The Memory Book of Starr Faithfull

by Gloria Vanderbilt

The intensely erotic diary of a beautiful young heiress, Starr Faithfull, whose battered body washes up on a New York beach, recreates the illicit affair between a child and her cousin, a prominent Boston politician, in a story based on a real-life case. 50,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: Fiction

309 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 1994

About the author

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. She was a member of the Vanderbilt family of New York and the mother of CNN television anchor Anderson Cooper. Wikipedia

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was the author of four memoirs and two novels. She contributed to various publications, including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle, and has received two honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts. She lived in New York City.

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was SO graphic, I only got half the way through. I'm no prude, but the things she was talking about were.....well,it WAS a true story, so maybe that's why I was creeped out. Yes, Starr Faithfull WAS a real person.

[Billie Rae Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary, disturbing at times. GV really delved into another world for this one, but still wove in threads of familiarity with her own life, actually. Not for the squeamish.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a weak 2 stars.
The first 1/2 of the book wasn't too bad, but then it fell off the rails and became so reminiscent of Vanderbilt's book, Obsession: An Erotic Tale, which was a horrible book. I had one of her other books on my TBR list, but after reading this one, I think I will pass. This could have been such a good fiction story, but I have no clue at all as to why she had to drag in a real person as the main character for her fiction book. I don't think Vanderbilt did anything but cash in on a tragedy.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inspired by a True Mystery.

🖍️ This book is definitely only for adults to read because of the overt sex scenes. One of the most enigmatic true mysteries, Starr Faithfull from New York City was found dead in 1931, and to this day, no one really knows the truth of her mysterious life and death. From knowing the true story, I was led to this historical fiction book written by the lovely and famous Gloria Vanderbilt, wherein we get to read Starr Faithfull's "Memory Book." Did she have one? Who knows? Yet we get Vanderbilt's creativity here in all its glory over 330 pages. Is Gloria Vanderbilt a good writer? In a word, YES. I enjoyed her style; it was comfortable, intimate, and intelligent, but I did not care for the sex scenes at all (pornographic). Remember, this is historical fiction and for adults only.

📕 Published in 1994.

જ⁀🔵 The e-book version of The Memory Book of Starr Faithfull can be found at Internet Archive.

Further Reading:
જ⁀➴🔻Also read Chapter 65 from Big Town, Big Time: A New York Epic : 1898-1998, the e-book version on Google Docs for some true facts about Starr Faithfull to get a greater picture.
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[Hattiehathaway · Rating 1 out of 5]

The true story of Starr Faithfull is a fascinating one indeed... Starr was 1930s jazz baby whose lifeless body was found floating in the Long Island Sound. How or why she died remains a mystery that Vanderbilt makes no real attempt to solve. Indeed, the writing here is particularly graceless, and the tale lapses into awkward graphic descriptions of sexual interludes, delusions and what may very well be madness. I suspect that Starr's actual "Memory Book" (her diary) which was either lost or destroyed, and which this book attempts to recreate, was much better written.