An early writing. Well written, well researched - but not about a nice person in any obvious way, without being nasty, without really being interesting. Rather read Gertrude Stein or the Alice Toklas Cookbook. Or that great book about the history of the New Yorker by Brendan Gill. Not a book to recommend - or pass on. I was amazed it arrived, ordered by post on a whim, so I had to read it. ( )

A relatively straightforward biography of the long-time writer for the New Yorker, and fixture on the Paris literary scene. The author does not shy away from some of the more unpleasant aspects of Janet Flanner's character; Flanner comes across as someone that was rather manipulative and inconstant in her personal life, and subject to maddening habit in her writing that must have made working with her a martyrdom. Still, you get a sense of why Flanner was an intriguing writer, and it goes beyond having a good editor. Might be recommended for those interested in literary history, but not a book of broad appeal. ( )