Stephanie S. reviewed on + 168 more book reviews
This book was unusual, in that it was presented as a kind of scattered and frenetic mishmash of scraps and tidbits, rather than prose. I presume it was meant to evoke the cluttered remnants of the Grey Gardens dilapidated mansion, but I found its message, or storyline, difficult to sort through and focus in on. Drawings and bits of dialogue, old snapshots and musings were presented in collage form, page after page. It was, unfortunately, too over-the-top for me to wade through, much less enjoy.
The description above says it better (except I would not use the word "enchanting"): "This eclectic volume offers a myriad of collaged illustrations, photographs, film stills, production notes and other archival materials alongside transcripts of the Beales' own stories and conversations edited from unreleased Grey Gardens sound recordings. Structured to mirror the Maysles' own approach to the world of the Beales, it closely resembles the enchanting clutter of the mansion, a self-contained world littered with mementos and telling ephemera."
** Two stars, sadly
The description above says it better (except I would not use the word "enchanting"): "This eclectic volume offers a myriad of collaged illustrations, photographs, film stills, production notes and other archival materials alongside transcripts of the Beales' own stories and conversations edited from unreleased Grey Gardens sound recordings. Structured to mirror the Maysles' own approach to the world of the Beales, it closely resembles the enchanting clutter of the mansion, a self-contained world littered with mementos and telling ephemera."
** Two stars, sadly
