrounded by their three children and a dizzying cast of friends: Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Picasso, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Despite their friends' occasional bad behavior (or in the case of the Fitzgeralds, more than occasional), the Murphys are generous with artistic encouragement and financial support. Their mansion, Villa America, is home base for The Lost Generation.

It all comes crashing down, of course. The Depression makes their lavish lifestyle untenable. Tragedy strikes the family not once, but twice. Fitzgerald and eventually Hemingway turn on them, skewering them in Tender is the Night and A Moveable Feast.

At the heart of this novel is the question: Who were the Murphys, really? Spoiled, heedless children who used their wealth to collect famous friends? People of exquisite taste whose support enabled some of the greatest artists of the 20th century?

Did they -- as Hemingway suggested -- deserve all the bad things that came their way?

Mickelwait's portrait is sympathetic, but it also captures the nuance of this glittering couple. The Murphys were many things: perfectly suited, unhappily married, generous, foolish, kind, snobbish, glamorous, and ultimately, tragic.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

Raised in New York at the beginning of the 20th century, Sara Wiborg is brought up in a wealthy family. However, she is dreaming of a much more interesting life being bored with the daily routine of the rich. After a friendship of 11 years she finally marries Gerald Murphy much to the dismay of both their families. She is 5 years older than him, but no matter as he is the one man that understands her, the one man that thinks creatively and offers her the life she has wished and dreamed for. On their journey together with their 3 children we are taken through the Jazz Age of the 1920's and 30's in Paris and Antibes. It was a time of decadent living. Sprinkled throughout that timeframe we meet those people who make up the heart of the bohemian lifestyle...Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, just to name a few. However, there are challenges ahead that the couple have to wade through...this is what makes the story interesting. Reading about the Jazz Age and the history of that era was one that I embraced...it was a singular time that we will not see again. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Köehler Books for the opportunity to read The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty by Kirsten Mickelwait.

I have held a long fascination for the Murphys, and this book feels like the cherry on top. I loved it.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reading.
This is a poignant and touching historical biographical book. The writing is so compelling.
It's so hard to put into words how much I loved this book.
I never heard of them before, but it's simply amazing how Sarah and Gerald was written that I was instantly consumed by their thoughts and emotions.
This is a poignant and touching historical biographical book which I stumbled by accident, but I'm happy that I did, because story of Sara and Gerald would stay with me for long.

Unique novel largely based on real people - I learned a lot from the author's afterward that actually made the entire reading experience more enjoyable. I've read a lot about the Fitzgeralds (always borderline insufferable!) but I wasn't as well-versed with Hemmingway's biography. But the main characters, Gerald and Sara Murphy were complete unknowns to me. After reading this, I want to delve deeper into a library of their non-fiction biographical works. I liked the authenticity of the early 1900s but had a hard time grasping the numerous moves and home purchases/rentals/renovations. In one paragraph we'd learn how much money they'd lost in the 1929 crash and in the following chapters, they never really seemed to slow down or stop bopping back & forth to Europe. Sara's memory loss was dropped in during Gerald's illness but never really addressed again, that seemed to be a loose end (or maybe an unnecessary red herring?).

The title says so much and paints a scene all its own. When I read it I immediately thought that a ‘party’ (bright time of a life) was coming to an end. So, it was the creative title that drew me to this book. I do not believe I have heard of Sara and Gerald before though it is possible. The Fitzgeralds and Hemmingway I knew and of course Picasso. I thought the book would take a slower course through Sarah’s early life (before she married) but the story overall moves fast. I felt it is more so of a collection of events happening and I never felt I knew Sarah or Gerald or their children. Everything passes in a whirlwind which may have been deliberate. I did learn something about Zelda, how she suffered from a mental disorder. It is new to me as this time period is not exactly my interest and I do not care for the lifestyles of the characters. All that being said, it is always nice to see writers stick to historical’s true selves. In my opinion if you write about a real person, even in fiction, then why change them to fit a story when you could simply invent a character “inspired” by them. Unless it is satire then give these long gone people some respect and keep them as they were. So good on the writer for that.
There is some harsh language in this book, GD is used. Also there is a very dramatic scene where Zelda throws herself down the stairs, a dancer has her neck snapped on an axle by her own scarf.

I’m happy to announce that Kirsten Mickelwait has renewed my faith in authors and books! With compelling writing, captivating characters, and one hell of a plot, “The Ashtrays are Full and the Glasses are Empty” has it all. Start with a young girl and young boy at the turn of the 20th century; sprinkle in some historic figures like Picasso, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald; add a dash of European locations and situations, and you have one hell of a treatise on how one’s perspective changes throughout the years, but not one’s soul. Ultimately, it’s a story about marriage and how the coupling goes from romantic to challenging to profound. Definitely, definitely worth the read!

Though the pacing is slow at times, this gorgeously written novel offers a deeply compelling and emotional portrait of a woman ahead of her time. Set against the glittering backdrop of 1920s Paris and Antibes, the story follows heiress Sara Wiborg as she seeks a life of art, beauty, and meaning beyond the rigid confines of her privileged upbringing. Her marriage to Gerald Murphy, and their glamorous circle of literary and artistic icons, gives the novel its dazzle—but it’s Sara’s heartbreak, resilience, and quiet reinvention that linger. Poignant and unforgettable, this is a story of love, loss, and the creative spirit that endures even after the party ends.

I loved this story from the first page. Following Sara from the Gilded Age through the Jazz Age. Then tragedy hits her life. This is a new author to me and I look forward to more from her.

Dreams of a more artistically satisfying life than the one she’d looked to be destined for finally seem to have been realized for discontented heiress Sara Wiborg when she meets and marries a man who shares her creative, aesthetic ideal only to have the dream dampened by the discovery that he is homosexual.
Not the total disaster that that might seem, though, with how the two really do love each other and he manages to keep his physical impulses in check, but it certainly takes the bloom off her initial hopes for their marriage as they make their way through the flamboyance and notable personages of the Jazz Age.
Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, Dos Passos, Picasso and the reliably acerbic Dorothy Parker (“the first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue”), they all turn up with regularity in Kirsten Mickelwait’s rendition of the period of excess and exuberance in the manner of Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast,” which is in fact cited in her book and with which, especially in its first half, it shares the not-always riveting nature of memoirs.
More novelistically satisfying, though (and the author does express fictional intent), is the book’s second half, where for all the tribulations visited upon the unfortunate couple, and there are not a few, including health tribulations suffered by both their boys, they do make for a more engrossing read.

This is a poignant and touching historical biographical book. The writing is so compelling. This follows the story of Sara. From sharing about growing up, making friends, describing class to life before and after marriage, author has shared all the highs and lows of life. The characters are fictional but the author has taken inspiration from real life characters. There is a mention of World War. I liked how Sara and Gerald become friends first and remain friends for eleven years and then they decide to marry. Despite disapproval from Sara’s family and all the hardships, they stay together. This is such a heart wrenching story and everything that happens in the story made me sad. I felt so deeply for Sara.

Thanks to the Publisher.

4.5

“The Ashtrays are Full and the Glasses are Empty” is a historical fiction book by Kirsten Mickelwait. This book tells the story of true life couple Sara and Gerald Murphy. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s okay (I had heard of them in passing before reading this book). The Murphys were part of the post-WWI art era (think Picasso). They not only hung out with famous people (literature, news, art, fashion) but also were famous in their own right. They are, to modern readers, known for “opening” up the French Riviera for summer pleasure (it had previously closed due to it being too warm in that part of France). I found the beginning of the book a bit slow (though Dorothy Parker’s appearance was fantastic) as Ms. Mickelwait gave Sara’s background, but the book picked up once Sara and Gerald married and their adventures together began.

I was so excited when I saw this one - Everybody Was So Young is one of my favorite historical novels, and I love the world of Sara and Gerald Murphy! Their personalities and exploits are fascinating to me, as are their friendships and social positioning within the changing world of the early 20th century. I loved the cover art and title, and the book certainly opened well, but I pretty quickly found myself floundering to connect with the author's writing style. I know a fair bit about these characters, but yet still felt oddly disconnected to the story. I think it is just a matter of my reading style and the author's writing style not meshing well, which is very unfortunate...

This is an extraordinary novel about a couple that has long been associated with the lions of the post-WWI era in the arts. They are Sara and Gerald Murphy. Books have been written about them, many books have mentioned them and they served as inspiration for one of Scott Fitzgerald’s novels.

Mickelwaite has done a great job of thorough research, honing in on the more intimate aspects of the Murphy marriage. Sara is the narrator and brings the reader into the fascinating life the storied Murphy family. There is also a very timely glance into the ultimate sadness that she faced.

I loved this book, from the Hamptons to the Riviera. I was captivated by the relationships with so many of the people who defined the art world of the 20th century.

I really appreciated having the opportunity to read and delve into a unique era in cultural history. Thank you Netgalley.