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Bandbox
"Cuddles Houlihan got clipped by the vodka bottle as it exited the pneumatic tube. . . ." With that bottle we enter Bandbox, a hugely successful magazine of the 1920s, run by bombastic Jehoshaphat "Joe" Harris. Harris's most ambitious protégé ("the bastard son he never had") has just defected to run the competition, plunging Bandbox into a newsstand death struggle. The magazine's fight for survival will soon involve a sabotaged fiction contest, the vice squad, a subscriber's kidnapping, and a film-actress cover subject who makes the heroines of Chicago look like the girls next door. While Harris and his magazine careen from comic crisis to make-or-break calamity, the reader races from skyscraper to speakeasy.
Thomas Mallon has given us a madcap romp of a book that brilliantly portrays Manhattan in the gaudiest American decade of them all.
Thomas Mallon has given us a madcap romp of a book that brilliantly portrays Manhattan in the gaudiest American decade of them all.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
15 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Mallon
40 books286 followersThomas Mallon is an American novelist, essayist, and critic. His novels are renowned for their attention to historical detail and context and for the author's crisp wit and interest in the "bystanders" to larger historical events. He is the author of ten books of fiction, including Henry and Clara, Two Moons, Dewey Defeats Truman, Aurora 7, Bandbox, Fellow Travelers (recently adapted into a miniseries by the same name), Watergate, Finale, Landfall, and most recently Up With the Sun. He has also published nonfiction on plagiarism (Stolen Words), diaries (A Book of One's Own), letters (Yours Ever) and the John F. Kennedy assassination (Mrs. Paine's Garage), as well as two volumes of essays (Rockets and Rodeos and In Fact).
He is a former literary editor of Gentleman's Quarterly, where he wrote the "Doubting Thomas" column in the 1990s, and has contributed frequently to The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The American Scholar, and other periodicals. He was appointed a member of the National Council on the Humanities in 2002 and served as Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2005 to 2006.
His honors include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the National Book Critics Circle citation for reviewing, and the Vursell prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for distinguished prose style. He was elected as a new member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012.
He is a former literary editor of Gentleman's Quarterly, where he wrote the "Doubting Thomas" column in the 1990s, and has contributed frequently to The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The American Scholar, and other periodicals. He was appointed a member of the National Council on the Humanities in 2002 and served as Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2005 to 2006.
His honors include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the National Book Critics Circle citation for reviewing, and the Vursell prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for distinguished prose style. He was elected as a new member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 28, 2009
What a wonderful romp. I had picked this book up at least twice before and something always got in the way, but I'm glad I stuck with it this time. The Bandbox of the title is a men's magazine in roaring 20's New York that has been resurrected and given chest hair by editor Joe Harris, who has added crime stories, oddball dining features (one idea: jail food, to which the dining critic said, "I don't know what I'll call it for sure, but it'll have 'stir' in the title") and arch art photography for the covers.
Only one problem. One of his top editors has deserted him, moved several floors up in the Graybar Building, and started a rival magazine, Cutaway, which is starting to bleed him dry.
The struggle over which enterprise will win provides the thread for this ride through the exuberant decade, but it's also just a platform for a lot of other characters and situations, including a copy editor who loves animals more than people and is sickened by the photo editor's love of exotic beasts in cover shoots; a "researcher" whose mission has been to bed down all the newcomers; a dispirited, drunken editor who has given up on his talent, and the young writer who wants to save him; and many more, including a gay restaurant owner, Irish cops, a Jewish crime boss and his thugs, a Tammany Hall judge on the take, and, as the eventual centerpiece, a greenhorn from Indiana who takes off for the big city and ends up disappearing from sight during a liquor fueled party at a publisher's penthouse.
Although it's a plot-driven bumper car ride, there are also colorful characters, excellent pacing and snappy patter. It seems obvious to me that Mallon, a well-known critic and freelance author, wanted a movie to come out of this, but I don't think one ever did.
No mind. A film might only suffer next to the mental pictures, which is what any book lover might say.
Only one problem. One of his top editors has deserted him, moved several floors up in the Graybar Building, and started a rival magazine, Cutaway, which is starting to bleed him dry.
The struggle over which enterprise will win provides the thread for this ride through the exuberant decade, but it's also just a platform for a lot of other characters and situations, including a copy editor who loves animals more than people and is sickened by the photo editor's love of exotic beasts in cover shoots; a "researcher" whose mission has been to bed down all the newcomers; a dispirited, drunken editor who has given up on his talent, and the young writer who wants to save him; and many more, including a gay restaurant owner, Irish cops, a Jewish crime boss and his thugs, a Tammany Hall judge on the take, and, as the eventual centerpiece, a greenhorn from Indiana who takes off for the big city and ends up disappearing from sight during a liquor fueled party at a publisher's penthouse.
Although it's a plot-driven bumper car ride, there are also colorful characters, excellent pacing and snappy patter. It seems obvious to me that Mallon, a well-known critic and freelance author, wanted a movie to come out of this, but I don't think one ever did.
No mind. A film might only suffer next to the mental pictures, which is what any book lover might say.
Read
February 5, 2009At the beginning of the novel, Mallon defines "bandbox" as a light, cylindrical box for holding small articles of attire. Rather than a serious piece of furniture, it's quite flimsy. Most reviewers report that the novel of the same name is a light work of literature as well; it's neither highly original nor mind-opening, and it won't stand the test of time.
Its lightweight feel, however, does not diminish its charms. Bandbox has charm in spades. Mallon creates a huge, unique, and entertaining cast of characters, with each member engaging in clever capers while spewing zippy dialogue. Critics across the board call Mallon's depiction of the cutthroat magazine business spell-binding, and praise his evocation of the booming '20s. He does occasionally provide such in-depth detail that "without an encyclopedia (or access to the Internet) the general reader will not acquire an increased knowledge of the period," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but the plethora of encyclopedic facts doesn't take away from the fun. Ubiquitous screwball comedy is the novel's selling point, but underneath lies a subtle foreshadowing of troubled times to come. More than one reviewer movingly noted the startling similarities between the 1920s and the 1990s. Not so startling is its timeless tale of office intrigue and romance. "For those willing to take a gamble," writes the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, "this novel simply vibrates with talent and goodwill."
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
July 11, 2008
This is the first book I have finished read from a larger set of purchases at Powell's on a recent trip to Portland, Or. Powell's is a reader's delight--I highly recommend it.
This novel, however, was a bit of a let down. I read Thomas Mallon's "Fellow Travelers" earlier this year and loved it. It was a smart, touching, sad, well-written book, and it was also hard to put down. It was about DC in the 50's and the cold war/McCarthy era of red-baiting.
Historical fiction is Mallon's thing, and "Bandbox," was set at the end of the Roaring 20s. A super fascinating era worthy of attention by us post-Dot.comers. It focuses on the goings-on at a gentleman's magazine, like GQ, and the zany writers and editors who work there. It took me at least the first half of the book to keep track of all of the characters.
"Bandbox" is written and structured in a way that is reminiscent of the style of narrative popular at the time it was set. However, this construction becomes more of a vanity on Mallon's part than a skill as it too often takes precedence over plot and theme. As someone says below, it was a good light read. But I expected more from someone whose last novel haunted me for weeks after reading it.
Not to mention that "Bandbox" was hardly a page-turner. It was a struggle to finish this one as nothing in it was really compelling enough to make me keep going except for my faith in Mallon. I hope the next one of his I read does better...
This novel, however, was a bit of a let down. I read Thomas Mallon's "Fellow Travelers" earlier this year and loved it. It was a smart, touching, sad, well-written book, and it was also hard to put down. It was about DC in the 50's and the cold war/McCarthy era of red-baiting.
Historical fiction is Mallon's thing, and "Bandbox," was set at the end of the Roaring 20s. A super fascinating era worthy of attention by us post-Dot.comers. It focuses on the goings-on at a gentleman's magazine, like GQ, and the zany writers and editors who work there. It took me at least the first half of the book to keep track of all of the characters.
"Bandbox" is written and structured in a way that is reminiscent of the style of narrative popular at the time it was set. However, this construction becomes more of a vanity on Mallon's part than a skill as it too often takes precedence over plot and theme. As someone says below, it was a good light read. But I expected more from someone whose last novel haunted me for weeks after reading it.
Not to mention that "Bandbox" was hardly a page-turner. It was a struggle to finish this one as nothing in it was really compelling enough to make me keep going except for my faith in Mallon. I hope the next one of his I read does better...
September 20, 2015
Musical comedy in novel form. But "Kitty Sark" remains one of the hall of fame fictional cat names.
June 12, 2013
Lots of characters to keep track of in this one. Have a hard time really caring about any of them. The writing is well done, but the story is barely engaging. best think about this book is the photo on the cover
August 25, 2014
It was hard to relate to or empathize with any of the characters in this book--there really was no depth or realism in any of the story.
January 31, 2020
I don't know if it was intended to be historical fiction, but outside of erroneously placing San Rafael outside of Los Angeles circa an hour rather than outside of San Francisco, Bandbox provides interesting grist for the mill. Having served as freelancer for, as well as editor and publisher of several national magazines, as well as having worked with one of the founders of two of Conde’ Nast’s magazines, I was intrigued by Thomas Mallon’s take on early 20th century magazines, Bandbox. Not only was the setting appealing to me, but I was immediately drawn into the story by the writing.
I understood the appeal when a character in this era reminisced about: “…summer nights alive with the tooting of oompah bands instead of the discordant, mystifying chords of jazz…” (p. 9). I could just see the fictional “Manking” he describes as: “…their old Times Square Chinese restaurant, a place so inauthentically awful it couldn’t even transliterate the name of the city whose cuisine it claimed to be serving.” (p. 11) Of course, it’s ironic that the owner/publisher of the fictional Bandbox magazine is named Hiram “Hi” Oldcastle when the famous owner/publisher of Conde Nast publications (which rival the fictional publication in the book) was S. I. “Si” Newhouse. Lest there be any confusion, the real publishing magnate wasn’t born until after the setting of this book.
Bandbox recounts some intriguing Jazz Age stories with a much lighter brush than, for example, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Having worked for a New York publisher, I remember hearing a lot of similar tales, though they happened much later than the 1920s and we were implementing anti-harassment policies long before #metoo. But Bandbox has the drinking, the drugs, the affairs, organized crime, and police bribery one associates with the pre-1929 era. Flirting and innuendo are such a significant part of the magazine scene in this era that even a comment like the following doesn’t seem out of place. “A young man with so little self-love he had difficulty masturbating.” (p. 27) And, at least one major character has a career crisis to which he responds: “Like an aging Dalmatian hearing one last fire bell, …” (p. 298). One of the characters writes for the magazine in between his novels with titles that reflect the atmosphere like Flaming Zeppelin and Ticker Rape (p. 110). Of course, the nickname for another character’s autobiography, Going Down for the Count, combined with another character intimating he’d like to crawl underneath her covers, may well express the spirit of the age (p. 58).
Outside of the double entendres, Bandbox is full of personal crises: aging editors, rival espionage, pending spinsterhood, alternative lifestyles, alcoholism, and even a kidnapping. Bandbox is a ridiculous, but entertaining comic romp through the “golden” days of New York publishing (or, at least, the nascent but not innocent days. I’m curious about how Thomas Mallon handles other eras and other industries, so I plan to read another sometime soon.
I understood the appeal when a character in this era reminisced about: “…summer nights alive with the tooting of oompah bands instead of the discordant, mystifying chords of jazz…” (p. 9). I could just see the fictional “Manking” he describes as: “…their old Times Square Chinese restaurant, a place so inauthentically awful it couldn’t even transliterate the name of the city whose cuisine it claimed to be serving.” (p. 11) Of course, it’s ironic that the owner/publisher of the fictional Bandbox magazine is named Hiram “Hi” Oldcastle when the famous owner/publisher of Conde Nast publications (which rival the fictional publication in the book) was S. I. “Si” Newhouse. Lest there be any confusion, the real publishing magnate wasn’t born until after the setting of this book.
Bandbox recounts some intriguing Jazz Age stories with a much lighter brush than, for example, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Having worked for a New York publisher, I remember hearing a lot of similar tales, though they happened much later than the 1920s and we were implementing anti-harassment policies long before #metoo. But Bandbox has the drinking, the drugs, the affairs, organized crime, and police bribery one associates with the pre-1929 era. Flirting and innuendo are such a significant part of the magazine scene in this era that even a comment like the following doesn’t seem out of place. “A young man with so little self-love he had difficulty masturbating.” (p. 27) And, at least one major character has a career crisis to which he responds: “Like an aging Dalmatian hearing one last fire bell, …” (p. 298). One of the characters writes for the magazine in between his novels with titles that reflect the atmosphere like Flaming Zeppelin and Ticker Rape (p. 110). Of course, the nickname for another character’s autobiography, Going Down for the Count, combined with another character intimating he’d like to crawl underneath her covers, may well express the spirit of the age (p. 58).
Outside of the double entendres, Bandbox is full of personal crises: aging editors, rival espionage, pending spinsterhood, alternative lifestyles, alcoholism, and even a kidnapping. Bandbox is a ridiculous, but entertaining comic romp through the “golden” days of New York publishing (or, at least, the nascent but not innocent days. I’m curious about how Thomas Mallon handles other eras and other industries, so I plan to read another sometime soon.
July 21, 2017
When I first started reading this, I was somewhat perplexed and was patiently waiting for something to happen. The novel takes place in 1928 at the height of prohibition and not long before the stock market fall and the beginning of the depression. The story revolves around the day-to-day operations of a popular magazine of the time called Bandbox which is defined at the beginning of the book as "a neat box of pasteboard or thin wood, usually cylindrical, for holding light articles of attire, orig. for the bands [clerical collars] of the 17th century. Also, attrib., flimsy; unsubstantial; as a bandbox reputation." Well this book seemed to match its definition when I first started reading...it seemed both flimsy and unsubstantial and contained way too many characters to try to keep track of. But as it progressed, I became engrossed in the story of the magazine's struggle to stay afloat and the circumstances involving the mob, the NYC vice squad, a kidnapped subscriber, and a starlet with a very questionable past. The characters are well portrayed, especially the writers and editors of the magazine including one who is obsessed with the fair treatment of animals used in some of the magazine stories as props for its photography. Overall, I would recommend this and I found it to ultimately be quite enjoyable and full of humor.
April 21, 2020
I was surprised by this one. I also finished it a while ago and haven't updated in a while, so I'm not sure how much I remember.
This started out slowly, and is in dire need of a Cast of Characters. So many people are introduced at the beginning that it's kind of hard to keep everyone straight. Partly because of this, I think, I found it a bit hard to get into.
However, as I read on, I began to really enjoy this. "Madcap" may be a word used in the blurb or it may not be, but it surely comes to mind. The novel is reminiscent of an old Hollywood comedy and hits most of the right notes. It even has an activist vegetarian!
I love the way Mallon writes. This is a very literate novel that manages to capture another era (I would say "perfectly," but I'm not quite that old. I have to base it on the old movies!), and yet manages not to be dated. From gangsters to kidnappings and Hollywood drama, it's really an enjoyable romp.
Yet somehow it manages to be a little slow (hence the three stars). It may be that the characters aren't as well-developed as I usually like, or not quite as relatable. I still think this is well worth the read, though. An enjoyable use of your time, particularly if you like the 1920s and old movies (please note the majority of this novel takes place in NYC, but it is definitely reminiscent of old movies). Recommended with slight reservations.
This started out slowly, and is in dire need of a Cast of Characters. So many people are introduced at the beginning that it's kind of hard to keep everyone straight. Partly because of this, I think, I found it a bit hard to get into.
However, as I read on, I began to really enjoy this. "Madcap" may be a word used in the blurb or it may not be, but it surely comes to mind. The novel is reminiscent of an old Hollywood comedy and hits most of the right notes. It even has an activist vegetarian!
I love the way Mallon writes. This is a very literate novel that manages to capture another era (I would say "perfectly," but I'm not quite that old. I have to base it on the old movies!), and yet manages not to be dated. From gangsters to kidnappings and Hollywood drama, it's really an enjoyable romp.
Yet somehow it manages to be a little slow (hence the three stars). It may be that the characters aren't as well-developed as I usually like, or not quite as relatable. I still think this is well worth the read, though. An enjoyable use of your time, particularly if you like the 1920s and old movies (please note the majority of this novel takes place in NYC, but it is definitely reminiscent of old movies). Recommended with slight reservations.
November 14, 2019
Two magazines "Bandbox" and "Cutaway" are in competition with each other. Cutaway seems to be the up and coming while Bandbox is just barely making it and needs to find something BIG that will get them back to where they once were.
When a young man from Indiana shows up as one of Bandbox's biggest fans, John Shepard is invited to the Bandbox Christmas party in the owners penthouse and comes across some not so nice people and suddenly disappears.
Will this be Bandbox's BIG story they are looking for or will Cutaway reveal it as Bandbox's biggest scam to win back their readers?
This story was definitely different and did have some interesting story lines going on but it seemed like there was too many different storylines going on with literally all the characters of this story. It almost made it a bit confusing on what was happening with what character. I'd have to say that the chapters close to the end of the book was most interesting especially with the young man who shows up in the beginning but isn't really acknowledged until almost the last half of the book.
I gave this 3 stars as I feel like the author should've focused on just a few of the characters and maybe not all of them. Also put more focus on the young man who actually ends up going missing.
When a young man from Indiana shows up as one of Bandbox's biggest fans, John Shepard is invited to the Bandbox Christmas party in the owners penthouse and comes across some not so nice people and suddenly disappears.
Will this be Bandbox's BIG story they are looking for or will Cutaway reveal it as Bandbox's biggest scam to win back their readers?
This story was definitely different and did have some interesting story lines going on but it seemed like there was too many different storylines going on with literally all the characters of this story. It almost made it a bit confusing on what was happening with what character. I'd have to say that the chapters close to the end of the book was most interesting especially with the young man who shows up in the beginning but isn't really acknowledged until almost the last half of the book.
I gave this 3 stars as I feel like the author should've focused on just a few of the characters and maybe not all of them. Also put more focus on the young man who actually ends up going missing.
October 12, 2025
An entertaining, if predictable novel. Mallon's style is spot-on, his eye for period detail is convincing (if you're any familiar with the Roaring '20s, you're bound to be impressed by his use of real-life events), and his characters are excellently drawn.
And yet: there seems to be something preordained about the whole story. There's little doubt, given Mallon's track record, that everyone will live happily ever after, that the good guys will triumph while the bad guys fall short, and that everything will be tied up in a nice, neat bow at the end. Because of that, and because Mallon has created a sprawling cast of characters that at times threaten to overwhelm the reader (just who is the managing editor, again?), there's a desire to rush through the closing chapters to get to the end. Would "Bandbox" have profited by fewer characters, fewer storylines, fewer chapters, and perhaps a little more genuine suspense?
There's no question that "Bandbox" is a fun read, a great ride through a raucous age. But at the end, the whole concoction leaves one feeling a little unsatisfied: not because the ending disappoints, but because, like many a delicious dessert, you find yourself wanting a little more nutrition. My verdict: fun, entertaining, but ultimately unfilling.
And yet: there seems to be something preordained about the whole story. There's little doubt, given Mallon's track record, that everyone will live happily ever after, that the good guys will triumph while the bad guys fall short, and that everything will be tied up in a nice, neat bow at the end. Because of that, and because Mallon has created a sprawling cast of characters that at times threaten to overwhelm the reader (just who is the managing editor, again?), there's a desire to rush through the closing chapters to get to the end. Would "Bandbox" have profited by fewer characters, fewer storylines, fewer chapters, and perhaps a little more genuine suspense?
There's no question that "Bandbox" is a fun read, a great ride through a raucous age. But at the end, the whole concoction leaves one feeling a little unsatisfied: not because the ending disappoints, but because, like many a delicious dessert, you find yourself wanting a little more nutrition. My verdict: fun, entertaining, but ultimately unfilling.
April 13, 2025
I purchased Bandbox years ago because it looked like a novel I would enjoy. It's set in the 192o's which is one my favorite eras. The novel focuses on a men's fashion magazine and the struggle to stay relevant. So far so good. Unfortunately, the novel bogs down with too many indistinct characters and convoluted plot lines. I stopped taking it seriously when a character stole a Koala bear on a New York City street. He's an animal rights activist. I wasn't even sure that was a thing in the '20's until I researched it. The novel tries too hard to be clever and fails. It was a slow start and it careened into an implausible ending.
February 1, 2019
This novel takes place at the end of the Roaring Twenties and tells the story of two rival men's lifestyle magazines edited by former friends. Mallon introduces a cast of characters, almost too many to keep straight in this short novel. The plot doesn't pick until nearly halfway through. I'm glad that I stayed with the book until the end because the ending was worth it the effort of reading. This book was okay but not strong in telling a story.
December 21, 2017
I struggled with the writing in this book, for some reason the I could not get a grasp of who the characters were, no one really stood out, and everyone kept intermingling confusing the heck out of me.
April 21, 2023
This book was so much fun. A romp thru Manhattan in the late 1920s with a large, delightful cast of characters
July 20, 2024
A couple of faces shoulda been left on the cutting-room floor.
October 24, 2012
I REALLY love Mallon!!! This is the third or fourth of his that I've read and I'm not going to stop until I've read them all. Mallon writes "historical" novels - mostly novels surrounded by a history. Bandbox takes place in 1928, Prohibition, slick men's and women's fashion magazines, the rise of Conde Nast, Hollywood's change to "talkies," and, of course, the stock bubble that will burst into the Depression a short year later. The historical part plays like a light motif around the plot and it helps to know your history to truly appreciate Mallon's books.
In this case, an upstart slick men's fashion magazine, Cutaway, has obtained a photograph of its competitor, Bandbox, being held and, apparently read, by the infamous Leopold and Loeb, the Nietzchean boy murderers in Chicago. Bandbox has to go on the defensive here. Cutaway's editor is the former golden boy at Bandbox, making the competition all the worse. From here we bounce to graft and the buying of the New York judicial system by gangsters; the open flaunting of Prohibition; Al Jolson, Francis Marion (!), Lilian Gish, Ernest Hemingway, The Jungle, George M. Cohan; the advent of installment payments with Montgomery Ward (I actually used to work for them...), and much more. If you don't know your history, it behooves you to look up the references, but then this begins to seem like a school book instead of a novel.
I did have trouble keeping some of the characters apart at first (and sometimes partway through), but I put that down to the larger number of main characters here compared to the other Mallon books I've read. But the delightful play of novel against the background of history but not OF the history is worth doing a little bit more work.
In this case, an upstart slick men's fashion magazine, Cutaway, has obtained a photograph of its competitor, Bandbox, being held and, apparently read, by the infamous Leopold and Loeb, the Nietzchean boy murderers in Chicago. Bandbox has to go on the defensive here. Cutaway's editor is the former golden boy at Bandbox, making the competition all the worse. From here we bounce to graft and the buying of the New York judicial system by gangsters; the open flaunting of Prohibition; Al Jolson, Francis Marion (!), Lilian Gish, Ernest Hemingway, The Jungle, George M. Cohan; the advent of installment payments with Montgomery Ward (I actually used to work for them...), and much more. If you don't know your history, it behooves you to look up the references, but then this begins to seem like a school book instead of a novel.
I did have trouble keeping some of the characters apart at first (and sometimes partway through), but I put that down to the larger number of main characters here compared to the other Mallon books I've read. But the delightful play of novel against the background of history but not OF the history is worth doing a little bit more work.
August 11, 2014
Fun to read--like spending calorie-free time with a Whitman's Sampler.
Interesting the way characters might cross the pages only briefly, yet any lack in their development was not really noticeable.
This might have been a book marketed more on the East Coast than the West (and a loss for West Coasters!) Surprising, though, that no one during the editing process pointed out that the San Rafael Valley is probably not a good name for a place (maybe like Santa Barbara) that is but a few hours drive from Hollywood. For West Coasters, especially those of us in NorCal, San Rafael means a city in Marin County, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco--i.e. definitely not a place a rattletrap 1920's car, on what passed for roads in the Twenties, could visit on an easy day trip from LA.
November 5, 2013
Bandbox hooked me in the first few chapters with its quirky, well-developed characters and fun vintage atmosphere. I figured it would be a more character-driven novel, and I was ok with that. Three-quarters of the way through, though, there was barely a storyline, and the characterization had slowed way down for some characters and been completely dropped for others. To me it seemed as if the author was having a great time building up his characters when he remembered that there was supposed to be a story, and sort of threw together a plot. I enjoyed the book as a whole, but I definitely struggled to get through it at the end.
March 1, 2012
Plenty of wit in the fast-paced storyline of a struggling 1920s men's fashion/news magazine couldn't compensate for the way-too-many characters to which the reader is subjected and must try to keep straight in this book (of which I have a bound galley vs. the finished product, which may make a difference).
Would probably have made a cute movie, but it was just a little too frustrating (for me) to keep up with just by words alone.
Would probably have made a cute movie, but it was just a little too frustrating (for me) to keep up with just by words alone.
August 30, 2015
I was spoiled because the first Thomas Mallon books I read were Watergate and Henry and Clara. Compared with those books this one is light-hearted. That did not work for me. The author was aiming for the fast-paced atmosphere of the roaring 20's - but it was messy more than zippy. Probably the biggest problem was that I did not like any of the characters in this book. It was a disappointment, but does not keep me from anticipating his next book about the 1980's.
March 19, 2012
The zippy 1920s pace that this novel aspired to actually seemed to stutter a bit when the book was taken as a whole. Definitely a bit fun and kicky, and all the meticulous research--the vernacular, the pop culture references--came through without showing the effort behind it. But ultimately it didn't quite have the gams it purported to, so was slightly disappointing.
March 12, 2011
I bought this book at a thrift store on a whim; I just needed something to read on the bus. Mallon's writing is quite detailed and almost dry, but his characters are well-imagined if slightly comic-booky or stereotypical. All in all though, a pleasant diversion that would make a fun movie.
Read
May 1, 2008I got it on Bookmooch!
Want to read
December 3, 200712/03 rec via bookmooch
February 11, 2008
Nice, light read
August 6, 2008
A lot of fun. Madcap tale of trying to rescue the dying Bandbox magazine in the 20s.
March 15, 2009
This was definitely a 'period' book - lots of slang, comments on the novelty of elevators, and such. It took me awhile to get into it, but I then became involved with the characters.
July 22, 2009
I read this book a few years ago and I remember laughing out loud. That's my idea of a good book.
Read
July 18, 2010A pretty fun read with clever writing, and it does capture the spirit of the era well. Almost need a chart for all the characters though!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews