Edie: American Girl by Jean Stein Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Edie: American Girl
Book Review: Ciao Edie Baby
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book when it first came out and still have my tattered, dogeared copy. It is the breathless story of the poor little rich girl who became lost in the fabulous swirl of Warhol's 60's. On the outside, she was Edie, the Youth Quaker, on the inside she was a tragically lost girl who descended into the Stygian depths of fame, drugs, anorexia and tragedy. Each time I read this book, I kept wishing it could have been different somehow, that it could have a happy ending. A must read!Book Review: Comprehensive and Fascinating
Summary: 5 Stars
American Girl traces Sedgwick's ascent to counterculture fame, from her pampered childhood in California to her forays into film and modeling. Compiled interviews with her relatives, lovers, and friends trace the lineage of an entire family, re-create the "Silver Sixties" and provide an exhaustive account of Edie's life.
The Sedgwicks were an old-time wealthy family; Judge Theodore Sedgwick, "a political ally of Alexander Hamilton and George Washington," was Speaker of the House following the American Revolution. His descendants have been illustrious All-American lawyers, magnates, artists and actors - all beautiful and, it seems, all in serious emotional turmoil.
Edie was brought up in a fabulously luxurious but dysfunctional household. Her Cambridge classmates describe Edie's destructive relationship with her sculptor father, Francis "Duke" Sedgwick. In an attempt to resist Duke's stranglehold, Edie fled to New York at 19. There, she joined the pop art crowd and was Andy Warhol's muse from 1965 until 1966, when she left the Factory to pursue mainstream acting. She had, by all accounts, a marvelous screen presence, but in the end her acting career materialized solely in the inventive but forgettable 1972 release Ciao! Manhattan.
Following her failed attempt at movie stardom, Edie died at 28 of a barbiturate overdose. She never fulfilled her promise as a model, actress, or clothing designer - any of which, according to American Girl, she had the resources and potential to be. Sedgwick burst upon the art scene as an actress of great promise, only to die young as another drug casualty. Like many of her contemporaries, Edie faded away before burning out.
Stein's book also includes fascinating first-hand accounts of the social circles Sedgwick moved in. Interviews with members of America's elite upper class, the Factory crowd, and Edie's friends in a biker commune provide vivid descriptions of people and communities that have since changed drastically or ceased to exist. Stein warns readers that "Edie kept us all in different compartments," and that is accurate. Interviewees describe her alternately as cold and manipulative, loving and childlike, brilliant and boring. But whether readers consider Edie compelling or just another pretty face, American Girl provides insight on subcultures of wealthy moguls, starving artists, and everyone in between.
Book Review: Couldn't put it down
Summary: 5 Stars
Compelling biography - masterfully edited by Plimpton. Great glimpse into the world of the sixties. Edie was a fascinating, tragic personality. A must read.Book Review: Disturbing/fascinating look at a lost soul in pop-era NYcity
Summary: 5 Stars
As a small-town west coast preteen in the 60s and self-absorbed teen in the 70s I was peripherally aware of the "pop" scene in New York City (mostly from my mother shaking her head over the photos and stories in "Life" magazine). When "Edie" was published I ran across it in a book club review and it just sounded intriguing. I ended up reading "Edie" so many times the cover practically fell off. Then a few years ago it mysteriously vanished from my bookshelves -- did I lend it to someone who was as morbidly fascinated as I by the tragic rise and fall of "Warhol's little queen" (as the Cult song says)??? One thing's for sure: Edie was a victim of Warhol's astounding ego -- or madness -- sucked into the black hole of his twisted little soul. Of course, she came from a long line of borderline personalities in a high-society family. The excesses of the 60s were absolutely the end of the road -- or rope -- for many of these types. As one who "missed" the whole self-indulgent and uncontrolled scene, after reading "Edie" I finally realized that I'm much better off having just read about those times. It's a real collage of that generation's high-fliers and fringe dwellers that will not cease to amaze. So why am I writing this review now? I just heard the song I referred to earlier, the Cult's "Edie," and I am now ordering a new copy of the book. Plimpton's word-of-mouth writing style brings the viewpoints of so many people who were there it's like theater in the round, or something -- you see and experience the scene from every angle. You don't hear just from the heads and freaks, you hear from the spectrum of New York's inhabitants, plus many of Edie's kinfolk. I recommend the book to anyone who likes to see how the stranger half live and who wants to experience the story-book coming of age and final degradation of a fragile, lovely girl who was caught in the sordid vortex of the pop culture.Book Review: Edie Sedgwick: American Girl
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed the style in which this book was written, with excerpts of conversations of siblings and friends, people who knew Edie personally and the Sedgwick family history and revelation of mental illness that ran through generations. This book is excellent in getting to know the truth and is well written by Jean Stein and George Plimpton and is articulate in exposing the dynamics of this complex family and dysfunctional problems that existed within the family long before Edie entered Radcliffe and moved to New York City. The authors did an excellent job of chronicling every aspect of this generation of the Sedgwick family and introduced the reader to the famous "Sedgwick Pie" and is a personal perspective of this family's lineage. Even though it was written in 1982, this book does not read dated at all. In recent years it has been suggested that Edie may have suffered from a type of personality disorder, but there is no denying the mental illness that affected her father and two brothers. Interesting pictures of family, Edie, and friends are included as well. This is probably the best book ever written about this troubled girl.