Farewell, Dorothy Parker

"What fresh hell is this?"

This is a first. I bought a book because of a Facebook page. It all started two years ago when my mother and I were planning to spend a pre-Christmas weekend in New York City. Do some shopping. See Book of Mormon. But I waited to long to book the hotel and the place we've stayed in the past was completely full. Now I had to start a quest for an affordable hotel in New York at holiday time. Fun.

Here's the New Yorker cartoon wallpaper from the Algonquin.

I had always wanted to stay at the Algonquin Hotel because of legends surrounding it - the hangout of Dorothy Parker, her New Yorker pals and the Algonquin Roundtable. Surely I would become a better writer just walking the place.  Luckily for us they were in the middle of renovations which made it more affordable and available this busy time of year. We reveled in the New Yorker cartoon wall paper, the wood paneling and the comfy chairs in the bar. 

Postcard from the Algonquin

After I got back, I searched Facebook for a Dorothy Parker page. Sure enough, I found one. For 18 months I enjoyed almost daily wit, snark and snippits in great Parker-style. I loved seeing these updates so much I immediately pre-ordered the pages owner's new novel, Farewell, Dorothy Parker once the author posted that it was coming out. 

Another postcard from the Algonquin

The book is about a woman who is having a bit of a personal crisis and manages to channel Dorothy Parker.  It arrived this week and two days later I was finished. It's a fun, witty, fast feel-good read (it's not a mystery). 

In the acknowledgements, the author, Ellen Meister says she was inspired to write Farewell, Dorothy Parker because she wanted to read a book where the ghost of Dorothy Parker came back to life that she wrote it. Sounds like an excellent reason to write a novel to me. 

Post card from the Algonquin