Posts
I Only Mark the Hours that Shine--- Little Edie's childhood diary of 1929,
By
This
review is from: I Only Mark the Hours That Shine, Little Edie's Diary
1929 (Hardcover)
I checked this book out at the public library and
finished it in a few hours. I am relieved that I didn't fork over the $35 to purchase it since it's a slip of a read. Little Edie was certainly precocious for her age and faithful about recording her life as it played out daily in 1929.
That year marks the beginning of America's Great Depression as people were driven to despair and sometimes suicide after the crash of the stock market.
Meanwhile, the Beale's were living the life of royalty between their NY Park Ave apartment and mansion in East Hampton.
Edie was largely kept out of school at the behest of her mother who needed a companion to attend whirlwind European shopping sprees with her.
Edie was the star of her lavish 11th year old birthday party and the instigator of much drama among the other princesses who fawned over the future stockbrokers of Wall Street with whom she played with at the Maidstone Club. Edie is firm in her resolve not to marry even at that age and the future fashionista is already in evidence as Edie describes her lavish, massive wardrobe to the T.
The girl had more clothes than some suburban Saks Fifth Avenue retail floors and wasn't shy about spouting off desires to own more.
The diary occurs in a long forgotten slice of life revealed in the documentary Grey Gardens as it indicates evidence of Big Edie and Phelan's marriage.
The family was together even if dysfunctional for a brief moment in time.
The majority of the book was written during Little Edie's many sojourns to East Hampton although Grey Gardens is never mentioned by name.
While she was kept home from school for one after another of many maladies, she reflected on her Uncle Jack's wife's impending pregnancy to what readers will identify as the birth of Jacqueline Bouvier.
Little Edie was originally groomed to become the It girl that fell to her younger cousin's shoulders and readers will clearly see how such a pampered society position is prepared in prepubesence with Edie's musings.
6 of 6 people found the following review
helpful
5.0 out of 5
stars I Only Mark
the Hours That Shine, Little Edie's Diary 1929, January 11,
2011
This
review is from: I Only Mark the Hours That Shine, Little Edie's Diary
1929 (Hardcover)
So much has been written and spoken about Edith Beale
and her daughter Little Edie, some of it truthful and some of it speculation. After all, there was the Grey Gardens documentary done by the Maysles and a movie of the same name with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore playing the roles of mother and daughter.
The diary written by Little Edie when she was just a young girl, is captivating and gives the reader an amazing view of what life was like for this socialite as she was growning up. It's a wonderful read and if you were drawn into their world by other sources, you won't be able to put the book down.
Little Edie was being groomed into a life of privledge, scattered with the ordinary experiences young girls have, disappointments but always with love. The reader won't believe how intelligent Little Edie was and her command of the English language. I had to keep reminding myself that she was just 11 years old.
Once the reader starts this book, they won't be able to put it down! I could picture all the goings on Edie wrote about with her family members. Her extended family members, one being Jackie Kennedy make this story even more interesting.
Thankfully, the Beale family had enough love to let us all in on this amazing story.
They also shared wonderful memories of the Beale family with a beautiful book; Edith Bouvier Beale of Grey Gardens A Life in Pictures. It is so worth reading.
7 of 7 people found the following review
helpful
5.0 out of 5
stars Excellent,
heartwarming, and thoughtful window to the past., October 18,
2010
By
This
review is from: I Only Mark the Hours That Shine, Little Edie's Diary
1929 (Hardcover)
Most people know Edith Bouvier Beale from the Maysles
brothers' captivating 1975 documentary "Grey Gardens," in which she and her
mother bravely shared their lovably quirky daily life and unconventional values
through a fascinating and complex relationship. Relatives of First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, "Little Edie" and "Big Edie" continue to provide an
inspiring story that has since been adapted into an HBO movie starring Drew
Barrymore and Jessica Lange. Now, Bouvier Beale Jr., the first grandson of Big
Edie and the eldest nephew of Little Edie, has teamed up with his wife of 30
years, Eva Marie Beale, to bring us even more from Little Edie: "I Only Mark the
Hours That Shine: Little Edie's Diary - 1929."Long before she set the precedent for modern-day shabby chic in the "Grey Gardens" documentary, Edith Bouvier Beale faithfully documented her affluent youth during the Roaring Twenties. Set against a backdrop of salons, theaters, exclusive clubs, and private beaches, Little Edie's passionate account primes the canvas for her equally unusual and fascinating adulthood. A writer, model, socialite, and the epitome of the modern woman, Little Edie continues to serve as a muse, even after her death in 2002. She's since inspired a Tony Award-winning musical, an HBO movie, and a song by Rufus Wainwright.
The elaborate life of Grey Gardens` own Little Edie is chronicled in her newly published 1929 childhood diary, which reveals the roots of her creative genius and trademark eccentricity, providing an endearing and touching chronicle of her childhood while setting the stage for who she would become later in life. Highly recommended read for any fan of "Grey Gardens," the Edies, or anyone interested in the history of childhood. Simply put, it's wonderful!
15 of 16 people found the following review
helpful
5.0 out of 5
stars A Must-Read
for Grey Gardens Fan -- Amazing Perspective, August 6,
2010
By
Aimee Fuller "San Diego Reader" (San Diego,
CA USA) - See
all my reviews
This
review is from: I Only Mark the Hours That Shine, Little Edie's Diary
1929 (Hardcover)
If you were expecting the diary of a typical
11-year-old, then you don't know Little Edie. This keepsake is perfectly framed
by Bouvier Beale's (Edie's eldest nephew) intro, suggesting that it would
already be interesting to get a glimpse into the privileged life of this
NYC/East Hampton family from a child this age in 1929. And from indeed, coming
from Little Edie, it really is something special.I loved hearing about the back and forth shifting between the city and "the country." Every day seemed to be filled with movies, shopping, sodas and tons of love between mother and daughter.
What fun to hear a young Little Edie go on vacation and complain that way too many of the other guests were "common."
We also get some perspectives on romance as we see one of her first loves through her eyes, and can those eyes ROLL when she gets unwanted attention from other young suitors.
The book jacket is beautiful. The only photos in this book are on the front and back cover, but you must get the oversized "Edith Bouvier Beale: A Life in Pictures" which was previously published by the family. It's a must-have as well.
Many thanks to Bouvier and Eva for publishing this. I only hope there are other diaries to be transcribed in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment