Edie Factory Girl by David Dalton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Edie Factory Girl
Book Review: No "Lightning" Here
Summary: 3 Stars
How anyone could produce a photo book on Edie Sedgwick and manage to make it this dull is beyond me. Graphically, it's an eyesore--the too-small font, which appears in a myriad of colors and sizes, is difficult to read at least half the time, and the photos--far from capturing Edie at her peak as the product description reads, are largely unflattering, showing a tired and pasty looking girl in rumpled babydoll nighties-- devoid of the energy that made her so enchanting-- A falling star is depicted, rather than a rising one.
Her "peak" had undoubtedly already passed, in '64-65, and photos of her from that time are vibrant, vivid and inspiring. Although great photos of Edie continued to be taken (most famously from the original "Ciao! Manhattan" shoot), by '66-'67, the damage she was doing to herself was beginning to show.
In her best photos, she is alive, awake, alert and uniquely responsive to those around her. These photos, although some are undoubtedly good, are largely culled from only a few sessions, many showing her in a twilight haze that quite frankly is depressing, seldom looking at anyone, unfocused, daydreaming into space or looking down, not interacting with, but removed from her environment, forever applying makeup and seemingly lost in her own world. Lost she may have been, but she left a better photographic legacy than this. The Edie: Girl on Fire book comes considerably closer to catching some of her lightning in a bottle, is a better read, and infinitely more of a feel-good affair.
Book Review: Nooo Good
Summary: 1 Stars
this book is nothing but trash and lies. i want my money back. nat finklestein is a bitter, old manBook Review: Nothing new
Summary: 1 Stars
This book is actually somewhat of a rip-off. Many of the quotes are from the book "Edie", which most people who would buy this book have probably already read. Though most of the pictures are candids, they are unlear, dull and don't give you any impression of Edie whatsoever. They are almost like bad pictures you might find in your basement that you meant to throw out. I was very dissapointed in this book. It's clearly another bad cash-in on Edie's posthumous fame.Book Review: Overtime at the Factory
Summary: 1 Stars
As I've stated in a few of my reviews, I'm a huge Edie Sedgwick fan, so any book with Edie in it will automatically be bought and poured over endlessly. Now, I wanted to like this book. I really, really did, but some of the text is off putting and only dampens the whole spirit of Edie. Most die-hard Edie fans know that there are two camps of people who had the privilege of knowing Edie and who are still alive and kicking. For what I'm sure are a myriad of reasons, both camps loathe each other. Not surprisingly, each camp released a book that was perfectly timed with the released of the Sienna Miller (unintentional) disaster flick "Factory Girl". Some of that distaste (or feud, if you will) comes through in this book which makes for an uncomfortable vibe. There's so few people who made it through that era alive that it's quite disappointing that they all can't just put their petty differences aside and quit the one-upmanship game.
Edie wasn't a figure to be wholly admired, but I don't think she was figure to be mocked or ridiculed either. She had her problems and she wasn't perfect. None of us are. She may very well have been a vapid little thing, but I don't think anyone who lived their life as unapologetically and open as she did should dismissed. In my opinion, that's what this book does. I don't think anyone who takes the time to write or at the very least contribute to a book about a person should dislike them. They should have some affection for the subject and that just doesn't come through here which leaves me wondering why the book was released to begin with. The pictures are fantastic, but as others have stated, they've been seen and released countless times before. Again, I wanted to like this book, but aside from a few rude and thoughtless comments and a few (and I mean a few!) unseen photos, this book doesn't have a whole lot to offer.
Book Review: This book is TRASH
Summary: 1 Stars
DO NOT buy this book. There is nothing new here, the photos are all recycled and there is no meaningful insight into Edie besides some underlying bitterness. Save your money and buy Edie: American Girl for an honest biographical look at Edie and Edie: Girl on Fire which is a great, large book with many rare photos and quotes from the people who knew her best. Ditch this book and save your money.