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　　Marie Brenner's 10 portraits of women of a certain age provide fascinating, gossipy and even entertaining reading. -- The New York Times Book Review, Lynn Karpen

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"Fascinating, gossipy, entertaining. . . ."
-- New York Times Book Review

They are ten outstanding women of the century. Each had an aura,including Thelma Brenner, the first great dame her daughter everknew. Their lives were both gloriously individual and yet somehowuniversal. They were mighty warriors and social leaders, women ofaspiration who persevered. They lived through the Great Depressionand a world war. Circumstances did not defeat them. They played onBroadway and in Washington. They had glamour, style, andintelligence. They dressed up the world.

"Vivid, intimate portraits . . . a splendid tribute to ten of thecentury's grandest, most powerful women."

<div>"Fascinating, gossipy, entertaining. . . ." 
-- New York Times Book Review 
 
They are ten outstanding women of the century. Each had an aura,
including Thelma Brenner, the first great dame her daughter ever
knew. Their lives were both gloriously individual and yet somehow
universal. They were mighty warriors and social leaders, women of
aspiration who persevered. They lived through the Great Depression
and a world war. Circumstances did not defeat them. They played on
Broadway and in Washington. They had glamour, style, and
intelligence. They dressed up the world. 
 
"Vivid, intimate portraits . . . a splendid tribute to ten of the
century's grandest, most powerful women." 
--Us 
 
"These women were our geishas, whispering in our ears to influence
all aspects of American life." 
--Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times 
 
"Delectable, classy . . . a runaway hit." 
--Liz Smith 
 
"An engrossing introduction to a way of life that's now extinct,
for better or for worse." 
--Chicago Sun-Times</div>

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From Publishers Weekly

An accomplished author (House of Dreams: The BinghamFamily of Louisville) and a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair,Brenner gathers 10 skillfully drawn portraits of women "of acertain age," ranging from Jacqueline Onassis to her own mother,Thelma Brenner. Eight of the pieces were assigned by and originallyran in Vanity Fair or the New Yorker. Her subjects includeConstance Baker Motley, the lawyer who argued Brown v. Board ofEducation; Luise Rainer, who won back-to-back Academy Awards forBest Actress in 1936 and 1937; Kay Thompson, creator of the Eloisebooks; Pamela Harriman, a U.S. ambassador to France and DemocraticParty fund-raiser; Clare Boothe Luce, author and U.S. ambassador toItaly; intellectual and author Diana Trilling; Marietta Tree, apolitical hostess and society figure; and Kitty Carlisle Hart,actress and former head of the New York State Council on the Arts.Brenner lauds their courage in surviving such catastrophic eventsof the 20th century as the Great Depression and WWII, and admirestheir drive and ambition, which in that era meant marrying orhaving liaisons with men whose wealth or status could help themachieve their dreams. What these women have in common, Brennerargues, is an ability to maintain a public life, to guard the imagethey created no matter what suffering might have been borne insilence. They rose to fame in a gentler era than our own, Brennerbelieves; her tributes are invested with nostalgia for thegallantry her subjects displayed in what was essentially a man'sworld. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

From Publishers Weekly 
 An accomplished author (House of Dreams: The Bingham
Family of Louisville) and a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair,
Brenner gathers 10 skillfully drawn portraits of women "of a
certain age," ranging from Jacqueline Onassis to her own mother,
Thelma Brenner. Eight of the pieces were assigned by and originally
ran in Vanity Fair or the New Yorker. Her subjects include
Constance Baker Motley, the lawyer who argued Brown v. Board of
Education; Luise Rainer, who won back-to-back Academy Awards for
Best Actress in 1936 and 1937; Kay Thompson, creator of the Eloise
books; Pamela Harriman, a U.S. ambassador to France and Democratic
Party fund-raiser; Clare Boothe Luce, author and U.S. ambassador to
Italy; intellectual and author Diana Trilling; Marietta Tree, a
political hostess and society figure; and Kitty Carlisle Hart,
actress and former head of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Brenner lauds their courage in surviving such catastrophic events
of the 20th century as the Great Depression and WWII, and admires
their drive and ambition, which in that era meant marrying or
having liaisons with men whose wealth or status could help them
achieve their dreams. What these women have in common, Brenner
argues, is an ability to maintain a public life, to guard the image
they created no matter what suffering might have been borne in
silence. They rose to fame in a gentler era than our own, Brenner
believes; her tributes are invested with nostalgia for the
gallantry her subjects displayed in what was essentially a man's
world. (Mar.) 
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. 
 
From Booklist 
 
Brenner profiles 10 women of varying degrees of prominence and
accomplishment who came of age in a time when the outlets for
women's aspirations were limited. They were all sharp-edged women
who "knew how to stay on the floor until the last dance." The
subjects include Jacqueline Onassis, Pamela Harriman, Clare Boothe
Luce, and Diana Trilling. Although from divergent backgrounds, they
all had wit and resilience and were noted for their ability to
smile and deny whatever background (Jewishness, for example) or
current circumstance (divorce from a prominent husband) might be a
social hindrance. Among them are women of serious accomplishment
and serious social climbing. Constance Baker Motley, who argued
Brown v. Board of Education, seems in odd company
here. Brenner's aunt was Anita Brenner, a writer and intellectual
of the 1930s. So Brenner has the background and writing style well
matched to this inside look at these fascinating women and their
relationships with other famous people. Eight of the profiles
originally appeared in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker
and Vogue. Vanessa Bush

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