![]() ![]() “It was exciting that there was this vessel through which I could tell multiple stories,” says Bren. But it is also a brilliant many-layered social history of women’s ambition and a rapidly changing New York throughout the 20th century. It has enough smouldering glamour to make Mad Men look dreary.)īren’s captivating book tells the story of this women’s residential hotel, from its construction in 1927 on Manhattan’s 140 East 63rd Street, to its eventual conversion into multimillion-dollar condominiums in 2007. (If the book is anything to go by we are in for a real treat. HBO has secured the TV rights in a six-figure deal, after a closely fought bidding war, with Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones on board to produce. And with any luck, we can anticipate a binge-worthy mini series. But that is about to change with the publication of a fascinating new book, The Barbizon, The New York Hotel That Set Women Free, by award-winning historian Paulina Bren. While New York’s rock’n’roll Chelsea hotel has been endlessly documented, the Barbizon’s story has never been told. So it’s surprising that we’ve heard so little about it. ![]() Grace Kelly, Joan Crawford, Tippi Hedren, Liza Minnelli, Ali MacGraw, Jaclyn Smith and literary stars Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion were among the household names who arrived as young unknowns. T he Barbizon guest list reads as a who’s who of Hollywood and literary royalty. ![]()
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