When I read Jon Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air" I thought to myself, "I have no desire to *ever* climb Mount Everest." I had similar feeling upon reading Wednesday Martin's new book "Primates of Park Avenue" -- despite the luster, I have no desire to *ever* live on Manhattan's Upper East Side (not that it's even in the realm of possibility).

Part memoir, part anthropological/sociological research, "The Primates of Park Avenue" is Martin's look at what life is like for the uber-rich of Manhattan's most prestigious addresses (forget about the 1%, this is more like the .0001%). Martin and her family get a toe into this world when they move into the neighborhood from their downtown townhouse with the plan for their children to attend the local public school. But first they must get through the cut-throat arena of private pre-school.

Behind the gorgeous exteriors (Botoxed, nipped, tucked, worked out, dressed, tressed, and housed to perfection) the people she meets are cold and unwelcoming to the extreme. It takes quite awhile before she's accepted -- even a little bit -- into "the tribe". One criticism I have of the book is that Martin seems to imply that some of this behavior is unique to the Upper East Side. Having moved many times as an adult, sadly I can attest that it's not. While her stories are more extreme, cliques, pecking orders, unwillingness to invite new people to playdates, etc. are perhaps more common than she realizes.

Beyond a catty "tell-all" Martin also analyzes the economic relationships between husbands and wives on the Upper East Side, and how even the gilded aren't immune from tragedy.

A truly interesting read. 4 stars -- dressed in couture!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

What kept me reading this book is the unbelievability of how the aristocracy struggle to give their lives meaning, since they don’t have to labor for any of life’s necessities or to serve others, except through their charitable allowances. ( )

Fascinating account of life in the Upper East Side. It was very well-written and I could not put this book down. I was not prepared for the last part of her book and it got me to the core. This book was fantastic. ( )

Read if you watched Gossip Girl, but don't take anything at face value. I found the "anthropological" parts interesting, but the author may have stretched the connections between observations in the field made by actual anthropologists and personal experiences. But, well, the cover does say memoir. ( )

Social anthropology of upper east side New York mothers - hard to fit in with the group but later caring women when commiserating loss.
Had to look up what a Birkin bag even looks like - excessive wealth abounds. ( )