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Primates of Park Avenue
Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir | Wednesday Martin
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! The book that has outraged the social elite! Eye-popping People Amusing, perceptive anddeliciously evil The New York Times Book Review Juicy, sexy, bawdy stuff New York Daily News Think Gossip Girl, but with a sociological study of the parents. InStyle.com Like an urban Dian Fossey, Wednesday Martin decodes the primate social behaviors of Upper East Side mothers in a brilliantly original and witty memoir about her adventures assimilating into that most secretive and elite tribe.After marrying a man from the Upper East Side and moving to the neighborhood, Wednesday Martin struggled to fit in. Drawing on her background in anthropology and primatology, she tried looking at her new world through that lens, and suddenly things fell into place. She understood the other mothers snobbiness at school drop-off when she compared them to olive baboons. Her obsessional quest for a Hermes Birkin handbag made sense when she realized other females wielded them to establish dominance in their troop. And so she analyzed tribal migration patterns; display rituals; physical adornment, mutilation, and mating practices; extra-pair copulation; and more. Her conclusions are smart, thought-provoking, and hilariously unexpected. Every city has its Upper East Side, and in Wednesdays memoir, readers everywhere will recognize the strange cultural codes of powerful social hierarchies and the compelling desire to climb them. They will also see that Upper East Side mothers want the same things for their children that all mothers wantsafety, happiness, and successand not even sky-high penthouses and chauffeured SUVs can protect this ecologically released tribe from the universal experiences of anxiety and loss. When Wednesdays life turns upside down, she learns how deep the bonds of female friendship really are. Intelligent, funny, and heartfelt, Primates of Park Avenue lifts a veil on a secret, elite world within a worldthe exotic, fascinating, and strangely familiar culture of privileged Manhattan motherhood.
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Eggs This looks 👀 good! 3mo
kspenmoll This sounds like fun! 3mo
TheBookgeekFrau @kspenmoll It's like Mean Girls the grown-up version 3mo
34 likes4 comments
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LaurenMags
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Panpan

I kept falling asleep every time I picked the book up to read it.

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squirrelbrain
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Today‘s #charityshophaul- Q9 for the tagged book, as that‘s hardback and 2 for Q9 for the paperbacks.

‘Primates‘ is for me (couldn‘t resist as it‘s NYC) but the other two are to give away. I already have both on my shelves but loved them both, and these copies look almost new, so I had to get them for Littenish friends!

Let me know if you‘d like either The Salt Path or Hillbilly Elegy - UK preferred. First to ask, gets!

Texreader Great deal and how generous! I liked Hillbilly Elegy too. I hope you get some takers! 5y
TrishB Yes please The Salt Path- can be my monthly NF as it seems much loved! 5y
squirrelbrain I‘m sure I will @texreader! I love getting charity shop bargains... 5y
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squirrelbrain Yay @TrishB - didn‘t realise you hadn‘t read this one. I‘ll send it at the weekend 😘 5y
TrishB Thank you 😘 I have the data one to send you - will only get to the PO Saturday so will send then 😁 5y
squirrelbrain Oh I‘d forgotten about that @TrishB - thank you! 5y
74 likes6 comments
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Kaylamburson
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Mehso-so

This was an easy no-commitment audiobook with some interesting tidbits about UES, NYC mom life. I casually listened as I live on the UES and was curious to hear the stereotypes. I'm surprised that this wasn't written that long ago as I thought the mindset had changed a bit. I am not a mom, but I do do a lot of babysitting and get small glimpses into this upperclass life. It's real in some groups, but perhaps I'd see more of it if I had kids.

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TheBookgeekFrau
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Pickpick

A witty anthropological study of women #InTheWild on the Upper East Side of NYC. Holy moly! it‘s a jungle out there 😉 Pretty much a grown-up ‘Queen Bees & Wanna-Bes‘. Downright fascinating!

#HopIntoSpring

vkois88 Sounds good! 7y
TheBookgeekFrau @vkois88 It really was 7y
42 likes2 comments
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tinaisreading
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Panpan

Ugh this book. At first I was thinking maybe the author's perspective was humorous and ironic, and I liked her anthropological take, but no. This is an excuse for the author to brag/complain about her ultra-privileged life simultaneously. My main takeaway - there is no limit to the human ability to be miserable and feel sorry for oneself.

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BookMaven407
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I got distracted during the holiday and quitting reading this book. I'm going to try and finish it this week.

MinDea What is on top of your chicken? 7y
BookMaven407 @MinDea it's grated zucchini mixed with parmesan. 7y
MinDea That sounds yummy!!!!! We make these zuchini things that we love! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/zucchini-parmesan-crisps-recipe... 7y
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BookMaven407 @MinDea those looks delicious. Thanks for sharing! 7y
TricksyTails Yummy 😋 Hope you have a wonderful week! 🤗 7y
BookMaven407 @TricksyTails thank you 🤗 I've enjoyed seeing the graphic marathon postings. Hope you guys are having a blast. 7y
TricksyTails So much fun!! 😁🙌 7y
126 likes1 stack add7 comments
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BookMaven407
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After a long Monday back at it, tonight I can read again. 👍

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BookMaven407
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Decorating complete ✅ and on to my next read. This one should be interesting.

Pamwurtzler I‘ve read that - I love books set in NYC and that one was SO funny! 7y
TheBookDream There were a lot of interesting moments in that one 7y
107 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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ShannonOffDuty
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. I can see how it could come across a bit shallow but really it was spot on when it comes to human nature, which is often times very, well, shallow. Maybe it's just cause I live in neighborhood in question so an anthropological study of it was fascinating to me. But this book was surprisingly erudite.

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ShannonOffDuty
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Home sweet home! Page 22 and I'm hooked

Beholderess Wow, I've listened to the audiobook version, and so missed this map 7y
5 likes1 comment
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Kboltz
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Pickpick

Well I learned why I will never pay for a Burkin! I really believe that this author lost a lot of friends from writing this book but it was interesting how she compares the wealthy moms of the Upper East Side to animals in nature. Listened to this on audible. Could never act like these woman. When I win the lottery they had better watch out, here I come to change their outlook on fun in NYC! Pic is the Burkin that I would not fall for!😂

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wallacereads
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Panpan

I had seen this one in the bookstore but was quite frankly put off by the cover. A friend of mine mentioned the 'controversy' behind the book at a recent brunch so I decided to give it a go. Overall I found it pretty underwhelming. On the bright side I finished it while waiting for my first ever Shake Shack order. The definitely burger lived up to all the hype! #Baltimore #shakeshack #yum

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maenue
Mehso-so

...

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janeycanuck
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Airplane reading...

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Jen2
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Her voice was great. And her comparisons of society ladies with baboons was funny and smart!

51 likes2 stack adds
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Jen2
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Just started, should be good!!!

21 likes3 stack adds
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Ashley_Nicoletto
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Keeping me company while I clean my kitchen this morning. Possibly not the best choice. 💁🏻😂

27 likes1 stack add
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ValerieAndBooks
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Mehso-so

When Wednesday Martin lived on the Upper East Side of NYC, she used her anthropology background to analyze women there; particularly moms. I learned a bit about how the uber-rich live there, but no real groundbreaking info on female behavior. There are "mean-girl" moms everywhere, trust me. I still enjoyed this read and next time I'm up there will look more closely at what kind of handbags they carry (the author obsessed over a certain brand).

Gulfsidemusing Nice photo!😀 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Lakesidemusing Thanks😄! I just happened to have that zebra print cardigan that I could use for a prop (it's not one I wear much. I'm more of the solids type). 8y
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Kappadeemom
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Hoping to finish this today. For some reason I thought this was a novel. It's non-fiction about all the spoiled women that live on the Upper East Side. I must admit they seem to waste a lot of time on things that aren't important. This book makes me sad. #BlessTheirHearts

Well-ReadNeck 😄❤️your hashtag!! 8y
5 likes1 comment
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Kappadeemom
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Going to start this tonight

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JacqMac
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It has been nothing but drab and rainy and thundering for weeks now. Maybe if I start a "beach read" I can bring on some sun. Maybe.

she_barks Good luck! 8y
JacqMac Thanks @she_barks. No luck yet. lol 8y
13 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Emilie
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June books! Most of 'em anyway.

8 likes1 stack add
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Emilie
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Mehso-so

I was skeptical about the premise -- and still am -- and I'm not sure I got much more out of it than learning how Wednesday Martin got a Birkin. That said, reading about extreme privilege like that is always pretty interesting, and it was a quick read.

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Chelschels
Panpan

What a self serving snooze fest