Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age

This book is such a wonderful stroll through the rough and tumble life of Polly Adler, the infamous New York "Madam". From the moment I picked it up, I stayed glued to it! What a remarkable life she led, and what an amazing parade of corruption and debauchery followed in her wake! The writing by Debby Applegate, extremely well documented, tells Polly's story wonderfully. Totally riveting and entertaining, thank you Ms. Applegate! This book would make a great Netflix series!!!!

A fascinating and thorough look at the life of Polly Adler. She came to America alone from a shtetl in Janow, Russia. After being kicked out of two different relatives homes, she moved to New York City and got some work in a corset factory. She learned the ropes in the prostitution game and set up her first brothel in 1920, the same year as Prohibition came into existence as a moral ban on alcohol. She ran her brothels well for someone in her 20s, but paid a lot of money in bribes and still got busted at times. That cost her a lot in having to relocate, bail everyone out and hire lawyers. Polly built up a following of famous people, wealthy patrons, and underworld figures. She allowed just about anyone with a large bankroll to hire the services of her whores. Polly Adler soon became so well known that there were few who didn’t recognize her name. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Debby Applegate, and the publisher.

I enjoyed this book, although it was really less of a personal bio of Adler and more a generalized history of Jazz Age New York with a focus on the vice trades. Interesting, but I didn't truly get the feeling that I got to know Adler as much as I would prefer in a biography. That said, I have read Adler's autobiography (written and published in the late '50s - early '60s, so it was very nice to read a less sanitized and curated version.Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

I am, admittedly biased, but still...... This story about the 1920s era speakeasy with a harem that was Polly's place. The cast of characters is incredible: FDR, Arnold Rothstein, Dorothy Parker, Desi Arnaz, Dorothy Lamour.... writers, movie stars, gangsters, politicians..... It is like being transported to a nonstop party amidst a cat and mouse action film. Amazing.....

She is simply great. If you liked this one, I'd recommend her other one "The Most Famous Man in America." If I had met this author sooner I think I would have been a better history student. Brilliant treatment of historical context, culture and possibility.

Wonderful. Loved it!

Debby Applegate's tour de force "Madam" crosses time and place, presenting a dizzying assortment of facts, while energizing its narrative with episode after episode of spellbinding tales. The book is a place where cultural analysis and cinematic entertainment overlap, and its 450-plus pages roar by with Jazz Age speed.