ThreeMartini Afternoons at the Ritz, Gail Crowther
ThreeMartini Afternoons at the Ritz, Gail Crowther
1 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz
The Rebellion of Sylvia Plath & Anne Sexton

Author: Gail Crowther

Narrator: Imani Jade Powers

Unabridged: 8 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/20/2021


Synopsis

Named a Best Book of the Year by the Los Angeles Times

In this vividly rendered and empathetic biography of two of the greatest poets of the 20th century—Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton—“the friendship and rivalry that the pair shared—not to mention the titular cocktails at a Boston hotel—is explored in fascinating detail” (Town & Country).

Introduced at a poetry workshop in Boston University, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton formed a friendship that would soon evolve into a fierce rivalry, colored by jealousy and respect in equal terms.

In the years that followed, these two women would not only become iconic figures in literature, but also lead curiously parallel lives haunted by mental illness, suicide attempts, self-doubt, and difficult personal relationships. With weekly martini meetings at the Ritz to discuss everything from sex to suicide, theirs was a relationship as complex and subversive as their poetry.

Based on in-depth research and unprecedented archival access, Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz will leave you “hungering for more of what these two literary comets burned with: the power of a little poetry. Deliriously fast-paced and erudite, this is highly recommended” (Library Journal, starred review).

About Gail Crowther

Gail Crowther is a writer, researcher, and academic. She is the author of Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz: The Rebellion of Sylvia Plath & Anne SextonThe Haunted Reader & Sylvia Plath, and the coauthor of Sylvia Plath in Devon: A Year’s Turning and These Ghostly Archives: The Unearthing of Sylvia Plath. Gail divides her time between the North of England and London. As a feminist vegan, she engages with politics concerning gender, power, and animal rights. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jenny

H.L. Mencken once memorably described the martini as "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet." Perhaps Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton also lived by this motto when they spent their afternoons drinking the classic cocktail at the Ritz. Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz by Gail Crowther......more

A strong and compelling analysis of the life and art of two contemporaneous Boston poets who first met in 1959 at Robert Lowell’s poetry workshops. And Plath and Sexton each bring something different and unique to Crowther’s dissection of the role of women as creative artists in 1950s/1960s America.......more

Goodreads review by Anita

This non-fiction book is a must read for those interested in the intersection of feminism and literature. A combination of biography and social commentary, Three-Martini Afternoons covers the lives of two renowned poets, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, in a serious of straightforward chapters taking t......more