Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.
Today’s sparkling feature is from a book on this week’s reading list: My Salinger Year, by Joanna Rakoff.
Intros: (All of Us Girls)
There were hundreds of us, thousands of us, carefully dressing in the gray morning light of Brooklyn, Queens, the Lower East Side, leaving our apartments weighed down by tote bags heavy with manuscripts, which we read as we stood in line at the Polish bakery, the Greek deli, the corner diner, waiting to order our coffee, light and sweet, and our Danish, to take on the train, where we would hope for a seat so that we might read more before we arrived at our offices in midtown, Soho, Union Square. We were girls, of course, all of us girls, emerging from the 6 train at Fifty-First Street and walking past the Waldorf-Astoria, the Seagram Building on Park, all of us clad in variations on a theme—the neat skirt and sweater, redolent of Sylvia Plath at Smith—each element purchased by parents in some comfortable suburb, for our salaries were so low we could barely afford our rent, much less lunch in the vicinities of our offices or dinners out, even in the cheap neighborhoods we’d populated, sharing floor-throughs with other girls like us, assistants at other agencies or houses or the occasional literary nonprofit. All day we sat, our legs crossed at the knee, on our swivel chairs, answering the call of our bosses, ushering in writers with the correct mixture of enthusiasm and remove, never belying the fact that we got into this business not because we wanted to fetch glasses of water for visiting writers but because we wanted to be writers ourselves, and this seemed the most socially acceptable way to go about doing so, though it was already becoming clear that this was not at all the way to go about doing so….
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Teaser: As the train raced me up to midtown to the Agency, I suddenly thought of Mark David Chapman. Had he written a fan letter—fan letters?—to Salinger? Had the 1980 or 1979 version of me methodically opened a plain white envelope and found a crazed rant? (p. 74).
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Poignant, keenly observed, and irresistibly funny: a memoir about literary New York in the late nineties, a pre-digital world on the cusp of vanishing, where a young woman finds herself entangled with one of the last great figures of the century.
At twenty-three, after leaving graduate school to pursue her dreams of becoming a poet, Joanna Rakoff moves to New York City and takes a job as assistant to the storied literary agent for J. D. Salinger. She spends her days in a plush, wood-paneled office, where Dictaphones and typewriters still reign and old-time agents doze at their desks after martini lunches. At night she goes home to the tiny, threadbare Williamsburg apartment she shares with her socialist boyfriend. Precariously balanced between glamour and poverty, surrounded by titanic personalities, and struggling to trust her own artistic instinct, Rakoff is tasked with answering Salinger’s voluminous fan mail. But as she reads the candid, heart-wrenching letters from his readers around the world, she finds herself unable to type out the agency’s decades-old form response. Instead, drawn inexorably into the emotional world of Salinger’s devotees, she abandons the template and begins writing back. Over the course of the year, she finds her own voice by acting as Salinger’s, on her own dangerous and liberating terms.
Rakoff paints a vibrant portrait of a bright, hungry young woman navigating a heady and longed-for world, trying to square romantic aspirations with burgeoning self-awareness, the idea of a life with life itself. Charming and deeply moving, filled with electrifying glimpses of an American literary icon, My Salinger Year is the coming-of-age story of a talented writer. Above all, it is a testament to the universal power of books to shape our lives and awaken our true selves.
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That intro is a very long series of meandering sentences, so I didn’t quite manage a whole paragraph. Aside from that issue, what do you think? Would you keep reading?
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I don’t generally read memoirs anymore, but the opening and teaser you shared certainly caught my interest. They both really set the scene, don’t they? Or rather the culture.
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Definitely, despite the lengthy sentences…LOL. Or maybe because of them. I don’t read a lot of memoirs, but I’m drawn to those that highlight authors’ lives and/or the publishing world. Thanks for visiting, Wendy.
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I’m not entirely sure this book is for me but that opening did capture my attention, more than I thought it would. Here is my Tuesday post https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/first-chapter-first-paragraph-september-8/
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Thanks, Cleopatra, and we can’t all be drawn to the same books! LOL. Glad you could stop by.
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I like the first paragraph a lot. It had the feel of maybe the 1950s/60s? I’d love to keep reading.
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Yes, it does, doesn’t it? Thanks for stopping by, Margot.
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I like the sound of this though not sure it wouldn’t end up being a struggle. The words are lovely but, as you said, the sentences meander. A whole book might be difficult as a result.
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I hope it isn’t, Emma, but I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for stopping by.
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I really liked the writing in the opener, so even not really knowing what it is about, I would give it a try. Here here!
My opener is posted over here, if you’re interested: http://www.bookpunks.com/so-it-begins-the-daylight-gate-by-jeanette-winterson/
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Thanks, Nikki, glad you enjoyed it, and I’m off to check on yours.
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I like the premise and the opener. I started in the business in the 80s — in the days before email. 🙂
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Oh, yes, those days before email are hard to imagine now, but I do recall them as well. And even before PCs, when we had to work with typewriters. Thanks for stopping by, Candace. Enjoy your pick!
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What a great visual, I’m picturing a 1960s setting. I hadn’t realized it was a memoir until I read someone’s comment. I’d read more.
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Yes, I am eager to find out more, Diane; thanks for stopping by….and for hosting!
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Sounds happily nostalgic. I’d like to read this one.
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Nostalgia can be a good thing. I’m rediscovering the 60s on Netflix, with Mad Men, so I am eager to find out more about Salinger’s times. Thanks for visiting, Catherine.
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I remember those days too! I have this book, started it and got distracted by something else. I may try to locate it.
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Thanks, Nise, and I’ve gotten distracted from books, too, even the ones I eventually read and love. Glad you could stop by.
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oh this sounds like a great read!
trish – my teaser
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I think so, too, Trish…thanks for visiting!
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This sounds like a fascinating snapshot from the past. I’m curious about this side of publishing.
Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Sandy @ TEXAS TWANG
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I do love books that take me back, as well. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your book!
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The secretarial description sure brought back memories!
Thanks for stopping by mine for Graveyard Dust at http://wp.me/pZnGI-ps
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For me, too, Dagny…secretarial duties bought my way through my first two years of college! And then again, before I found a job on my career path afterwards. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your book.
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Despite the length, it’s quite a relatable chunk of the book! 🙂
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I agree, Laura…thanks for stopping by!
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Boy, she certainly took a risk. I couldn’t have done it.(:
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Thanks, Hattie…glad you could stop by!
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I’ve had this book recommended to me several times, but never took the time to read the intro or excerpts. Now I can see why my friends thought I might like it – love the intro, the images it brings to mind, and I’m familiar with the locations mentioned. I’d definitely keep reading this one!
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Thanks for stopping by, JoAnn…hope we both love it!
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I’ve read about this book, and it looks like something I’d really like. The intro really captured my imagination, so I’d keep reading!
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I am looking forward to it, also…thanks for stopping by, Monica.
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Ooooh, I’ve been curious about this one, Laurel; thanks for sharing this one! I would definitely keep reading!
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Thanks for stopping by, Tara….glad you like what you read.
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Hmm…not sure if I would like this one. Thanks for stopping by my teaser!
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No worries, Heather…thanks for stopping by!
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I’ve never heard of this before and don’t generally go for memoirs, but I’m very intrigued! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My TT: https://thebookbrief.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/teaser-tuesday-21/
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This one really isn’t my style. I can see some trouble coming if she is getting away from the form letter. Happy reading!
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Yes, I limit the memoirs I read…this one seemed to resonate. Thanks for stopping by, Emma.
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Sounds good to me.
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2015/09/teaser-tuesday_8.html
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Thanks, Mary Ann…enjoy your pick!
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Interesting beginning. It actually reminds me of Plath’s writing and I’m always intrigued by the publishing world so I think I’d enjoy this story. It really moves along right from the beginning.
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I think so, too, Ms. M….thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your pick.
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Interesting teaser!
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Thanks, Yvonne, I think so too!
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Some interesting stuff there, but it doesn’t look like one I’d likely pick up. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting my Teaser this week!
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Thanks, Kym, glad you could stop by.
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