Synopsis: “Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada as Renée Rosen draws readers into the glamour of 1965 New York City and Cosmopolitan Magazine, where a brazen new Editor-in-Chief–Helen Gurley Brown–shocks America by daring to talk to women about all things off limits…”
When I left NYC in June, I didn’t want to go. I saw such a small sliver of the city and wanted to keep exploring and relishing the city’s energy. This book was recommended by @katybellotte a while back and it was on my list for a while. After my trip, I decided it was time to pick it up.
This book follows Alice Weiss as she lands a job as the assistant to the new editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, which is failing and was previously run by men. While a lot of the events in this book are fiction, what is real is the lack of support that Helen Gurley Brown faced when she took over a failing magazine and decided to revolutionize the way it talked about women and their desires. A lot of her editorial decisions were challenged by men at the top, who thought talking about sex and desire and femininity would fail miserably. (Un)surprisingly, some of the initial issues that delved into women’s sexuality sold thousands more copies than previous issues. Helen’s opponents are stunned–the American public wants to read about casual sex, female pleasure, and contraception?! Alice’s reverence for Helen is palpable and I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow, particularly as the magazine started to succeed.
This is a light romp through 1960s NYC, a commentary on changing views on sexuality and morality, and an exploration of a young woman who moves to the city in search of glamour, success, and mentorship in work and in life.
Have you read this? 💛
PARK AVENUE SUMMER by Renée Rosen
Read It Like Rory 