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Hothouse: The Art Of Survival And The Survival Of Art At America's Most Celebrated Publishing House, Farrar, Straus, And Giroux (2013)

by Boris Kachka(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1451691920 (ISBN13: 9781451691924)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: This isn't a bad book. It is clearly exhaustively researched and contains some good and interesting information. But getting through the entire volume is an exhausting slog. It is not entirely the author's fault. The book covers many decades and hundreds of people. After a while, the endless litany of personalities and unconnected anecdotes blur together until a reader ceases caring. I read the book cover to cover, as I always do when reading. But perhaps this book would be more interesting if a reader just opened to a random page, skimmed a few vignettes, and then picked another random page. It is a good reference, perhaps, but not a great read.
review 2: This is a weak four star. I enjoyed the history of the fabled publishing house, which developed from a str... moreuggling small firm to a proud powerhouse of famous, award winning authors. The success can be attributed to the larger-than-life Roger Straus, who, despite as irascible and somewhat coarse personality, had an uncanny knack for finding and developing talented authors, as well as editors. The book jumps about a bit (it could use a bit of editing) and gives editor Robert Giroux somewhat short shrift. The book is gossipy and funny, but sometimes assumes you are more familiar with the literary scene than the average reader. I had to look up a number of authors, which was an education in itself. In one instance, Kachka writes about an award winning author and fails to mention the name of the book. You develop a growing admiration for Straus, especially his willingness to stick with struggling authors. His focus was not the bottom line. There is lots of color, and Jonathon Franzen's brush-up with Oprah Winfrey is covered in some detail. Thomas Friedman comes off as a boor. All in all, Hothouse provides an entertaining insider look at the literary world through the story of Ferrar, Straus and Giroux and its literary stars, including Isaac Bashevis Singer, Jack Kerouac, Flannery O'Connnor, Tom Wolfe, Susan Sontag, Seamus Heaney, and Mario Vargas Llosa. less

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