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    A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth
    A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth
    A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth
    Ebook197 pages3 hours

    A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth

    By Louis Auchincloss

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    An “entertaining and occasionally even moving” personal recollection by the lawyer, historian, and renowned chronicler of old-money WASP society (The Boston Globe).

    At the time of his death, Louis Auchincloss—enemy of bores, self-pity, and stale gossip—had just finished taking on a subject he had long avoided: himself. His memoir confirms that, despite the spark of his fiction, Auchincloss himself was the most entertaining character he ever created.
     
    No traitor to his class, but occasionally its critic, Auchincloss returns to his insular society, which he maintains was less interesting than its members admitted—and unfurls his life with dignity, summoning family (particularly his father, who suffered from depression and forgave him for hating sports) and intimates. Brooke Astor and her circle are here, along with glimpses of Jacqueline Onassis. Most memorable, though, is Auchincloss’s way with those outside the salon: the cranky maid; the maiden aunt, perpetually out of place; the less-than-well-born boy who threw himself from a window over a woman and a man. Above all, here is what it was like to be Auchincloss, an American master, a New York Times–bestselling novelist, and a rare, generous, lively spirit to the end.
     
    “[Auchincloss] concentrates on bringing back to life—literary alchemy, after all—the people who loved him: his mother, father, aunts, uncles, school friends and colleagues. He understands how lucky he was to have them, and ‘A Voice From Old New York’ is his thank-you note.” —The New York Times
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateDec 2, 2010
    ISBN9780547504841
    A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth
    Author

    Louis Auchincloss

    Louis Auchincloss was honored in the year 2000 as a “Living Landmark” by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. During his long career he wrote more than sixty books, including the story collection Manhattan Monologues and the novel The Rector of Justin. The former president of the Academy of Arts and Letters, he resided in New York City until his death in January 2010.

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    Reviews for A Voice from Old New York

    3.5/5

    25 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Well written memoir of old New York - how surprising? Auchincloss gives a glimpse into the upper crust world of New York Society in the earlier part of the 20th century. I found his descriptions of family relations and his difficulty journey through prep school the most intriguing.
    • 3/5
      A flawed but still interesting look at a way of life that is long gone. Auchincloss may have been one of its last surviving witnesses.
    • 4/5
      Posthumously published, this is celebrated author Louis Auchincloss' recollections over 90 years of life in New York City. The tales are loosely organized, bounding back and forth between time and topic. While this might be off-putting for some, isn't that exactly the way of one's own remembrances? Indeed, I felt as if I'd been fortunate enough for a lovely, lengthy chat with the author about his privileged childhood, many family and friends, life in prep school and college and his tortured route to a writing life. At times opinionated and forthright, Auchincloss rarely pulls any punches. Nevertheless, his recollections of the people of his life a usually kindly put. If anything, he is hardest upon himself. A fascinating look at a way of life long past.
    • 2/5
      Written with a great deal of hindsight - of moderate interest only. I had thought a man with so many fiction titles to his credit (not that I have read any) might have been able to write a more engaging narrative as his autobiography.

    Book preview

    A Voice from Old New York - Louis Auchincloss

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