I’ve been lucky enough to cover some wonderful books for Shiny New Books recently, and today I want to share my review of an absolutely stunning work which focuses on those two great American poets of the 20th century – Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton.
The book is called “Three Martini Afternoons at the Ritz” and is written by Gail Crowther. Gail is an author with a history of producing fascinating books relating to Plath, and I’ve in fact previously reviewed one she co-authored for Shiny. However, with her latest work she explores the lives and works of both Plath and Sexton set against the background of their upbringing, the world in which they lived, the restrictions they fought against, the carving out of their poetry, the problems of health and marriage, and the treatment of their work and legacy after their deaths.
“Three Martini…” is a powerful book which seeks to reclaim the poets’ lives from the cliche of their deaths; Crowther never negates the method of their demise, but explores how truly inspirational and transgressive they were. Is the world ready yet for Plath and Sexton? Probably not – and if you read this book you might start to understand why! Needless to say, I loved, and highly recommend, this wonderful book and you can read my full review here.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 08:03:06
This does indeed sound like a great read. I don’t know much at all about Sexton, other than the obvious, and really like the idea of both lives being explored together.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 11:45:22
It’s a wonderful book, and exploring them side by side really brings insights. I knew little about Sexton too, and she’s a powerful but troubling figure!
Jul 02, 2021 @ 12:04:34
What a fascinating book, it sounds like an excellent read, and I absolutely adore the title.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:53:35
It’s a great read, Ali, and those martinis are really calling… ;D
Jul 02, 2021 @ 12:22:20
This looks fantastic! I’ve always liked Plath’s poetry, and this sounds like a great perspective on it.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:53:18
It’s a real stunner, Margot – a wonderful exploration of both poets, and a feminist one at that!
Jul 02, 2021 @ 12:29:09
Martinis were obviously smaller back in those days, when they were a standard business lunch in Manhattan.
A few years later, in the late ’60s, Sexton’s work blew me away after I’d been studying early 20th century American poetry, which seemed to get no further than Frost and Eliot.
Thanks to Sexton and then Plath, a whole new world, mostly Americans, soon followed — Snyder, Brautigan, Berrigan, McClure, Wakoski, Whalen, Ginsberg, all high among them for me.
More recently, my daughters’ incredulous questions about the era presented in the “Mad Men” television series remind me just how much has changed (and hasn’t) since the conditions Sexton and Plath faced. Crowther’s work sounds like a solid examination of these realities.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:52:45
There really were some wonderful poets in that period – you list many – but these two women stand out for me, not just because of the brilliance of their writing but also because of their determination to live their lives their own way, despite the social strictures. Alas, much has not changed, and Gail’s book is a wonderful exploration of what they had to face, and what’s still stacked up against women.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 14:03:52
“Women’s art is often taken less seriously than men’s, with females expected to cope with both the domestic and the artistic in a way that men never are…Women artists of all kinds have been critically judged by men over the centuries; their passions dismissed as hysteria; their creativity regarded as lesser than male achievements.’
Sadly still true. An excellent review. I was drawn to this book when I first saw it by the title and the great cover. Your review touches on so much that I want to explore. I will likely read this one very slowly–it sounds like it needs that. Well done!
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:51:04
Thank you. It really is a stunning book, and definitely one worth savouring.
Jul 02, 2021 @ 17:21:04
definitely for me since I’ve just discovered Plath!
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:50:27
Absolutely! You’re in for a treat!
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:12:28
Without wishing to sound shallow, I do love the cover of that book. It’s virtually a ‘must-buy’ based on the basis of the title alone! Just the idea of a martini afternoon at the Ritz seems incredibly decadent, especially in these socially distanced times… X
Jul 02, 2021 @ 18:50:13
Not shallow! It’s a beautiful cover, and I do agree that the concept of regular drink and chat sessions sounds wonderful right now…. x
Jul 02, 2021 @ 19:00:26
I absolutely LOVED this one and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it too!
Jul 03, 2021 @ 12:30:16
Yeah, I saw your enthusiam for the book and totally agree – it’s outstanding!
Jul 03, 2021 @ 00:14:59
Well, this has immediately gone on to the TBR list. Anne Sexton’s poetry was the first I read and Plath came later, but I’m guessing that for young Americans now Plath is the better known. And don’t get me started about the way women artists in all disciplines have been treated, their work ignored or ‘lost’, or attributed to a male.😠
Jul 03, 2021 @ 12:28:37
Excellent! Both poets are marvellous and inspirational, and Gail’s feminist exploration of their lives and work is just wonderful.
Jul 03, 2021 @ 10:40:59
Very keen to read this Kaggsy, I find Sexton really fascinating.
Jul 03, 2021 @ 12:27:56
It’s a wonderful book, and Sexton is complex and often troubling, though her poetry is amazing. Crowther is a wonderful commentator and never judgemental.
Jul 04, 2021 @ 15:11:13
Excellent review (just popped over to Shiny for the longer version) as always. I was very much taken with Crowther’s observation that both poets have their lives “read backwards,” with the manner of their deaths dominating any assessment of their work.
Although I haven’t read a great deal of either woman’s poetry, I’ve loved Sexton’s “Transformations” since I read it in college, oh so many years ago.
I actually have a copy of Crowther’s book, which of course I’ve yet to read (i’ll probably do it very, very slowly). That wonderful cover photo really says it all — the pearls, the chic grooming, the structured clothing — it’s a visual representation of the cultural constrictions with which both women had to contend in order to live and practice their art.
Jul 04, 2021 @ 15:23:50
Thank you! And yes, that element of hindsight as we look back on their lives does distort things – I felt that too when reading Dave Haslam’s book recently. Both women need to be seen living their lives as fully as they could, given the restrictions of the times, and not only in terms of their final demise.
I hope you enjoy the book – I thought it was superb and yes, the cover is spot on – although I’d like to visit the past, I’m not sure I would like to have lived in those times!
Jul 04, 2021 @ 21:24:20
I agree with Jacqui – an irresistible title! Lovely to hear how much you enjoyed it Kaggsy 🙂
Jul 05, 2021 @ 11:53:39
I adored it – highly recommend it. Such a good read!!
Jul 18, 2021 @ 01:56:32
Even though obviously a work of historical importance, I can’t help but think that there are probably many people who’ve gotten through the past year with the help of many a three-martini-afternoon!
Jul 18, 2021 @ 12:25:43
Oh yes….. ;D