"Dispatches from the Guilded Age" grips you from the beginning and paints a vivid picture through the individual essays that keeps you turning pages until the end. These stories create a vivid tapestry of Julia's life and is a joy to read.

This posthumously publication of essays are interesting as usual. One probably has to be from the deep south to appreciate her humor. Some are more entertaining than others. She certainly lived an exceptional life.

Dispatches from the Gilded Age is a compilation of essays by the late author Julia Reed. The book spans about 25 years and is divided by topics including travel, food and entertaining, fashion, the south, all from her unique personal viewpoint and written for various publications. I enjoyed reading most of them, and it is easy to skip a story if it doesn't interest you. The author lived a charmed life, with an abundance of fascinating experiences to share.

I received an ARC of, Dispatches from the Gilded Age, by Julia Reed. I could not get into this book. Me and Julia did not live the same way or the same time.

The phone rings in Julia Reed’s dorm and her boss at Newsweek wants her to drive to the Madeira School. Her former headmistress has shot the Scarsdale Diet doctor. So begins her research into finding out why. Other profiles, recipes, and great writing.

This was quite the collection of stories. I found some really good and interesting and others not so much.
It was a bit different than what I was expecting but still a good book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

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

Oh how I enjoyed journalist Julia Reed's essays from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Her most famous story was her first, when as a Newsweek intern, she was called by her boss to go ASAP to her alma mater, where Jean Harris, former headmistress, had just shot Herman Tarnower, The Scarsdale Diet Doctor. It was March, 1980. That shocking event launched her storied career and began America's second Gilded Age.

Reed interviews many luminaries of the day: President George Bush and First Lady Laura; Madeleine Albright; Sister Helen Prejean; Vogue's Andre Leon Talley. She travels to such exotic sites as Cuba and Africa, and shows us great fashion, good eats, and her much-loved South.

Beautifully written, absorbing and fun, Dispatches from the Gilded Age took me happily through Reed's life as a chronicler of fascinating decades gone by. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

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Dispatches from the Gilded Age by Julia Reed is a collection of essays that are enjoyable to read before bed, especially when you don't have the energy for literature that requires concentration. The collection of 33 essays is divided by subject into seven parts, with titles such as In Fashion and Beauty, People, Adventures, The South, Food and Feasting.
The essay which made a lasting impression on me was the one on Helen Prejean, an eighty-two-year-old nun from Baton Rouge and the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States who worked to stop the death penalty. I think that anyone who reads Dispatches from the Gilded Age should, first of all, read this essay. Julia Reed states: “I thought I believed in the death penalty, but I read the manuscript of her book anyway - trailing pages through airports across the country as I flew on a series of planes - and by the time I'd reached my destination, the conviction of a lifetime had been overturned”.
Another very interesting, although completely different article, is the one on Madeleine Albright, former US secretary of state who just left us on March 23, 2022. There is also an entertaining and inspiring text on André Leon Talley, an American fashion journalist, who was the first African-American male creative director of Vogue. And I must also mention a fashion essay which emphasizes the importance of red lipstick. It is such a fun piece!
Good stories about interesting personalities, a few serious topics, and relaxing themes of fashion - all sprinkled with a pinch of humor - this is Julia Reed's recipe for a good book that can give the reader a moment of respite from the never-ending and often overwhelming problems of the world around us.

Not the biggest fan of this one. Had a slow and choppy start that almost made me DNF but recovered partway through and was able to mostly hold my attention!

In the middle of the night on March 11, 1980, the phone rang in Julia Reed’s Georgetown dorm. It was her boss at Newsweek, where she was an intern. He told her to get in her car and drive to her alma mater, the Madeira School. Her former headmistress, Jean Harris, had just shot Dr. Herman Tarnower, The Scarsdale Diet Doctor. Julia didn’t flinch. She dressed, drove to Madeira, got the story, and her first byline and the new American Gilded Age was off and running.

This book was engaging and funny at times! There are 30 essays and they're more interesting than the last. Obviously the The Scarsdale DietDoctor story was the one that pulled me in on NetGalley but there are so many great stories of travel, people she's met and her journey throughout her career. I would definitely recommend to any journalist whether they just be starting out or seasoned, as this is extremely relatable!

I was given a NetGalley ARC for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher!

What a treasure this memorial is. I did not know who Julia Reed was prior to reading but her essays invite you right into her southern roots and simultaneously fabulous upper east side taste. I believe these two characteristics make her perspective on historical events, politics, etc unique. She has a comical edge to her more serious stories but can equally draw you in with light stories of her childhood or with a simple recipe. I can’t wait to share this book with others

In the middle of the night on March 11, 1980, the phone rang in Julia Reed’s Georgetown dorm. It was her boss at Newsweek, where she was an intern. He told her to get in her car and drive to her alma mater, the Madeira School. Her former headmistress, Jean Harris, had just shot Dr. Herman Tarnower, The Scarsdale Diet Doctor. Julia didn’t flinch. She dressed, drove to Madeira, got the story, and her first byline and the new American Gilded Age was off and running.

And so begins this collection of essays from Julia Reed. A Southern Treasure.

I remember the Scarsdale Diet and the shooting of the doctor and the trial. Such drama! With one century ending and another beginning, Julia gives us a look at so many people, places, and food! Those hot olives!!

So many of her best profiles. One of which we just lost today as I write this. Andre’ Leon Talley. A veritable who’s who of the time. The Bush family, Madeleine Albright, and so many more. Dining at favorite restaurants, what food was popular as well as the fashions of the time.

Her writing style is relatable as well as hilarious at times. This is one of those books that you find yourself reading again. As a Mississippi former resident, I loved this book. The South at its finest.

NetGalley/August 23rd, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press

Julia Reed had a wonderful talent when she reported on a story I was immediately drawn in by her writing her descriptions her flair.From the Tarnow murder to fashion entertaining she had a special eye.She had amazing style and taste this is a perfect collection of her writing.#netgalley #st.Martins

What a treat to have this collection of Julia's Reed's writings compiled and presented as a testament to her erudition. The manner in which this book was organized, separated into categories such as Fashion and Beauty, People, and Adventures, humbly downplay the enchanting stories and observations contained on the pages within. Reed was a gifted writer with great wit, empathy for her subjects and appreciation the often rarified circumstances in which she found herself and was kind enough to memorialize in print for her readers. I truly enjoyed reading this compilation.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful advance review copy.