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Publication
Description
Essays. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:The bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book is back with this delightfully entertaining collection of her best and brightest profiles. Acclaimed New Yorker writer Susan Orlean brings her wry sensibility, exuberant voice, and peculiar curiosities to a fascinating range of subjectsâ??from the well known (Bill Blass) to the unknown (a typical ten-year-old boy) to the formerly known (the 1960s girl group the Shaggs). Passionate people. Famous people. Short people. And one championship show dog named Biff, who from a certain angle looks a lot like Bill Clinton. Orlean transports us into the lives of eccentric and extraordinary charactersâ??like Cristina Sánchez, the eponymous bullfighter, the first female matador of Spainâ??and writes with such insight and candor that readers will feel as if theyâ??ve met each and every one of them. The result is a luminous and joyful tour of the human condition as seen through the eyes of the writer heralded by the Chicago Tribune as a â??journ… (more)
User reviews
In addition, she interviews a hapless girl band from the 50s, a prize stud showdog, Spain's celebrity female bullfighter, and many other quirky and unexpected people.
I do appreciate Orlean's detachment. Seldom do we get glimpses of her personality, or even of her strategies re' meeting up with these ppl and getting them to share their lives and perspectives with her. Iow, she's the opposite of Bill Bryson, which I appreciate *very* much.
And these are 'extraordinary' people. Then again, they're extraordinary in the sense that millions of ppl are. Her essays help a reader to realize that everyone has a story, everyone we meet could very well have something going on in their lives worth writing & reading about.
Otoh, these mini-bios are also fluffy. I had to flip through the book to pull up examples for these comments, as I've already forgotten most of the folks profiled. The few I remember were the few I googled, to find out 'where are they now.' ... So... one good thing about it being a relatively old book is that it is of historical interest. What was it like for a popular professional clown in NYC to manage his schedule, and his assistants' schedules, with no cell or car phone, for example? And it's maybe good that we can google our favorite personalities and learn more about them, and check whether they were successful.
So. 2.5 stars, rounded up because it's not Orleans' fault that I don't live in NYC and didn't read this closer to when it came out, in 2000. Still, not particularly recommended.
I especially liked the stories on the Southern Gospel singers & their traveling show, The Fish Market window designer, the ten-year old "perfect America
The other stories were interesting as well... I certainly wanted more about the Torera, it was definitely lacking personal input.....
The Library I work in does not own a copy, but they will tomorrow as I am adding the one I got from the book sale to the collection!