The Barbizon

The Hotel That Set Women Free

By: Paulina Bren

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

A “captivating portrait” (The Wall Street Journal), both “poignant and intriguing” (The New Republic): from award-winning author Paulina Bren comes the remarkable history of New York’s most famous residential hotel and the women who stayed there, including Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, and Joan Didion.

Welcome to New York’s legendary hotel for women, the Barbizon.

Liberated after WWI from home and hearth, women flocked to New York City during the Roaring Twenties. But even as women’s residential hotels became the fashion, the Barbizon stood out; it was designed for young women with artistic aspirations, and included soaring art studios and soundproofed practice rooms. More importantly still, with no men allowed beyond the lobby, the Barbizon signaled respectability, a place where a young woman of a certain class could feel at home.

But as the stock market crashed and the Great Depression set in, the clientele changed, though women’s ambitions did not; the Barbizon Hotel became the go-to destination for any young American woman with a dream to be something more. While Sylvia Plath most famously fictionalized her time there in The Bell Jar, the Barbizon was also where Titanic survivor Molly Brown sang her last aria; where Grace Kelly danced topless in the hallways; where Joan Didion got her first taste of Manhattan; and where both Ali MacGraw and Jaclyn Smith found their calling as actresses. Students of the prestigious Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School had three floors to themselves, Eileen Ford used the hotel as a guest house for her youngest models, and Mademoiselle magazine boarded its summer interns there, including a young designer named Betsey Johnson.

The first ever history of this extraordinary hotel, and of the women who arrived in New York City alone from “elsewhere” with a suitcase and a dream, The Barbizon offers readers a multilayered history of New York City in the 20th century, and of the generations of American women torn between their desire for independence and their looming social expiration date. By providing women a room of their own, the Barbizon was the hotel that set them free.

Critic reviews

"Listeners will enjoy this nostalgic look at New York City life through the lens of its most famous women's residential hotel, The Barbizon. Narrator Andi Arndt's tone is conversational and her pace assured as she conveys the Barbizon's history, which echoes the city's social legacy. . . . Arndt's clear enunciation and engaged tone carry listeners through this institution's evolution."

Nice story

I enjoyed listening to this story. The writer sure did have to research this hotels information.

Great history of the hotel and NYC.

I love reading the history of buildings in NYC and I’ve always been curious about The Barbizon because of the famous names that stayed there. The author did a great job taking us through the decades and her description of the hotel during each time period made it though I could picture the lobby and rooms. It’s amazing there was once a time women wore hats and gloves wherever they went. It feels like it must have been another country where people cared about how they looked and acted. Now it seems no one owns a mirror and wouldn’t look into it if they did. And it seems being polite and nice anymore is a crime. My friends and I were born in the early 60’s which meant our parents were born during what I call the elegant period so they instilled in us what they were taught. This book describes this period beautifully along with the unrest and downfall of the later periods. A great history book to add to your collection.

it's a classic!

I didn't expect this book to be as interesting as it was. the narration was excellent and the story fascinating!

Great narrator but difficult to follow.

Great narrator. I'm having trouble figuring out how to explain this book. it is not a novel. it is a bit disjointed sort of like a documentary with a bunch of short stories about famous people who all happen to stay at this hotel. A lot of it seems to be quotes or references and may have been easier to understand reading the print version and not hearing it. it was slightly difficult to listen to, however still interesting.

Loved this book

The history of women and the world in the US is told through the history and amazing stories of the Barbizon Hotel . I learned so much about Mademoiselle magazine and the women who came to NYC every June from all over the country . Loved this book. Loved the history . Without being hardcore the book demonstrates what Women of every decade had to endure just to make it, while the white men ( I am a 45 year old white Man ) got away with it all ! Loved this story. I miss the pre Covid NYC even more. Remember going out for drinks and dancing ? Aww the memories !