I miss Julia Reed. This collection of her essays will educate and entertain you. She's got a sly eye while profiling someone and a sense of humor that can't be beat, especially when she turns it on herself. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A late night call sends a young woman on the adventure of a lifetime. You wonder about the sacrifices that journalists make in pursuit of insight and truth discoveries. When you read of the moments this young woman captures as she matures into a well respected story teller. Each story reveals how a story evolves as it offers us a look into the life the well known. Great reading for history enthusiasts.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

For those of you who don’t know who Julia Reed was - you are sorely missing out. One of the most entertaining essayists on politics, food, fashion and southern life, Ms. Reed was a once in a generation voice who was catapulted into fame for her piece as Newsweek intern covering the murder of the Scarsdale Diet Doctor.

Dispatches From the Gilded Age contains all of her essays and interviews from George Bush to Andre Leon Talley. It covers her take on fashion and food across the decades all with the warm voice of your favorite friend.

I wasn’t overly familiar with Reed’s work when I picked this up but I’m glad I did. Read in snippets, these essays were enjoyable and special and made for a delightful reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Dispatches from the Gilded Age: A Few More Thoughts on Interesting People, Far-Flung Places, and the Joys of Southern Comforts by Julia Reed is a fascinating book. Full of essays, this book chronicles the author’s personal experiences during a fascinating time. I think readers who enjoy memoirs will enjoy this book. Readers of true crime will also find this book intriguing. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Julia Reed would make my ultimate dinner party guest list, even if every detail would be under the microscope of her razor sharp scrutiny. I love her entertaining and cookbooks, and this posthumously published collection of essays delivers another side of Julia's writing - the journalistic. Her keen eye for detail, impeccable sense of place, wry to rollicking humor, and taste for the ironic are reflected in every piece. She's Martha Stewart meets Truman Capote at a Charleston heritage society gala.

I was not sure what to expect from this book. I enjoyed Julia Reed’s collection of observations, remembrances, and learning experiences. Most were very interesting and a nice length. One was way too long for my interest.

I rated this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

This collection of stories I was really hoping to love, it just felt fractured and i wasnt really able to get into it. Perhaps it was due to the stories and book being completed posthumously.

Yes, I received an advance copy- but how much did I love it? I will be buying this as a gift for so many!! In fact I have already ordered two!
Reading these essays is bittersweet as the author has passed, but they also serve as an enormous tribute to the life she lived and her generous invitation to all to join her in it via her essays.
Trying to pick a favorite— I think Accidental Africa, followed by Dis Engaged as a close second.
Treat yourself to this book which I promise will have a special spot on your “keeper shelf”.

This is a collection of essays written by the late Julia Reed edited by Everett Bexley. Ms Reed wrote on many topics for many outlets during her career and Mr. Bexley groups his selections by theme, beginning with Fashion and Beauty and ending with The South by way of Food, People and Adventures. I started reading at the beginning and then, when I got bored I skipped around the various departments. I still didn't find anything I liked. Ms Reed's background and interests are different from mine and I struggled to find a point of connection. I didn't finish the book and don't recommend it.

One truly strange thing is the intro by the Southern humorist Roy Blount Jr. Mr. Blount tries to use one-side of a phone conversation he overheard while visiting Ms Reed. I don't know if it is a failure of ARC punctuation or what, but I could not make hide nor hair of the episode.

I received a review copy of "Dispatches from the Gilded Age" from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com.

I wanted to love this book but I couldn’t. It as poorly written with no sense of continuity. I have loved her other work; was very disappointed

A series of essays by the late Julia Reed, whose work I was somehow unaware of before reading this book. The topics are wide-ranging, but mostly all fascinating--from politicians to travel to life in the South. Julia Reed has a distinctive voice (in writing and from what I've read, in speech) and these were mostly witty and amusing. For me, there are two strikes--her affinity for the republican party and her use of the term "Yankee." Please. It's 2022 (even if she did die in 2020, it was offensive then).

It's difficult reading first-person essays that you know the author wrote shortly before her death, not being familiar with her story and wondering if she knew how soon she was going to die. This is a good book to read to study the craft of the essay, as well as a reminder of how people of a certain age (mine) lived their lives in the 1980s and 1990s. #DispatchesfromtheGildedAge #NetGalley

I can't remember what impulse brought me to download this book since it turns out I was wholly unfamiliar with Julia Reed's work, but I found many of the essays in this book to be truly interesting. I particularly enjoyed all of the ones detailing fashion and beauty quests the author had undertaken, and the more personal ones about her family also radiated off the page. There were some essays that did drag a bit, and I do think that overall the book felt significantly longer than it was, but it was a treat to be introduced to the author's writing, even if I'm coming to her too late.

This collection of essays is best read in short increments. The author is now deceased but her writings live on. It shows a great insight into how people think and act, and it is funny in many ways to boot. I would recommend it for people who like funny, insightful essays!

I feel really mixed about this one. I love Julia's style of writing, but the content didn't appeal to me. I didn't want to read about how luxurious Nixon's inauguration was or how Kissinger was at these parties. I couldn't get into this and unfortunately couldn't finish it. However, if reading about Republicans schmoozing is something you can get past, the writing is lovely and easy to read!

A delightful read of a compilation of essays by the late Julia Reed edited by a longtime assistant, Everett Bexley. It begins with her first writing assignment while still as an intern summoning her to go to her alma mater where her former headmistress, Jean Harris, had just shot The Scarsdale Diet Doctor. Off she went and continued going until 2020. This is, in part, a memoir of her favorite things: interesting people, world travel, and her love of food and anything Southern—particularly her home in Louisiana and Mississippi.
In her writings, you will discover that she lived a life of extravagance and luxury while indulging her friends with her over abundance of alcohol at her parties and swag bags. Her interviews with influential people are filled with interesting antidotes about her interviewees from art patrons to political influencers. One of my favorite essays was her interview with Laura Bush while she was First Lady and was on a trip to New York with her twin daughters primarily of Reed’s ability to make it an almost folky read. Travel with her on a safari or a travel on a train with all women on their way to a conference (not her favorite trip). Her love of entertaining comes flowing through the pages as she writes of food and her beloved South; included are some southern recipes along with her mother’s and grandmother’s advice.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book; this is my honest review.

Though Julia Reed died in 2020, her words live on, and Dispatches from the Gilded Age provides great insight into the travels and life of Reed. This essay collection covers it all -- from fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to Jean Harris, the woman who murdered Dr. Herman Tarnower -- and this is just a small sample of what you'll find in this collection.

Like any essay collection, there were some stories that I enjoyed more than others (by that I mean anything dealing with Reed's southern roots), but all in all, Reed's quick wit and keen eye provide a fascinating look at someone who was privy to so much more than the average person. A fun and eclectic read. Hopefully there are more works in her archives for readers anxious to continue reading Reed's words.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for providing this electronic ARC of #DispatchesfromtheGildedAge.

Dispatches From the Gilded Age by Julia Reed
#fortyeighthbookof2022 #arc

This book is being posthumously published, as the author died in 2020. I’ve only read one book of Reed’s prior to this, and a lot of magazine columns, and I saw her speak a few years ago at a library event and really enjoyed it. So when the book started with a few essays I’d already read, I was disappointed. I also didn’t expect this to be a compilation of essays from so long ago, most the 90s. But then I read the chapter on Sister Helen Prejean, and it was fascinating. Then the next on Madeleine Albright, and I was hooked. I think her chapters on people (part 3 of the book) were more interesting than the others, followed by the ones detailing adventures (part 4). The later part of the book deals with more recent events, which I was relieved to see. The rest of the stories I could largely take or leave, but if you’ve never read a southern humorist, she’s not a bad author to start with. Just know that she was wealthy and very well connected, so she’s writing about quite a different lifestyle than the normal southerner has.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advance copy. (Pub date 8/23/22.)

What a plethora of carefully curated information that made for a solid, entertaining read. My thoughts were taken on a historical journey from chapter to chapter, never knowing what to expect, thereby heightening my anticipation. Julia Reed was a keen writer, endowed with a mind that is akin to a focal lens that took a snapshot of a current situation and expounded upon it in minute detail. I actually heard myself expressing my own commentary to her writings. She had me fully engaged.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters on fashion, beauty and food and was riveted by the chapter about Sister Helen Prejean. Some chapters were lighthearted and some were more serious in tone. But, you are guaranteed that each chapter is brimming with detailed information.

In summation, this was a lovely, light read I found highly entertaining. You will have to pick up a copy of this book and dive into it for yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 Stars!

I will never get over how much life I lived without knowing of Julia Reed. What a treasure of a human.
This is a collection of her work, edited by her long-time assistant, and it is a full treat. There are stories about Julia's international visits and plenty of Delta experiences. For a collection of essays, this is one of the best I've had the privilege to read through. I learned so much from her experiences, especially in Cuba.

Thank you to Macmillan + Netgalley for the early copy (the final has a much prettier cover, complete with Henry the beagle of course). Out August 23rd.

DISPATCHES FROM THE GILDED AGE
by Julia Reed
St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: Aug 23

As with most essay collections, some kept my interest others I simply skimmed through. The stories highlight the unique life of Julia Reed and others of the upper echelon in America. The style is kept to Reed's usual style and is easy to read.

Those interested in a behind-the-scenes look of an I can't believe people who live like this work will get satisfaction from reading this. I can also see it appealing to those with an interest in American history/cultural history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.