NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An epic; mesmerizing oral history of Hollywood and Los Angeles from the author of the contemporary classic EdieJean Stein transformed the art of oral history in her groundbreaking book Edie: American Girl; an indelible portrait of Andy Warhol “superstar†Edie Sedgwick; which was edited with George Plimpton. Now; in West of Eden; she turns to Los Angeles; the city of her childhood. Stein vividly captures a mythic cast of characters: their ambitions and triumphs as well as their desolation and grief. These stories illuminate the bold aspirations of five larger-than-life individuals and their families. West of Eden is a work of history both grand in scale and intimate in detail. At the center of each family is a dreamer who finds fortune and strife in Southern California: Edward Doheny; the Wisconsin-born oil tycoon whose corruption destroyed the reputation of a U.S. president and led to his own son’s violent death; Jack Warner; the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants; who together with his brothers founded one of the world’s most iconic film studios; Jane Garland; the troubled daughter of an aspiring actress who could never escape her mother’s schemes; Jennifer Jones; an actress from Oklahoma who won the Academy Award at twenty-five but struggled with despair amid her fame and glamour. Finally; Stein chronicles the ascent of her own father; Jules Stein; an eye doctor born in Indiana who transformed Hollywood with the creation of an unrivaled agency and studio. In each chapter; Stein paints a portrait of an outsider who pins his or her hopes on the nascent power and promise of Los Angeles. Each individual’s unyielding intensity pushes loved ones; especially children; toward a perilous threshold. West of Eden depicts the city that has projected its own image of America onto the world; in all its idealism and paradox. As she did in Edie; Jean Stein weaves together the personal recollections of an array of individuals to create an astonishing tapestry of a place like no other.Praise for West of Eden“Compulsively readable; capturing not just a vibrant part of the history of Los Angeles—that uniquely ‘American Place’ Stein refers to in her subtitle—but also the real drama of this town . . . It’s like being at an insider’s cocktail party where the most delicious gossip about the rich and powerful is being dished by smart people; such as Gore Vidal; Joan Didion; Arthur Miller and Dennis Hopper. . . . Mesmerizing.â€â€”Los Angeles Times“Perhaps the most surprising thing that emerges from this riveting book is a glimpse of what seems like deep truth. It’s possible that oral history as Stein practices it . . . is as close as we’re going to come to the real story of anything.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review “Enthralling . . . brings some of [L.A.’s] biggest personalities to life . . . As she did for Edie Sedgwick in Edie: American Girl; [Stein] harnesses a gossipy chorus of voices.â€â€”Vogue “Even if you’re a connoisseur of Hollywood tales; you’ve probably never heard these. . . . As ever; gaudy; debauched; merciless Hollywood has the power to enthrall its audience.â€â€”The Wall Street Journal “The tales of jaw-dropping excess; cruelty; and betrayal are the stuff of movies; and the pleasures are immense.â€â€”Vanity Fair“This riveting oral history chronicles the development of Los Angeles; from oil boomtown to Tinseltown.â€â€”Entertainment Weekly (“Must Listâ€)
#576161 in Books Random House Trade Paperbacks 2007-10-09 2007-10-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.30 x .80 x 5.50l; .70 #File Name: 0812976398402 pages
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. I loved reading thisBy Susan G.I loved reading this! I never knew what the Raj referred to - England's rule over India. This book explained why Ghandi was quoted as saying; "Your Jesus I love; it's Christians I don't like." Why would he or anyone like Christians when the English who lived in India under the system of the Raj were the farthest thing from accurately representing Christ or authentic Christianity. If they attended church services they barely tolerated sermons that extended beyond 15-minutes and they looked down on Christian missionaries! The women of the Raj were commoners from England who came to India by way of marriage to soldiers serving in India. They re-created an autocratic social system imitating the higher classes in England pretending to be of them because labor was cheap. None of these women would have had servants in England - they themselves might have been servants in order to survive. The entire system was a mockery and when India was given its freedom from Imperial rule; the women of the Raj had a rude awakening in facing a return to life in England for those who did return. Fascinating read that explained many questions I've had.17 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Women of the Raj: The Dream and the RealityBy F. S. L'hoirMargaret MacMillan has penned a book that is as entertaining as it is informative. Focusing on the lives of British women who either accompanied their husbands to India or voyaged to the subcontinent for other purposes--perhaps to find a husband or to become a domestic or do charitable work; the author paints a vivid picture of women's lives from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries of the British ventures in India; which began with the East India Company and culminated in the Raj.Having been brought up on a diet of Kipling; the Godden sisters; and later; M.M. Kaye; I once had a rather romantic notion of what it must be like to be a memsahib--such thoughts usually came to me as a teenager; cleaning up my messy room; imagining how lovely it would be to have "all those servants." After reading Ms. MacMillan's fascinating account; based upon actual women's letters and memoirs; I can relegate my teenage dreams properly to the realm of misguided fantasy.Women had to cope with unimaginable annoyances. They suffered the tragic loss of children; either to sudden illness or to forced separation by the necessity of sending them Home at an early age for education. The voyage out and the journey to the final destination could be both uncomfortable and dangerous. And the amount of baggage; clothes and other paraphernalia that one had to drag around; especially in the 19th century; was truly astounding (eleven camel-loads were recommended by "The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook"); and all those petticoats and corsets; not to mention the stodgy multi-course meals in all that heat; must have been enervating. As for servants; there were so many rules of caste and custom that the woman of the house had to undergo a juggling act to keep up with them and not make dreadful gaffes. Women were not only circumscribed by rigid social mores; but they were also subjected to stultifying boredom (I fear I would have been one of those women who lamentably "let down . . . the Raj and the British Empire" [237])."Women of the Raj" is a splendid book that gives us a glimpse into the intrepid women who constituted "the Mothers; Wives; and Daughters of the British Empire in India;" the women who dwelt in a fascinating but tenuous bubble that burst with Indian independence.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A woman's lot throughout the British RajBy E. A. AmblerLike 'em or loathe 'em; memsahibs played a vital role in the maintaining of the British Raj. This book is packed with first-hand accounts from letters and diaries; that "tell it how it was" - frightening or exhilarating; uncomfortable or exotic; depending on each woman's imagination and strength of character. Quotations (invariably hilarious or naive)from magazines; periodicals or "How to ...." manuals throw further light on the socially complex; often perplexing; but always busy lives that the women of the Raj had to live.My husband was a "child of the Raj" and in reading this to him he is reminded of so much in his early years.The photos add immensely to the author's picture of life then; snaps from family albums - all intimate and particular.
