The Fame Lunches
by
Daphne Merkin
Order:
USA
Can
Picador, 2015 (2014)
Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book
Reviewed by Bob Walch
I
t has been more than fifteen years since she published her last collection of essays, so it has been a long wait. But the former staff writer for
The New Yorker
has released another wide-ranging collection of her work that touches on every aspect of contemporary culture, from writers and other celebrities to more mundane subjects like money, sex and handbags.
O
ver forty short pieces showcase Merkin's wit, candor and penetrating intelligence as she ruminates about everything from lip gloss, our obsession with pets and flirting to Princess Diana and Michael Jackson.
T
he author knows and has interviewed a lot of celebrities so don't be surprised that there are many accounts of these encounters included in this book. From Sandra Dee, Diane Keaton and Betty Friedan to Truman Capote, Richard Burton and John Updike, these profiles account for many pages.
M
erkin describes herself as someone who has '
been something of a bifurcated, high/low girl from the very start, as you'll see from this compilation, someone as intrigued by the superficial as by the culturally momentous.
'
R
ead this book in any manner you'd like. Either select random chapters or go from cover to cover. No matter your approach, you'll probably enjoy the insights, commentary and observations that these short selections are filled with. If nothing else, leave it on your nightstand and try and few pages when sleep is slow in coming!
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