Three Girls in a Flat


Read by Lee Ann Howlett

(4.5 stars; 18 reviews)

Enid Yandell (October 6, 1870 - June 13, 1934) was an American sculptor who studied with Auguste Rodin and Frederick William MacMonnies. She created numerous portraits, garden pieces and small works as well as public monuments. Ms. Yandell also studied in Paris and kept a studio there. This book, Three Girls in a Flat, is a semi-autobiographical account of her work as a sculptor for the Horticultural Building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Co-written with two friends, it's an episodic account of the trials and tribulations of three young women eking out a living while sharing a small flat in Chicago. The young ladies are called Virginia (or Gene), Marjorie and the Duke (a young sculptor -- certainly Ms. Yandell's character). Interspersed among the stories of their work days, social gatherings held in their flat, daily life in Chicago, interactions with their neighbors, and young male callers at various times, are descriptions of the work of the women involved with the Woman's Building at the Columbian Exposition. Part historical information and part personal events in the girl's lives, this is a light and enjoyable read. Or as the ladies state in their preface: "We beg to assure our readers that we do not consider this little book in any way a literary effort. It is a simple story which really wrote itself, and it is with great modesty and hesitation that we cast it upon the sea of public opinion." Summary by Wikipedia and Lee Ann Howlett. (3 hr 25 min)

Chapters

00 - Preface 0:53 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
01 - Our Flat 19:59 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
02 - Paris 14:23 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
03 - Friday Evening 14:29 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
04 - In the Firelight 5:13 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
05 - To the Board of Lady Managers 36:45 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
06 - Mr. Perkins 4:50 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
07 - Gene's Burglar 7:13 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
08 - Sunday Morning 11:44 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
09 - Our Holiday 16:07 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
10 - Tessa 19:15 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
11 - The Dinner 14:00 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
12 - Virginia's Diary 9:32 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
13 - Jackson Park, By the Duke 7:21 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
14 - Christmas 13:51 Read by Lee Ann Howlett
15 - The Little Blue Butterfly 10:17 Read by Lee Ann Howlett

Reviews

Enjoyable story


(4 stars)

Excellent reading by Lee Ann Howlett. I could have done with a bit less of the historical info - the listing of women participating on the Women's Committee and the inventory of articles in Mrs. Palmer's house were a bit tedious. When the story focused on the girls' experiences, it was light and entertaining. Overall, I would recommend this as an enjoyable story to listen to.

Pleasent


(5 stars)

wish there were 3 readers, one for each girl.