Review: Primates of Park Avenue

Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book peaked my interest after I read The Swans of Fifth Avenue. What a strange and otherworldly life the New York elite lead! I have never been to this place called Manhattan. I thought it would be fascinating to get a glimpse of that life from the perspective of someone who wasn't born into it. And it was. To a point.

I liked that this wasn't just another memoir. Wednesday Martin approaches this as if she were an anthropologist doing a field study. Those parts of the book were my favorite, especially the bits where she contrasts Upper East Side (UES) society against primates. So interesting! Don't believe in evolution? This book will give you some food for thought. Primates are just like us or vice versa. But that's not the point of the book. It is more about the culture of the UES, in particular, the mothers that inhabit that area. There was a part at the end of the book that brought me to tears. It was quite moving, and I'm not going to spoil it. It was a reminder that sometimes in your darkest hours people will surprise you...in a good way.

This part I will not refrain from spoiling. I got so sick of reading about the Birkin bag. The author did her best to explain why I should care about this very special purse. However, I do not. I get that she was obsessed with it much like other UES natives. For all I know, it may really be the very best purse ever invented in the history of purses. It could be the answer to life, the universe, and everything. But, it's made from leather. Ergo, not perfect and not for me.

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