Tag: book review

"There’s this question underneath all of it, which is: Is it good or bad? Should you want it or not?” 

When we were teenagers, the Sedgwicks were the influencers in our group. They were talented, kind, generous, and related to Andy Warhol muse Edie Sedgwick.

Rents were cheap for rambling apartments, which attracted book publishers and writers, as well as critics, academics and journalists.

At the age of 34, in her Lockheed Vega, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic without stopping, a feat

In the summer of 1977, New York City was about as far from the tourist mecca it is today as can be imagined. The Bronx was burning, a serial killer was

As with many European Jews in New York City after World War II, the family of veteran arts journalist Helen Epstein was able to move into progressively

There is something magical in recognizing local landmarks in a piece of literature or a film. For Upper West Siders it might be the exterior of the

By Nancy Novick You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy Judith Felsenfeld’s collection of short stories about mainly Jewish characters—but you might relate to the stories better if you're in the right age demographic.

By Nancy Novick Unless you’ve been living in a media-free zone, stories of celebrities spinning out of control have become part of our daily conversation—a phenomenon that may lead to a serious case of compassion fatigue. But imagine a scenario in which a star’s glamorous life is derailed not by ...

Editor's Note: Nancy Novick reviewed "The Outdoor Museum", by Margery and Sheldon Harnick, and also got a chance to meet and interview them. Both the review and the Q&A are below.

Editor's Note: Nancy Novick reviewed Michael Tucker's new book "After Annie", and also got a chance to meet and interview him at the Fairway Cafe. Both the review and the Q&A are below. By Nancy Novick Life in any New York City neighborhood has its share of aggravations, but for ...

Nancy Novick, an Upper West Side writer, plans to write an occasional column for us on books, particularly those with relevance to the neighborhood. This first column is about Alexandra Styron (above), a one-time Upper West Sider who wrote a memoir about her father, the writer William Styron. By Nancy ...