One of my favorite sections of The Portable Dorothy Parker is the collection of her book reviews. From 1927 through 1933 she wrote a column for The New Yorker called “Constant Reader.” I’ve never enjoyed book reviews as well as hers; they are snarky comments on society with books as a catalyst.
Though my reading hardly does Dorothy Parker justice, I love these reviews so much that I cannot prevent myself from reading them aloud to you (No doubt Mrs. Parker would have something to say about that). This one is from the November 17, 1928, issue of The New Yorker and it reviews two books.
Wallflower’s Lament by Dorothy Parker 7’35” MP3 (7 MB)
Oh yea… those are awesome…
If I remember correctly, there was a hilarious review of Emily Post’s Etiquette in there, where she all but shred the book to pieces.
The whole collection is gold.
Posted by: dr Dave on August 26, 2005 12:28 PM