Title: The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker
Author: Janet Groth
First published June 18, 2012
230 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781616201319 (ISBN10: 1616201312)
Rating: 2.56
Overview
When Janet Groth scored a job at The New Yorker in 1957, she thought she would just be a receptionist for a short period of time. Little did she know that she would end up spending 21 years at the iconic magazine’s front desk.
As a receptionist, she witnessed the inner workings of the magazine, hobnobbed with famous writers, and even found herself in romantic entanglements with some of them. The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker is a delightful memoir of a bygone era, chronicling the adventures of a woman seeking her place in the world.
Editoral Review
The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker, written by Janet Groth and first published on June 18, 2012, is a fresh and engaging memoir that provides a glimpse into the world of publishing during the 1950s and 1960s. The author, a former receptionist at The New Yorker, recounts her experiences as a young woman navigating the literary and social scenes of New York and offers insights into the dynamics of power, gender, and class within the publishing industry.
Groth’s writing style is witty, observant, and perceptive, and she does an excellent job of capturing the ambiance of mid-century Manhattan. Her narrative is engaging from start to finish, and her cast of characters, including her colleagues and friends, are well-drawn and multi-dimensional.
Most notably, her relationship with the writer Joseph Mitchell, who served as an intellectual mentor and father figure to her, adds depth and poignancy to her memoir. In her memoir, Groth reveals the subtle and pervasive sexism that existed in the work environment during her time, and how it affected her as a young woman.
Despite her intelligence and aspirations, she was repeatedly held back by her gender and relegated to lower-paid, lower-status positions. Her story is both inspiring and heartbreaking, and sheds light on the struggles that women faced in the pre-feminist era.
While The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker is primarily a memoir, it also has historical and cultural significance. The book provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of publishing during the heyday of The New Yorker, and the lives of the writers, editors, and publishers who shaped 20th-century American literature.
The book also offers a commentary on the social mores of the time, including the strict gender roles and the intense pressure to conform to societal norms. Overall, The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker is a well-written and engaging memoir that offers valuable insights into the publishing industry and the social and cultural milieu of mid-century Manhattan.
Despite its strengths, the book does have some limitations. For example, some of the anecdotes and stories are not as compelling as others, and the pacing of the narrative is somewhat uneven.
Notwithstanding these minor criticisms, I would highly recommend The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker to anyone who is interested in the history of American literature, the struggles of women in the pre-feminist era, or simply a well-written and entertaining memoir. The book is a true gem and a must-read for anyone seeking to gain a better understanding of the cultural and intellectual life of mid-century America.
I would rate it four out of five stars.
