This week, our members share their thoughts on Julietta Henderson's quirky and uplifting debut novel, which follows a twelve-year-old boy and his mother on a road trip through Scotland, The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman.

The subject of our latest Editor's Choice review is Paulina Bren's The Barbizon, a look at the legendary New York hotel for women, which served as a residence for figures ranging from Sylvia Plath to the "unsinkable" Molly Brown. The accompanying "beyond the book" article explores the history of Mademoiselle magazine, which flourished under the editorial direction of one notable Barbizon resident, Betsy Talbot Blackwell.

We also bring you the results of our latest survey to discover book club members' favorite books of 2020 and their all-time favorite authors.

Very best,

Davina

Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.

"Twelve-year-old Norman and his single mom, Sadie, are narrators who take the reader along on a car trip through Scotland, with their 80-year-old friend Leonard, a trip that has disaster written all over it from the outset. The twin goals of the trip are to find Norman's biological father, one of four former acquaintances of Sadie, and to allow Norman, an aspiring but not funny comedian, to fulfill his dream of performing his comedy routine at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to honor his recently deceased best friend, Jax, who indeed had real comedic talent... I laughed, I cried and I felt as if I were right there through all the zigs and zags of this amazing adventure. This is an uplifting and optimistic read for the times we are in. Book clubs and everyone else should enjoy it." - Laura C. (Woodworth, LA)

"How can a book simultaneously warm your heart and break your heart? The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman did just that—and I loved every word. I've never 'met' as charming a protagonist as the title character—you will laugh with him and his mother, Sadie, and cry with them... Over the course of the book, the two learn that grief need not define their lives; the message is that joy can always be found, even following the depths of sorrow. Part coming-of-age story, part odyssey, the book will leave you reeling like you've been gut-punched, but the journey will have been worth it. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to balance out the melancholy undertones; despite the sad event that occurs in the beginning... the book is ultimately uplifting. This is perhaps one of my favorite books I've read over the past year." - Hilary D. (Pittsburgh, PA)

"I loved this book. When I first started reading, I thought the plot would be somewhat formulaic, but I was quickly proved wrong. Sadie and Norman are a wonderfully human family that you can't help but root for as they carry on both their literal and figurative journeys. The ending was bittersweet and uplifting in equal measures. This is a book with a wonderful message about life, dreams and love, making it a great read for these pandemic times." - Cherryl V. (San Francisco, CA)

The just-published issue of The BookBrowse Review, our twice-monthly membership magazine, is packed with new reviews and articles; plus author interviews, recommendations for book clubs and previews of notable books publishing over the next two weeks.

Find out more!

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Esteemed historian and Vassar professor Paulina Bren brings the legendary Barbizon Hotel to life on the pages of her delightful new book. The hotel that "set women free" was built in 1927 on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street in New York City. The 1920s, according to Bren, was "the decade of women's residential hotels." These establishments had popped up everywhere, and while the Barbizon was not the first, it was certainly the most glamorous.

William H. Silk, who had already designed another hotel for women, the Allerton, developed the Barbizon. While he wanted the exterior to be masculine in a gothic style, he made certain that the interior had a feminine quality, opting for delicate colors and French-style furnishings. The Barbizon residents were also intended to be unlike many of the guests at similar hotels. While the Allerton welcomed female physicians, lecturers and politicians, Silk wanted the Barbizon to attract a new type: the young woman chasing her dreams to and in New York City. ... continued

Beyond the Book: Mademoiselle in the Days of Betsy Talbot Blackwell and the Barbizon

I may well be the only woman who regrets not having lived in the early and middle decades of the 20th century. Sure, a woman was barely respected in her own kitchen, but she lived in the days when you still got dressed up to go to the grocery store. She lived in the days when there was still money in writing, when flight attendants passed out postcards so passengers could write to their families and friends mid-flight, and when the magazine Mademoiselle had highly coveted guest editor positions for young, smart and ambitious women. These were the days when Betsy Talbot Blackwell was the editor-in-chief of the magazine and resided at the Barbizon Hotel, which is so inextricably linked to Mademoiselle that it is impossible to tell the story of one without the other.

Blackwell was born in New York in 1905 (although she famously wouldn't speak about her age) and was the editor-in-chief of Mademoiselle from 1937-1971. Not only did she quadruple sales of the magazine, which was drowning before she charged to the rescue, but she revolutionized the art of magazine publishing for women. ... continued

Read more articles about People, Eras & Events

Review and article by Kate Oberdorfer

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