Eccentric socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (FFJ) (1868-1944) was the laughingstock of the New York City's smart set during the 1930s and 40s. This wealthy heiress was best known for her florid vocal performances and her complete inability to hit the proper notes. Her shows always sold out, but she didn't understand that underneath their applause and cheers, her adoring audiences were barely suppressing their laughter at her campy costumes and dreadful voice. As one critic wrote, "Jenkins' performances are a catalogue of every vocal fault and failure imaginable" (p. 97). Yet some claim that she was so bad, and so devoted to her art despite the naysayers, that she was good.

On the heels of two recent films about FFJ, a documentary and a feature film starring Meryl Streep, author Darryl Bullock has come out with this brief biography of the woman he calls the "delusional diva" (he is fond of such alliterative formulations). This book is not terribly well-written (see page 74 for an example of how not to write a paragraph), but it does have some insights into FFJ as both a person and as a phenomenon. For example, Bullock points out that FFJ was a product of the women's club milieu, which supported amateur performers' attempts to bring "culture" to the masses. He also mentions in passing that his heroine may have suffered from either late-stage syphilis or mercury poisoning, but he does not elaborate on either theory.

This book will be of interest to FFJ's new fans. ( )