The Guest List: How Manhattan Defined American Sophistication---from the Algonquin Round Table to Truman Capote's Ball

by Ethan Mordden

From the 1920s to the early 1960s, Manhattan was America’s beacon of sophistication. From the theatres of Broadway to the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel to tables at the Stork Club, intelligence and wit were the twinned coins of the realm. Alexander Woolcott, Irving Berlin, Edna Ferber, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, Truman Capote, the Lunts and Helen Hayes presided over the town. Their books, plays, performances, speeches, dinner parties, masked balls, loves, hates, likes and dislikes became the aspirations of a nation. If you wanted to be sophisticated, you played by Manhattan’s rules. If you didn’t, you simply weren’t on the guest list. The Heartland rebelled against Manhattan’s dictum, but never prevailed. In this lively cultural history, Mordden chronicles the city’s most powerful and influential era.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, New York, American History

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2010

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll read anything Ethan Mordden writes about show business and this book, though billed as a cultural history, is about show business. I did skim the chapter on Toscanini, but otherwise I was pretty spellbound. I love his witty, we're-all-insiders-here writing style.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone with a profound interest in New York City history, I was eager to read this book, which promised to document the evolution of culture and changing definitions of sophistication in Manhattan. Unfortunately, after finally managing to finish the book (I ended up reading other books while reading this one), I can't really say I got much of a grasp on the book's content at all. The meandering, conversational style of the book lent itself better to a Broadway review or gossip column rather than a nonfiction book whose goal was to present the history of high culture and its changing definitions throughout the ages in Manhattan. If I didn't read the dustjacket, I probably would have had a difficult time figuring out exactly what this book was about, especially since it seemed to shift trajectories even in the same chapter. I won't begrudge the fact that I did learn an interesting tidbit of information here and there, but overall I was expecting something better organized and more informative. The best one can hope for is to learn a scant fact or two about a person or event mentioned in the book, and then use that as a springboard to read additional books or conduct other research to find out more. I don't believe I'm specifically familiar with Mr. Mordden's work for The New Yorker or the New York Times, so I can't make any comprehensive statement about his writing ability, but this particular nonfiction book is surely not his best effort.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has an interesting thesis and some fun facts thrown in there, but the writing style is completely unreadable. It is so disorganized, it is difficult follow -- and the text is peppered with terrible jokes. (I assume they are jokes?) I understand the need for sass while writing this type of book, but knocking back a speakeasy's worth of gin and scribbling down your thoughts about early 20th-century luminaries and culture is better suited for a notebook you keep under your mattress, not a book. THIS BOOK WAS PRACTICALLY UNREADABLE. I am honestly shocked this 1) went through an editing process and 2) was published.

Given the subject matter, I really tried to like this one. Wish there was a way to return books on the Kindle!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have commented, this book includes many interesting elements, but the writing is a mashup that becomes a struggle for readers. Morrden's passion for music becomes his own worst enemy at points, where he loses site of his narrative in the jargon and expertise of his specialty. This isn't a book about music, it's a book about people, and when the people get lost in the music, the momentum stalls. He's also often so busy being oh so clever (describing Josephine Baker's infamous banana skirt without once using the word banana for example), that you literally lose the thread. Too bad -- he's got a fascinating topic. He just keeps getting in his own way.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this very confusing. Like one reviewer said, it read like a gossip column--intentional, I assume, since he discusses gossip columnists. It meandered and jumped from topic to topic. Overly jokey.

[Riq Hoelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually only interested in the Roaring Twenties portion and didn't continue past that. What was there on it was a little too skimpy for my taste. Was hoping for a deeper dive.

[Lorri Steinbacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, full of interesting literary society tidbits.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the pleasure on a trip to NYC back in the mid 90s to sit at The Algonquin Round Table. Mordden chronicles NYC from the 1920's to Truman Capote's Black and White Ball.

[Jill H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to say about this book......parts I found fascinating; other sections were what I call "skimmers" (skim on through to the next section). The style was erratic......the chapters are taken by decades but didn't stay within the time frame; the language was that of an "insider" which doesn't always translate well to the less "sophisticated" reader. Most of the individuals spotlighted as players in the NYC scene are so unlikable that you really don't care about them or their anti-social behavior and attitudes. I didn't hate the book but it left me wondering why I didn't like it more since it covers the greatest of American cities and what made it tick.

[Kelly Caldwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't actually read all of this book. I hate to start a book and not finish, but I just couldn't do it. I made it 1/3 of the way through. What should have been, in my opinion, a fascinating and entertaining history, is totally ruined by the author and his ridiculous writing style. The chapters rarely stayed on subject and were full of so many rhetorical questions in a row that I frequently lost track of what or who was being discussed. There were a few historical facts of interest here, but mucking through all the grandiose analogies and run-on sentences made finding them exhausting.

[Lee Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starter out fun and interesting in the 20's and 30's with a lot of good stories. But in the 40's the information becomes cumbersome and rambling. By the 50's I was reading so I could be done and start something else. There is a lot of great research done and used in this book. Some of it felt like it was thrown into the information just to show how much the author knows about s topic.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. Yes, there's tons of facts. But they were not tied together in an interesting way for me--it seemed to be all forced together to prove the point of the title. It took a lot of effort on my part to finish the book. Perhaps if you have a very specific interest in Broadway music and show history, this book might appeal more.

[Cathy Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've spent the last few years pretty steeped in research for a book that takes place at the same time and in the same milieu as The Guest List, so I found a lot of this--particularly the discussions of Elsa Maxwell, Cole Porter, and Truman Capote--quite fascinating. I'm particularly interested in his term "publiciety," the joining of the words "publicity" and "society."

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, the subtitle of this book really hooked me. That book sounded awesome. However, the book I read was not as awesome. Mainly, the author talked about people and events like everyone already knew what he was talking about. I wanted there to be a stronger argument and there were mainly just anecdotes. I can't describe it but the whole tone of the this book really bothered me.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get past the 50-page marker. This book should have been really insightful and witty considering its subject, but it managed to turn an interesting chapter in American social history into a dry who's who...

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from the book. Each chapter lead me to another topic to explore.

It is dense, not an easy read, and almost like a reference book, but history lovers will
not be disappointed.

Soldier on -- Finish it. It WILL be worth it.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mordden's wildly discursive and strangely defensive book doesn't really begin to support his thesis. His books on Broadway as well as his earlier books on Hollywood are usually much better than this.

The book does contain an excellent, annotated suggested reading list, however.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conversational and fun if sometimes a bit lost in itself. Mordden has an ideal sense of who and what is interesting and his thorough 'further reading' section has given me a ton of books to get from the library.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book that looks at how the American "elite" changed in the 20th century. The author is ever so slightly snarky at times, which made me snicker. There's also a very good section on other suggested reads at the end.

[Jessica Gwen]

I had to abandon this book because I found it somewhat insufferable. Maybe I'll give it another try at some point, but it isn't something I feel like reading at the moment.

[Marcia Stauber · Rating 3 out of 5]

INTERESTING BUT SLOW READING LOTS OF INFORMATION AND GOSSIP I SEEMED TO BE GLAD TO BE FINISHED WITH THE BOOK SO THAT MUST SAY ALOT