Just Jennifer

Dorothy Parker Drank Here by Ellen Meister (Putnam, February 24, 2015)

The second book to feature the acerbic wit and wisdom of Dorothy Parker not only lives up to its predecessor, it exceeds it in bringing to life this unforgettable character and all the elegance of mid-twentieth century around the fabled Round Table in the Algonquin Hotel.  In life (in the novel) Mrs. Parker signed Percy Coates’s guest book at the hotel, a book that once signed, offers the signee the chance to remain in this realm after their death, in corporal form if they wish as long as the book is kept open.  Over the years, Mrs. Parker has seen her friends and compatriots from Mr. Benchley to Groucho Marx stop for one last drink before heading to the white light, a fate which Mrs. Parker vociferously eschews.  Only Mrs. Parker has chosen to stay behind and now is getting lonely but knows where she might find a kindred spirit:  several floors up the reclusive author Ted Shriver is in hiding while he waits to dying from an operable brain tumor; if Mrs. Parker could just get Shriver to sign the book, she is certain she will have a companion for, well not quite life, but the in-between time.  Shriver was an ascending literary star in the 1970’s when a plagiarism scandal sent the author into hiding with nary a word of explanation, defense or apology.  Mrs. Parker isn’t the only one looking for an audience with Shriver, however: a young television producer, Norah Wolfe, is searching for a guest that will save her talk show from certain death and she is pretty sure that Shriver is that guest.  But, as with Mrs. Parker’s request to sign the guestbook, Shriver flat out refuses Norah but she is determined.  When she and Mrs. Parker meet, they each think the other will be the key to getting Shriver to agree to both their requests and the two form an unusual partnership that sends the pair chasing through Manhattan and into a dusty attic in Connecticut looking for the enticement Shriver needs to be agreeable.  But Shriver, and other players, have their own agendas and secrets to keep, sending things wildly out of control, leaving Norah fearful she will soon be with a job and Mrs. Parker facing eternity alone.  All the while Norah and Mrs. Parker are on their quest, another party is seeking to get her hands on the guestbook which could have devastating consequences all around were it to happen.

With uncanny accuracy, Ellen Meister captures not only the voice of Dorothy Parker but her fabled essence.  Tidbits about the famed Algonquin Round Table are liberally sprinkled throughout the narrative without disrupting the plot; she easily intersperses Mrs. Parker’s amazement at, and often contempt for, new developments since her heyday.  Norah’s number one motive is clearly saving the show and her job, but readers will quickly guess her ulterior motive in meeting Ted and will admire her restraint at keeping her personal secret while she tries to book Shriver on the show, a coup that will benefit many in addition to her.  Plenty of publishing lore, big egos and delicate personalities populate this delightful look at the Algonquin Hotel and its residents as Meister deftly combines legend and lore, fact and fiction past and present, bringing it all to life and rendered with a lot of love in all its many forms.