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    Summer at Tiffany
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    Summer at Tiffany
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    Summer at Tiffany
    Ebook250 pages3 hours

    Summer at Tiffany

    By Marjorie Hart

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “Hart has a genuine gift for conveying the texture of midcentury Manhattan…. [She makes] the dilemmas of her own young life both compelling and contemporary.”

    —USA Today

     

    “[A] glorious once upon a time fairytale come true….I loved every moment!”
      —Adriana Trigiani, author of Very Valentine

     

    A memoir acclaimed as “reminiscent of The Best of Everything and Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (BookPage), Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart is the true story of two best friends experiencing the time of their lives in New York City during the summer of 1945. The Cleveland Plain Dealer raves, “Hart writes about that stylish summer with verve, recollecting with a touching purity a magical summer in Manhattan, seen through the eyes of two 21-year-olds, just as the end of World War II approached.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061754982
    Author

    Marjorie Hart

    Marjorie Hart is the former chairman of the Fine Arts Department at the University of San Diego and a professional cellist. She lives in La Mesa, California.

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    Reviews for Summer at Tiffany

    4/5

    275 ratings33 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I don't know about you - but when I think memoir I think of some of the more depressing stories I've read; stories of abuse and abandonment. I don't know when Memoir became synonymous with those subjects in my head but thank goodness Marjorie Hart was there this week to show me how different memoirs can be. This book was one of the most pleasant, most nostalgic memoirs I've read. It almost felt like fiction in spots so fantastic were the names and the places being seen. Tiffany has always been a magical name to me, I mean, what girl doesn't love at least looking at sparkling diamonds or watching Audrey Hepburn on the screen as she emerges from a taxi in front of the famous store. I loved getting an "inside" look at what was like in the 40's during wartime for these girls who made a place for women working in the established store. Although there wasn't as much store talk as I had hoped there would be, I still wasn't disappointed. Marjorie has some amazing memories and brought goosebumps to my arms more than once as she described the scenes she was seeing in New York at the time of the Japanese surrender. Overall the book was a very light, perfect summer memoir to read and I highly recommend it if you are looking for that perfect story to read on the beach.
    • 4/5
      Summer at Tiffany is a memoir of a young college girl of Norwegian heritage who took the bold step to spend her summer break in New York City. Majorie and her best friend from college, Marty, decided to move to New York City for the summer from Iowa with not forethought but luck was on their side. The girls were able to find a furnished flat via connections and "fell into" a job at Tiffany's as the first girl pages employed in the flagship store.Although the summer of 1945 was my mother's era; the description of an era which occured during World War II was fascinating to me. I did recognized many of the names of celebrities of that era along with long gone landmarks. Having lunch at the Automat on my first visit to New York City was one of the trip's highlights. I loved reading about a time where two young naive girls could enjoy a summer of adventure in the city without too many incidents. Majorie's description of her family warmed my heart and conjured up my memories of a Norwegian Grandmother...show emotions not! The book is a fast read and entertaining.
    • 3/5
      I greatly enjoyed this simple memoir of a summer spent working for a world-famous jewelry store, Tiffany. Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart is a light read and will make you long for a simpler time of soda fountains and midshoremen. This book is definately a quaint gem and worth checking out. Just try to ignore the continually ohmygoshes.
    • 3/5
      [3.5 stars:] Summer at Tiffany is a light, engaging read with all the depth of a Tiffany silver teaspoon. It's amazing how life, laughter and youth move on even in wartime, and if you want a blast from the past without any of the attendant horror, this is the right book for you! Everyone has a story to share, and while it could have been shared with less exclamation marks, the overall girlish, squealing pitch of the book hits the right note for breezy, charming summer entertainment.
    • 4/5
      You should read this one! Not many non-fiction books get on my "you should read this book" recommendations, but I really enjoyed this one. An easy read about two college girls from Iowa who go to New York to work in the summer of 1945, and were hired as the first women to work on the sales floor at Tiffany. I enjoyed not only their impressions of the famous personalities of the day, but their simple misunderstandings about life in the big city. I always love WWII era books, especially those about those coping back home or immediately after the war, and this one was a lovely read.
    • 3/5
      I would describe this one as an airport book, light, sweet, easily digestible, and you can lose it in the cab and not feel sad.Marjorie Hart was 19 when she and her friend Marty decided to spend a summer in NYC working at a "glamorous store" like Saks Fifth Avenue. It was 1945 and they each had about $30 - plenty of money, right? Saks and Bonwit Teller rejected them, but Tiffany's offered to employ them as pages at near-starvation wages. They knew they would be on the Wheaties and celery diet, but you know - they were nineteen. And as Marjorie tells it, it was the best summer of her life, the kind of crazy, silly adventure only a 19-year-old can have.Marjorie's voice is that of her 19 year old self, even though she was in her eighties when she wrote this. Lots of "Ohmygosh!" and similar wartime expressions, and a very simple writing style. The book is not great literature, nor does it pretend to be; it's more like a friendly letter from an old college friend who isn't a brilliant writer, but has a REALLY COOL story to tell. A pleasant way to kill a few hours.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book.
    • 5/5
      Marjorie Hart tells the true story of when she and her college friend spend the summer of 1945 in New York City. First they must find a job. Where to look? Tiffany's, of course. All the young men have gone to war, so the job of page is becomes theirs. They have many adventures. This is a MUST read. Such a sweet story during such turbulent times. Great for grandma to share with granddaughter.
    • 4/5
      A cute, quick read about two Iowa co-eds who decide to head for the bright lights of New York City for a summer adventure in 1945. Mistakenly told it would be a snap to get a job at Lord and Taylor, they found work instead at Tiffany, as apparently early female floor workers, albeit in more of courier roles. "Marge" tells the story of working at the legendary retailer, seeing the city, and dating military boys, all in the hot summer when World War II ended.This was a charming memoir of a much simpler time (Sorry, Mom, but times really do change). Though I can't say I know much about it, I cannot fathom young girls going from a relatively small town in the Midwest to the Manhattan of today and be able to live as simply, cheaply and safely as these girls did. It really was a delight to read of a time when they could. Quite enjoyable and recommended highly.
    • 4/5
      It was sweet, like a Disney fairy tale. This is not high literature, but it is a fun glimpse into the innocence of young women during World War II.
    • 5/5
      To quote Marjorie, "Ohmygosh". I want someone to invent a time machine and a transmogrifier so I can go back to New York in 1945 as a leggy blond girl from Iowa and work for Tiffany. What a wonderful story that truly is a snapshot of a moment in history and in Marjorie Hart's life. This was so well written that I could really feel what it was like to be young and excited about everything happening to me and around me. I loved every bit of this book. From her descriptions of her first moments in New York to the events leading to her and her best friend Marty becoming the first ever girls Tiffany had every hired, from celebrity sitings to dates with handsome midshipman, everything was new and exciting. But there was also sorrow as the War neared it's end it seemed no one was immune to loss. This was a beautiful memoir that captured a time in a young woman's life and was so well told I couldn't put it down. And as a bonus there are some great photos as well as lovely sketches from a Tiffany brochure of the time. If that isn't enough the dust jacket is in glorious Tiffany blue.
    • 4/5
      A gentle, sweet memoir about the summer of 1945 when Hart and her best friend became the first female floor employees at Tiffany in New York. So nostalgic and warm, full of beautiful girls, glamourous movie stars and doomed soldiers. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Completely charming! Loved it--all about two young Midwestern girls who work at Tiffany's the summer WWII ended. Nice, cheerful little book.
    • 4/5
      Imagine the best phase of your life - a trip, a job, an opportunity of some sort, a time you reflect upon now with fond memories and a desire to be transported backward in time. Summer at Tiffany describes just this type of phase experienced by Marjorie and her best friend, Marty. Their summer adventure takes place in 1944, as the two college girls attending the University of Iowa decide to take a chance and move to New York City in search of jobs at a ritzy department store and a glimpse of the glamorous, fast-paced lifestyleThe Big Apple had to offer. Their hopes of finding work in a clothing store fizzle, but they catch a major break and discover an opportunity at Tiffany working as female pages (the first the store had ever employed). This book is a collection of Ms. Hart's memories from that lovely summer - what they learned, the people they met, the celebrities they encountered, and they ways in which their journey changed them.For me, this book was delightful to read. It was not something that I had to sit down and read in one sitting; rather, I enjoyed reading it a bit at a time, here and there. It did not captivate or wow, but it did provide me with simple enjoyment as I imagined the adventures of Marjorie and Marty.My first reaction to this memoir was to dismiss it as oversimplified and lacking depth, but then I had a moment of realization - Ms. Hart wrote this book in her eighties trying to capture the feelings and expressions of her twenty year old self. This would have been no easy task for her, and approaching the writing with this attitude really allowed me to enjoy the book and appreciate it for what it was: a short glance into the past, into a world that is no longer, into a beautiful summer adventure. It is rare even now, 2010, to hear of a smalltown guy or gal jetting off to the 'big city' to risk it all. With this in mind, I was able to admire Marjorie and Marty's courage and gumption even more.If you are looking for a simple, but delightful read I recommend Summer at Tiffany - maybe if you recently came off of a challenging book or are looking for a pleasant and light choice to wind down these dwindling summer days.
    • 5/5
      I came across this book as I was checking Dewey Decimal numbers and decided the number given (department stores) didn't fit. I think it eventually went into Biography.This is a lovely story of a young woman who spent a college summer (the summer of 1945) in New York, working as one of the first 'girls' on the sales floor at Tiffany's. Marjorie and Marty (her roommate and best friend) came to NYC from Iowa. I loved this book. It was a lovely escape and yet the backdrop of WWII reminded you that life was not always easy.
    • 5/5
      From My Blog...If one is looking for an absolutely delightful and engaging novel, Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart is an excellent choice. Marjorie Hart writes a beautiful, heart-warming and witty memoir that will take the reader back in time to 1945 Manhattan and the unforgettable summer experienced by two college students working their dream job at Tiffany's for the summer. Hart's novel is beautifully written, richly vivid in imagery, vibrant characters and the lure of a large city on two young wealthy college students, Marge and Marty. They both were planning on attending summer school in Des Moines, Iowa when a penny postcard arrives for Marge, a fellow Kappa Sorority sister, inviting them to Manhattan for the summer. Summer at Tiffany is so rich in detail the reader will feel as though they are on 5th Avenue and seeing all the sites, hearing the sounds, and living the New York life with the characters. Through the use of near lyrical prose the reader is brought back in time to when women were, in every sense of the word, innocent and feminine. WWII is coming to an end and life is looking up, however, considering the year, Hart weaves in wonderful, first hand historical information. The characters are delightful and one cannot help but enjoy the antics and adventures with the girls in Manhattan. I have not read such a delightful memoir in quite some time and as summer approaches I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Summer at Tiffany. Marjorie Hart is one woman I would truly enjoy meeting.
    • 5/5
      I LOVED this book. This is a sweet, simple memoir of two frisky young women in the summer of 1945, college girls summering in New York from Iowa. They get jobs at Tiffany, and the story is just bursting with vivid descriptions of New York, Tiffany itself, and the WWII era. Reading this book, you get a real feel for what it must have been like that sweltering summer, you will see the wonderful dresses, cartwheel hats, gloves, the sparkle of the jewels and assorted wonders of the store. You'll hear the big band music, and smell Chanel No. 5, you'll know exactly what it was like to wear leg-makeup. Wonderful, sweet story from a talented woman.
    • 5/5
      true story of 2 college girls spending the summer in NYC- only job is floor girls at Tiffany's. They were the first. good
    • 5/5
      This was a quick delightful read with a history lesson thrown in. I especially enjoyed the description of being in TImes Square when it was announced that WW II was over. That must have been quite an experience for two small town Iowa girls!
    • 4/5
      An extremely enjoyable read. Marjorie Hart has written about what was to be THE summer of her life. She and her best friend Marty journeyed from Iowa to the New York City. Finding work as pages at Tiffany (the first girls to ever work on the showroom floor), Marjorie and Marty take us through a "virtual tour" of the esteemed company. From the celebrities and gangsters that walk through the front door, to the elevators and secret rooms within the building, we get it all. It's a very quick, light read, but one worth reading all the same.
    • 4/5
      I read this for the Just For Fun Challenge which encourages reading one book that has been on the TBR shelf for a long time and without doing a review. I still rated this book though. While reading this book, I felt like the author was my friend!
    • 5/5
      Simply delightful! As a 20-something I lived in NYC for 7 years and love to read about the adventures others had in different eras. Marjorie Hart seems to have excellent recall, as does her former NYC roommate who has been her best friend since college. Innocent stories, exciting adventures, once in a lifetime experiences. The neatest part was that Hart wrote this some 60 years later yet was able to find many of the people she knew from back in the day. Her enthusiasm is catchy. Read this in one afternoon.
    • 3/5
      Our December/January book club book.This is a World War II story about two naive University of Iowa girls and their decision to move to New York City for the summer. They were led to believe there were easy to find and lucrative jobs for dependable Iowans. Instead, they find loads of girls for every opening in all the posh stores.On a whim they decide to try Tiffany's. They are surprised to be hired as the first two girls on the sales floor. But, they aren't selling - they are pages earning $20/week. Hardly enough to pay for the rent of their two room flat, bus and subway fare and a little left for food. But, the adventure of living in the City makes the lack of money unimportant.They meet more than one famous person - from a gangster with Marjorie's last name to Marlene Dietrich. They are also in the midst of NYC when a plane hits the Empire State Building and in Times Square with 2 million other excited New Yorkers when the end of the war is announced.Marjorie discovers love, friendship and excitement. As well as a deep appreciation for her roots back in Iowa.This was a fun and fast read. Although it reminded me again that memoirs aren't my favorite. I'd rather read a novel based on this summer!I wish I had read this before our trip to NYC this summer. It would have been fun to find some of the places she mentioned. We did find New Yorkers to be every bit as friendly and supportive as Marjorie did! Maybe some things don't change.
    • 4/5
      4**** and a &#10084A delightful memoir of a young woman's "best summer, ever" - on the eve of the end of WW II two young co-eds from Iowa get summer jobs at Tiffany. Written with enthusiasm, and innocence and adventure.
    • 4/5
      I love this story but the ending isnt like my expectation
    • 4/5
      Young women working at Tiffany's in New York the summer the war ended. Lovely story of their lives and work and the family back home.
    • 3/5
      Summer at Tiffany is Marjorie Hart’s story of the greatest summer of her life, the summer of 1945, when she and a friend traveled to New York City and worked for twelve weeks at Tiffany. Marjorie’s story is full of the joy and wonder she felt while being in the big city.
    • 4/5
      Fun book about the author's perfect summer. She leaves her little hometown in Iowa to go to work in NYC for the summer. She and a friend from college end up getting jobs at Tiffany and Co. It's actually a true story. This was the summer right at the end of WWII. It actually reads like it should be a movie set in that time period, which is not a detractor. She talks about bringing like 4 changes of clothes and living in a tiny one bedroom apt with her roommate. Her salary at Tiffany' is $20 a week. Stories include her trying to buy a dress that she thinks is marked down to $5 at Bergdorf's and it's actually $50. Or a socialite woman who buys plates for her goddaughter's wedding that are $100 a piece. She and her friend are the first female pages ever employed by Tiffany's. It really draws you in with her wide eyed mid-west naiveté and the totally different world of the very rich where she works.
    • 4/5
      New York City is one my favorite cities. So when I first discovered Summer at Tiffany, I was curious to read about a young girl’s first time there in 1945. I also wanted to read this memoir because I normally do not read biographies or autobiographies.Summer at Tiffany is about Marjorie and Marty, two best friends and sorority sisters, who spend their summer in New York City. Both are from Iowa and decide to go to New York for the first time. Their first stop for employment was Lord & Taylor’s, but it appeared that was every other girl’s idea too. So, the two friends decide to try Tiffany’s. To their surprise, both girls are offered jobs.I absolutely loved this book. While reading, the words lovely and innocent kept coming to mind. This is how I would describe this book. Looking at my favorite city through Marjorie’s eyes was enlightening. Especially because the New York that I love is different than the New York of Marjorie’s day.I also found myself googling the places were the girls frequented. Reading Summer at Tiffany sparked an interest for the mid 1940s. I spent hours searching the internet to learn about the events that occurred along with New York’s history. I was quite surprised by this as history was my least favorite subject in school.The reader will instantly like Marjorie and Marty. When both girls meet the two midshipmen, you will wish for a happy ending for both girls. Reading Marjorie’s description about her dates with Jim was delightful, I couldn’t help but to smile. Overall, I enjoyed this memoir and highly recommend it.
    • 3/5
      A happy and cute account of a Life's snapshot of a summer holiday : I enjoyed it. LM