I enjoyed Gay Talese’s A Town Without Time the way I enjoyed A. J. Liebling, E.B. White or even Ian Frazier’s writing about New York, though I’ve only been there twice. He chases his tail all around the city visiting store fronts, back alleys, waterfronts, bridges but mostly people. From interview to interview he meets and greets the denizens by the dozen, obliging them a place by noting their vocalizations, some of which are more interesting than others. I won’t say it is a frantic cab ride but it is no leisurely stroll on the boardwalk. If I haven’t said enough to entice you to read this book, I’ve another shortcoming. Add it to the pile. Do yourself a couple favors, though, read this book and keep loving New York.

A Town Without Time by Gay Talese, this is a collection of the authors journalism articles from the 60s on into the 80s it’s like getting a newspaper with all your favorite interest stories included from a well off homeless woman to how the author acquired the home he would raise his family in to Frank Sinatra in the one thing that could stop him in his tracks as well as other things that worry the crooner to much much more I found these stories every one of them was so interesting especially the first one his writing is sometimes beautiful sometimes quirky but always something you want to keep reading until the end. There’s even the last story about the history of mariner books and all the famous titles from Virginia Woolf to the color purple and much much more. I really enjoyed this book it definitely recommend it. #NetGalley #MarinerBooks,#GayTalese, #aTownWithout Time,

It’s always hard to rate a great book that you just didn’t enjoy. Talese is unquestionably an amazing writer. Each article here is flawless and vividly recreates the world through his eyes, in a way that makes it real and brings the past back to life. But this volume is described as “a collection of his greatest reporting on New York City” and, while some parts do talk about the Big Apple, this is mostly about the people who live there (and elsewhere). I enjoyed the articles but when they went into the matter at length, they lost me. Even the one about Tony Bennet or Frank Sinatra included too much information. Readers who enjoy the type of journalism from the golden period will really enjoy this. I am not that reader.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Mariner Books Classics.

Certain fans of long-form journalism the likes of which you find in The New Yorker, etc. might be familiar with the classic piece of writing, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold " (and that is included here), but this compiles a fuller look at what made Talese one of the most faithful preservers of mid-century New York culture. Twenty-first-century readers wit might jar at dated/now-offensive words and phrases, but overall, Talese is a master of the observation. Become absorbed in the minutiae of the New York streets of, the gossip of the literati, and the eloquence of the New York Times obituary writer — the level of detail in Talese’s observations is unmatched. (Full review will be sent to subscribers of WordSmarts.com)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Mariner Books for an advance copy of this new collection of works by a writer who created a new form of writing mixing elements of fiction, reporting and immersion into his subjects, changing journalism and essay writing in numerous ways.

I have always been a fan of the iconoclastic science fiction writer Harlan Ellison. Years ago, pre-internet being a gleam in Al Gore's eye, I read that Ellison has a clash with a brash singer by the name of Frank Sinatra, and the encounter was captured in a article for the magazine Esquire. Again being pre-internet I had to hunt around libraries and used book stores trying to find a copy of the article written by the author with a name I thought was fake Gay Talese. When I finally found it, I was enthralled. The article Frank Sinatra has a cold, caught the singer at an odd time in his life, not as famous, but famous, in love, but not in love. At a loss stylistically, and it seems in many ways emotionally. The writing though is what held me. The way Talese observed, but didn't judge, just reported. A story about a man, his talent, his fears, his acts, and the people who supported him. It really was like nothing I have read, and I still use the title when I talk about difficult people at work, or in my family. Talese has written about many subjects and people, but his stories about the greatest city in the world, seem to stand out, and this collection brings them all together. A Town Without Time: Gay Talese's New York features essays about bridges, alley cats, singers, swingers, doormen, and the people that we see everyday, but only a writer like Talese ever notices.

The book begins with an essay that features a time in the City that has long passed, with doormen, discreetly opening doors, hailing cabs and knowing when to look away. With shoe shine boys, and and late night workers travelling to jobs that have gone away. The longest essay, really book length is about the building of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge the "boomers" who built it, and their lives, travails, accidents and hard-living. Talese embedded himself into their lives, and in a introduction to the piece is still in contact with many of the men almost 60 years later. Profiles of famous New Yorkers like George Plimpton and the creation of the Paris Review magazine, and literary salons in New York. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recording an album. A study of alley cats, and of course the piece that made him a study on the Chairman of the Board and the sniffles that gave title to the essay.

The era might have passed for a lot of these people, but the writing will always stand the test of time. There is a freshness, a strength and a sureness. Each word of value, checked gone over and made sure it will fit the profile, or the piece itself. One can see the subjects trust the writer, so much they act like they do, stupid in some occasions, but always honest. Gangsters, singers, construction men and more pass through, sharing their stories, and reminding us that everyone has a story, if only someone as talented as Talese would write it. Readers can see the influence, the letting the story go where it goes, and getting to end when it does, or where it does.

Fans of New York will love this collection, as will readers who love words, and great writing. Talese has been an influence on many writers, and one can learn quite a bit from this collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner for the opportunity to read A Town Without Time by Gay Talese, a writer whose work always resonates.