Park Avenue Summer

By: Renée Rosen

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Renée Rosen

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

"Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada, which might as well be saying put me in your cart immediately.’" (PopSugar)

It’s 1965 and Cosmopolitan magazine’s brazen new editor in chief - Helen Gurley Brown - shocks America and saves a dying publication by daring to talk to women about all things off-limits....

New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters. Editors and writers resign on the spot, refusing to work for the woman who wrote the scandalous best seller Sex and the Single Girl, and confidential memos, article ideas, and cover designs keep finding their way into the wrong hands. When someone tries to pull Alice into a scheme to sabotage her boss, she is more determined than ever to help Helen succeed.

While pressure mounts at the magazine, Alice struggles not to lose sight of her own dreams as she’s swept up into a glamorous world of five-star dinners, lavish parties, and men who are certainly no good. Because if Helen Gurley Brown has taught her anything, it’s that a woman can demand to have it all.

©2019 Renée Rosen (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A delightful and empowering read.” (PopSugar)

"Renée Rosen is my go-to for whip-smart heroines who love their work. Park Avenue Summer is a delightful summer cocktail of a read!" (Kate Quinn, New York Times best-selling author of The Alice Network)

“Filled with wit, heart, and verve, Rosen's novel dazzles and empowers. Simply wonderful!” (Chanel Cleeton, author of Next Year in Havana)

Exquisite!

Such a pleasant surprise. This book was exactly what I was looking for and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter.

NYC IN THE 60s SIGN ME UP

I love New York City. I love books about NYC and I love books a out NYC in the past so this was right up my alley. Not to mention that my mom read cosmopolitan magazine. I read it (when magazines were more
Of a thing) and I was very interested In the story about Helen Gurley Brown. The fictional character that the story centers around was also interesting. And I wondered if she was based on a real person. But anything with Mad Men vibes always sucks me in. This book also made me think a lot about my independence as a woman and stepping into your own person with no inhibitions.

A good casual listen

I needed a break from books that addressed heavy issues, and this fit the bill. It was a good casual listen.

Enjoyed the 60s culture!

I really liked this book but gave 4 stars because I wasn’t in love with it. But I would definitely recommend it to others. I grew up
In the 60s and I remember the rise of Cosmo so it was so fun reading about it. I learned some history too.
I had wished the narrator made Alice sound younger, And I would have liked more steam with Christopher in the book

I love Helen!

This was recommended for me and I took the bait - REALLY enjoyed this story ! I love the fashion and budding feminism of this era. I was four years old at the time of this story, but can only imagine the excitement of being introduced to the fabulous world of NYC that Alice was. I'm sure life as a single girl at this time was certainly not at all glitz and glamor, but its a fun story to be immersed in for awhile. Narration was VERY good also. Need to read Sex and the Single Girl now !

Don’t pass on it

Excellent story, the telling of it takes you back to that time with all the details, good narration.

Cosmopolitan’s HGB

For all women who grew up reading Cosmo back in the day, this is such an enjoyable book! I knew very well of Helen Gurley Brown as I read her editor’s letter with each month’s issue for many years, but envisioning from the personal side as told in this book makes you realize even more what an incredible woman she was. And there’s a generation before me who read HGB’s “Sex and the Single Girl” from 1962, which I think I may as well. The main character knows the right people in order to catch her lucky break in NYC and quickly learns to navigate through the suave players to the people with true heart. Well read, especially HGB’s voice! Fun listen!

Great listen to

Even tho fiction with some reality enjoyed the story of Helen gurley brown . Thoroughly enjoying the author

Engaging Story

I enjoyed listening to this story. The story line and characters were relatable and the reading was well done.

Summer Listening

This book is great for fellow fans of historical fiction. The narrator’s voice seems a bit too old to portray Alice, but it wasn’t bad to listen to. The story did not follow the path I thought it would, however the end introduced elements that would have been more interesting than some of the parts about the office relationships. Overall this is a good book to fill your time this summer especially if you have been a reader of Cosmopolitan.