Book For Review Courtesy of NetGalley / Koehler Books
Audrey Munson was the artists model in the 1900s. W W I diminished her career and personal set backs led her to be institutionalized. She died in obscurity at 104 years old. Her perfect form can still be seen throughout NYC over 100 years later. Author Stephen Wolf's Miss Manhattan tells Munson's story as well as the story of an artist in 1990 trying to bring Munson's life to light. The sections dealing with Munson are thorough and well written, but the fictional sections are disjointed and abrupt - making the novel read as if the author tacked on an incidental plot to pad out the book (the secondary story is a fictionalized version of Munson's relative finding her in an asylum.) The novel could have been a tribute to a unique individual but is a disservice to the fascinating story of a woman left behind by history.
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