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Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life and Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott
"Makes an excellent case for Parrott as an unjustly forgotten historical figure."—The New Yorker
"Remind[s] us of the brazenly talented women sidelined by convention."—New York Times
The riveting biography of Ursula Parrott—best-selling author, Hollywood screenwriter, and voice for the modern woman.
Credited with popularizing the label "ex-wife" in 1929, Ursula Parrott wrote provocatively about divorcées, career women, single mothers, work-life balance, and a host of new challenges facing modern women. Her best sellers, Hollywood film deals, marriages and divorces, and run-ins with the law made her a household name. Part biography, part cultural history, Becoming the Ex-Wife establishes Parrott's rightful place in twentieth-century American culture, uncovering her neglected work and keen insights into American women's lives during a period of immense social change.
Although she was frequently dismissed as a "woman's writer," reading Parrott's writing today makes it clear that she was a trenchant philosopher of modernity—her work was prescient, anticipating issues not widely raised until decades after her decline into obscurity. With elegant wit and a deft command of the archive, Marsha Gordon tells a timely story about the life of a woman on the front lines of a culture war that is still raging today.
"Remind[s] us of the brazenly talented women sidelined by convention."—New York Times
The riveting biography of Ursula Parrott—best-selling author, Hollywood screenwriter, and voice for the modern woman.
Credited with popularizing the label "ex-wife" in 1929, Ursula Parrott wrote provocatively about divorcées, career women, single mothers, work-life balance, and a host of new challenges facing modern women. Her best sellers, Hollywood film deals, marriages and divorces, and run-ins with the law made her a household name. Part biography, part cultural history, Becoming the Ex-Wife establishes Parrott's rightful place in twentieth-century American culture, uncovering her neglected work and keen insights into American women's lives during a period of immense social change.
Although she was frequently dismissed as a "woman's writer," reading Parrott's writing today makes it clear that she was a trenchant philosopher of modernity—her work was prescient, anticipating issues not widely raised until decades after her decline into obscurity. With elegant wit and a deft command of the archive, Marsha Gordon tells a timely story about the life of a woman on the front lines of a culture war that is still raging today.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published April 25, 2023
About the author
Marsha Gordon
7 books9 followersMarsha Gordon is Professor of Film Studies at North Carolina State University, a recent Fellow at the National Humanities Center, and an NEH Public Scholar. She is the author of numerous books and articles, and co-director of several short documentaries. Her latest book, Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life and Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott, was published with the trade division of University of California Press in April 2023. For seven years Marsha contributed to a monthly show, "Movies on the Radio," with NC Museum of Art film curator Laura Boyes and Frank Stasio, on 91.5/WUNC's “The State of Things.” She regularly introduces films, gives lectures, and participates in panels all over the United States and Europe.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 25, 2023
There are certain books which catch you completely by surprise. Marsha Gordon's "Becoming the Ex-Wife" is one of those books. Her subject, writer Ursula Parrott, had the type of life which would fit perfectly within our current environment where celebrities rise and fall and rise again seemingly on a daily basis. Parrott, however, did all of this during the first half of the 1900s when people generally fell into obscurity never to rise again. Oh, and let's not forget that Parrott was a woman when having a career at all was a rarity. She certainly never forgot when she was writing.
Gordon does an excellent job of telling Parrott's story because she balances her admiration with the right amount of critical eye. The book is well written and is as thorough as possible. Gordon has to jump around in time a bit to keep focus on specific aspects of Parrott but it's never distracting which is no small feat. In fact, I'd say the only possible weakness in this book is the subject herself. Parrott was complicated, like many people, but she was also a contradiction in many ways. If you enjoy your heroes/heroines to be nearly blemish free, then I think you will find Parrott to be downright enraging at various points of her life. If you can accept that a human can be both good and bad in various measures while finding their life story interesting, then you will enjoy this book immensely.
(This book was provided as an advance copy.)
Gordon does an excellent job of telling Parrott's story because she balances her admiration with the right amount of critical eye. The book is well written and is as thorough as possible. Gordon has to jump around in time a bit to keep focus on specific aspects of Parrott but it's never distracting which is no small feat. In fact, I'd say the only possible weakness in this book is the subject herself. Parrott was complicated, like many people, but she was also a contradiction in many ways. If you enjoy your heroes/heroines to be nearly blemish free, then I think you will find Parrott to be downright enraging at various points of her life. If you can accept that a human can be both good and bad in various measures while finding their life story interesting, then you will enjoy this book immensely.
(This book was provided as an advance copy.)
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May 16, 2023THIS IS REASON #118 of WHY I READ : Here’s a biography of a woman I had never heard of : Ursula Parrott. In the late 1920s-late 1940s she wrote over 20 books and over 100 stories and written works. F Scott Fitzgerald wrote a screenplay based on one of her works! (- never produced because they said it didn’t meet decency standards -) Jimmy Stewart read her words in the film adaptation of one of her books! Her most famous book is Becoming The Ex-Wife, where this term “ex-wife” came into use - when being an “ex-wife” was far from socially acceptable. She flew planes for the civilian air corps during WW2! Made hundreds of thousands of dollars - during the Depression (tens of millions if today) and died in a charity hospital with nothing! An AMAZING woman, the author of this book writes about the culture and history of the times which was fascinating. Reads like fiction. Lots of photographs throughout the book which I always love - adds so much to the understanding and enjoyment of reading a biography. PICK THIS ONE UP - Incredible. Thanks to University of California Press and Coriolis for the copy.
September 5, 2023
TITLE: Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life & Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott
AUTHOR: Marsha Gordon
PUB DATE: April 25,2023 Now Available
How is it that many people are not aware of Ursula Parrott - a woman in 1929 who became a best- selling author, made a fortune during the Great Depression for her stories, and authored over 130 novels, articles, and screenplays some which have become Hollywood films. Marsha Gordon tells of Ursula Parrotts life through newspaper clips and her writing as a young journalist from Radcliffe and a daughter of an Irish Catholic doctor from Boston.
I found the writing of this biography very interesting as the historical context was very much a part of the life and times of Ursula Parrott, and in that time, very controversial opinions expressed through her writings and observations about the plight and struggles of of women.
Marsha Gordon writes a very interesting story of a woman ahead of her time.
Author: Marsha Gordon is Professor of Film Studies at North Carolina State University, a recent Fellow at the National Humanities Center, and an NEH Public Scholar.
AUTHOR: Marsha Gordon
PUB DATE: April 25,2023 Now Available
How is it that many people are not aware of Ursula Parrott - a woman in 1929 who became a best- selling author, made a fortune during the Great Depression for her stories, and authored over 130 novels, articles, and screenplays some which have become Hollywood films. Marsha Gordon tells of Ursula Parrotts life through newspaper clips and her writing as a young journalist from Radcliffe and a daughter of an Irish Catholic doctor from Boston.
I found the writing of this biography very interesting as the historical context was very much a part of the life and times of Ursula Parrott, and in that time, very controversial opinions expressed through her writings and observations about the plight and struggles of of women.
Marsha Gordon writes a very interesting story of a woman ahead of her time.
Author: Marsha Gordon is Professor of Film Studies at North Carolina State University, a recent Fellow at the National Humanities Center, and an NEH Public Scholar.
May 25, 2023
Becoming The Ex-Wife, Marsha Gordon’s riveting biography of Ursula Parrott.
Ursula, who? Yes, quite.
Today, Ursula Parrott’s name is hardly known and most of her books are out of print. But Marsha Gordon is changing that: her new biography of Ursula Parrot shines a light on the ‘unconventional life’ of this wondrous woman.
Parrot’s life changed dramatically after the publication of her first book “The Ex-Wife” (a term which she’s credited with popularising) in 1929.
The book became a bestseller and was even turned into the film, The Divorcee, in 1930, which won Norma Shearer the lead-actress Oscar. In the course of the next ten years, Parrott becomes a best-selling novelist and in-demand writer for movies and magazines, became a multimillionaire and attained a Hollywood-adjacent literary fame.
Gordon’s biography of Parrot is respectful, honest, detailed, carefully researched and visually rich.
Parrott novels, stories, films were, more often than not, inspired by her own live events, her own parenting insecurities, from the people around her, from a new world where the rules where being re-negotiated.
“We hunt about among the wreckage of old codes for pieces to build and adequate shelter to last our lifetime”
As I come to the end of the book, I cannot but agree with Gordon “As she [Parrott] struggled to make sense of the messy modern world and her place within it, she helped shape a conversation about women’s lives during turbulent years of consequential change”
Becoming the Ex-Wife is an enlightening and riveting read. And I am most definitely adding the recent re-print of “Ex-Wife” and other Parrott’s novels (I’m also curious about her second novel ‘Strangers May Kiss’) to my TBR
Thanks to Marsha Gordon UCPress and Coriolisco for the review copy
#Pudseyrecommends #UrsulaParrott #BecomingTheExWife #Parrott ´#hollywood #womenwriters #americanfilm #forgottenwritings #bookstagram #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #booklover #readingtime #bookaddict #bookclub #bookrecommendations #biographies #bookcollection #readmorebooks #readingcommunity #newbook #bookishlove #bookshelfie #booksofinstagram #readingchallenge
Ursula, who? Yes, quite.
Today, Ursula Parrott’s name is hardly known and most of her books are out of print. But Marsha Gordon is changing that: her new biography of Ursula Parrot shines a light on the ‘unconventional life’ of this wondrous woman.
Parrot’s life changed dramatically after the publication of her first book “The Ex-Wife” (a term which she’s credited with popularising) in 1929.
The book became a bestseller and was even turned into the film, The Divorcee, in 1930, which won Norma Shearer the lead-actress Oscar. In the course of the next ten years, Parrott becomes a best-selling novelist and in-demand writer for movies and magazines, became a multimillionaire and attained a Hollywood-adjacent literary fame.
Gordon’s biography of Parrot is respectful, honest, detailed, carefully researched and visually rich.
Parrott novels, stories, films were, more often than not, inspired by her own live events, her own parenting insecurities, from the people around her, from a new world where the rules where being re-negotiated.
“We hunt about among the wreckage of old codes for pieces to build and adequate shelter to last our lifetime”
As I come to the end of the book, I cannot but agree with Gordon “As she [Parrott] struggled to make sense of the messy modern world and her place within it, she helped shape a conversation about women’s lives during turbulent years of consequential change”
Becoming the Ex-Wife is an enlightening and riveting read. And I am most definitely adding the recent re-print of “Ex-Wife” and other Parrott’s novels (I’m also curious about her second novel ‘Strangers May Kiss’) to my TBR
Thanks to Marsha Gordon UCPress and Coriolisco for the review copy
#Pudseyrecommends #UrsulaParrott #BecomingTheExWife #Parrott ´#hollywood #womenwriters #americanfilm #forgottenwritings #bookstagram #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #booklover #readingtime #bookaddict #bookclub #bookrecommendations #biographies #bookcollection #readmorebooks #readingcommunity #newbook #bookishlove #bookshelfie #booksofinstagram #readingchallenge
April 3, 2024
I recently had the good fortune to speak at the “Zelda Days” festival in Asheville, North Carolina. One of the other speakers that weekend was Marsha Gordon, a professor of film studies at North Carolina State University. Gordon is the author of the 2023 biography Becoming the Ex-Wife: the Unconventional Life & Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott. I had never heard of Ursula Parrott before, even though she was a highly successful Jazz Age author. My first thought was “Okay, Ursula Parrott is the coolest name I’ve ever heard.” Hearing Gordon lecture about Parrott’s life and writings just whetted my appetite to read her book. Now that I’ve finished reading Becoming the Ex-Wife, I can report to you that Ursula Parrott more than lived up to the coolness of her name.
Ursula Parrott was born Katherine Ursula Towle in 1899, in Boston. She married Lindesay Mark Parrott in 1922, and when she began publishing, her publisher suggested she should use the name Ursula Parrott. Parrott’s first novel was Ex-Wife, which quickly became a sensation after it was published in 1929. Ex-Wife launched Parrott on a successful career writing novels, short stories, and working on screenplays in Hollywood. Parrott was in great demand as an author, earning huge sums for her work. But as quickly as the money came in, it went out. Like other Jazz Age authors (paging F. Scott Fitzgerald!) Parrott was unable to live within her means, and she was constantly in debt.
Parrott’s life and career had several parallels with that of F. Scott Fitzgerald. As a Fitzgerald fan, I’m always on the lookout for Fitzgerald parallels. There’s no direct evidence that Parrott and Fitzgerald ever met, but he spent several months in 1938 working on a screenplay of her short story “Infidelity.” The plan was that “Infidelity” would be a vehicle for Joan Crawford at MGM, but there was no way a story about infidelity was going to make it past the censors in 1938. The fact that “Infidelity” was not produced was a disappointment for Fitzgerald. If Parrott and Fitzgerald ever met, they would have had a lot to talk about, and I can imagine them becoming friends and trading witty banter.
Some of the parallels between Parrott and Fitzgerald: they were both raised Catholic, they both had two sisters who died in infancy, they were both obsessed with car crashes, and they both struggled with their grades in college, being smart people who didn’t “apply themselves” in school. Another connection was that Ursula’s first husband, Lindesay Parrott, was a Princeton alum. Although he and Fitzgerald didn’t overlap at Princeton, they probably had friends in common, and Lindesay’s father was a professor in the English department at Princeton.
Parrott’s novels and short stories dealt with women entering the workforce, getting married, getting divorced, having affairs, being a single parent, and balancing work and life. She is a writer whose themes are still deeply relevant to American society today, nearly 100 years later. Unfortunately, nearly all of Parrott’s novels have long been out of print. Thankfully, Ex-Wife was published in a new edition in 2023, and it’s now next on my reading list. Gordon’s synopses of Parrott’s work will have you wanting to read more of Parrott’s work.
Parrott was married and divorced four times, and she raised her son Marc largely with the help of her sister Lucy. Parrott’s private life was sometimes messy, and the chapter that discusses her four abortions is harrowing, offering a grim reminder of the aftermath of the fabulous Jazz Age parties.
Throughout the book, Gordon is sympathetic to Parrott’s difficulties, as she struggled to meet her writing deadlines and stay afloat financially. Unfortunately, the last chapter of Parrott’s life was a tragic one, as she published nothing during the final 10 years of her life, and she died penniless in a New York hospital in 1957.
Gordon’s excellent work at chronicling Parrott’s colorful life and writings will hopefully lead to a deeper appreciation of Parrott’s work, and a fuller understanding of how she fit into the writers of her era.
Ursula Parrott was born Katherine Ursula Towle in 1899, in Boston. She married Lindesay Mark Parrott in 1922, and when she began publishing, her publisher suggested she should use the name Ursula Parrott. Parrott’s first novel was Ex-Wife, which quickly became a sensation after it was published in 1929. Ex-Wife launched Parrott on a successful career writing novels, short stories, and working on screenplays in Hollywood. Parrott was in great demand as an author, earning huge sums for her work. But as quickly as the money came in, it went out. Like other Jazz Age authors (paging F. Scott Fitzgerald!) Parrott was unable to live within her means, and she was constantly in debt.
Parrott’s life and career had several parallels with that of F. Scott Fitzgerald. As a Fitzgerald fan, I’m always on the lookout for Fitzgerald parallels. There’s no direct evidence that Parrott and Fitzgerald ever met, but he spent several months in 1938 working on a screenplay of her short story “Infidelity.” The plan was that “Infidelity” would be a vehicle for Joan Crawford at MGM, but there was no way a story about infidelity was going to make it past the censors in 1938. The fact that “Infidelity” was not produced was a disappointment for Fitzgerald. If Parrott and Fitzgerald ever met, they would have had a lot to talk about, and I can imagine them becoming friends and trading witty banter.
Some of the parallels between Parrott and Fitzgerald: they were both raised Catholic, they both had two sisters who died in infancy, they were both obsessed with car crashes, and they both struggled with their grades in college, being smart people who didn’t “apply themselves” in school. Another connection was that Ursula’s first husband, Lindesay Parrott, was a Princeton alum. Although he and Fitzgerald didn’t overlap at Princeton, they probably had friends in common, and Lindesay’s father was a professor in the English department at Princeton.
Parrott’s novels and short stories dealt with women entering the workforce, getting married, getting divorced, having affairs, being a single parent, and balancing work and life. She is a writer whose themes are still deeply relevant to American society today, nearly 100 years later. Unfortunately, nearly all of Parrott’s novels have long been out of print. Thankfully, Ex-Wife was published in a new edition in 2023, and it’s now next on my reading list. Gordon’s synopses of Parrott’s work will have you wanting to read more of Parrott’s work.
Parrott was married and divorced four times, and she raised her son Marc largely with the help of her sister Lucy. Parrott’s private life was sometimes messy, and the chapter that discusses her four abortions is harrowing, offering a grim reminder of the aftermath of the fabulous Jazz Age parties.
Throughout the book, Gordon is sympathetic to Parrott’s difficulties, as she struggled to meet her writing deadlines and stay afloat financially. Unfortunately, the last chapter of Parrott’s life was a tragic one, as she published nothing during the final 10 years of her life, and she died penniless in a New York hospital in 1957.
Gordon’s excellent work at chronicling Parrott’s colorful life and writings will hopefully lead to a deeper appreciation of Parrott’s work, and a fuller understanding of how she fit into the writers of her era.
October 3, 2023
I listened to the writer of this book on the History of Literature Podcast (its a fantastic podcast-you'll love it). Katherine Ursula Parrott lived a fascinating life she reached the upper echelon in the Hollywood elite and then took a major dive to living in a train station in NYC homeless. She was making hand over fist of money but it burnt a hole in her pocket every time she received a check. She was born in Boston at the end of the Victorian era attended Radcliffe College got married to a man (reporter) and they moved to the Big Apple -Greenwich Village in the roaring 20s and for me this is where Ursula's storied life takes off for better and worse. I was definitely engaged in her life story but came away with this marriage isn't for everyone nor are having kids regardless of what society or the church has indoctrinated you in over the years. You don't need to be married to have a successful relationship it might be advantageous for your mental health never to do so. Also its okay not to want/have kids get a dog or cat they are easier and less of a strain on a couple just starting out of their lives together. Also save your monies have a plan because you never know about what unknowns are around the corner. Be prepared. Yes, would recommend the book.
June 19, 2023
Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life and Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott ia a wonderful biography of a woman whose name is mostly lost to history. Her books are mostly out of print and difficult to find. Her name isn't one most will recognize, and that is a shame. I found her life fascinating and inspiring. She published a hugely popular bestseller, The Ex-Wife in 1929. It was quickly made into a film, starring Norma Shearer, and within ten years the author was in high demand, writing both novels, short stories and movies. She was famous, wealthy, and talented, and often used her own life as inspiration, sharing her own insecurities and failings with the world made her works relatable and realistic. Her works allowed women to see their lives on the page and screen.
Marsha Gordon's biography is well-researched and rich in details about Ms. Parrott. I immediately purchased the latter's novel and hope to read that soon.
I was provided a finished copy by the publisher. My review reflects my honest opinion.
Marsha Gordon's biography is well-researched and rich in details about Ms. Parrott. I immediately purchased the latter's novel and hope to read that soon.
I was provided a finished copy by the publisher. My review reflects my honest opinion.
August 14, 2023
I would have given this extremely interesting bio 5 stars, but it ended much like the last decade of Ursula Parrot life. I suppose it's fitting in the sense that both slowly dwindled in this riches-richer-rags story, but as often the case, one's decline is far less inspiring than one's heyday. Parrott's gift for writing made her extremely rich with her opus Ex-Wife published in 1929, but one gift is often counterbalanced my a private weakness or two. As the title suggests, even her greatest works, of which there were many, are forgotten. Unlike Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Parrott wrote mostly about the New Woman who was told she could "have it all" which was largely a lie, as she proved with her own life. This bio is an interesting look at the first "career women" who proved they could more than survive in a "man's world". But at what cost? It's a great read for all genders and walks-of-lives.
April 25, 2023
Marsha Gordon's foray into the life and times of the life and times of Ursula Parrot is a terrific look at not only at Parrot's triumph and tragedies, but it also opens up a view of the times, and how they not only affected Parrot's life and those around her, but how it changes the moirés of society in General.
Ursula Parrot's life mirrored the changes in the 1920's of how the Social strata for Women developed, especially during this period. Her Characters experienced a myriad of these lifestyle changes, and she covered areas such as Divorce, Birth Control, and "free love", in such a way as to make them much more than a phrase, but as a true life experience. As Parrot's life transitioned into the later decades and her own life and characters adapted, she went through the same process. It is indeed an excellent and entertaining read.
Ursula Parrot's life mirrored the changes in the 1920's of how the Social strata for Women developed, especially during this period. Her Characters experienced a myriad of these lifestyle changes, and she covered areas such as Divorce, Birth Control, and "free love", in such a way as to make them much more than a phrase, but as a true life experience. As Parrot's life transitioned into the later decades and her own life and characters adapted, she went through the same process. It is indeed an excellent and entertaining read.
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November 12, 2023One of my favorite recent detours into the previously-unknown began with an article in The Conversation by Marsha Gordon, titled "Why have you read ‘The Great Gatsby’ but not Ursula Parrott’s ‘Ex-Wife’?" In it, Ms. Gordon opened my eyes to a writer that I (and she herself, until recently) had never heard of, but should have.
After reading 'Ex-Wife' itself, it was a pleasure to have this biography as a follow-up. With impressive detail and a welcome balance of sympathy and objectivity toward her complicated subject, Ms. Gordon fully met my urge to know more about the talented and courageous Ursula Parrott.
Please note that I prefer not to rate books, but I do recommend this one.
After reading 'Ex-Wife' itself, it was a pleasure to have this biography as a follow-up. With impressive detail and a welcome balance of sympathy and objectivity toward her complicated subject, Ms. Gordon fully met my urge to know more about the talented and courageous Ursula Parrott.
Please note that I prefer not to rate books, but I do recommend this one.
May 9, 2023
Gordon has etched a vivid portrait of a fascinating woman writer fighting on several fronts in the culture wars of her times. She expertly weaves written artifacts, history and culture, making this book so hard to put down. And what a compelling era in history is the Jazz Age, of which I knew so little. It has led me to read Parrott’s books and movies. If only Parrott’s life had the ending Hollywood gave her autobiographically drawn stories!
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November 28, 2023Ursula was a celebrity in her heyday, but is now practically forgotten. The book shows us well why she deserves to be rediscovered, as a feminist voice from the past. Full review: https://medium.com/cinesuffragette/bo...
May 9, 2023
Marsha Gordon‘s engaging biography of Ursula Parrott exposes us to a persevering, charismatic, talented, but forgotten, female voice of the Jazz Age. Gordon‘s remarkable research brings the well-deserved legacy of Ursula Parrott back to life.
May 26, 2023
Dream of Ursula Parrott as a creative, rebellious woman who wrote her mind, defied societal norms, drank, had lovers—and then lived happily ever after with her sister on their estate in Connecticut—instead of what really happened.
May 9, 2023
A wonderfully written and utterly compelling bio of a fascinating woman who is finally back in the spotlight!
July 12, 2023
Review for TLS coming soon.
April 9, 2024
Brilliant!! After reading Ursula Parrott’s “Ex-Wife,” I wanted to learn everything I could about her. This book did just that for me and more!
Marsha Gordon does a fantastic job compiling research and putting it all together in a way that’s digestible and engaging for the reader. I loved this so much and am off to order a copy for my mom!
Marsha Gordon does a fantastic job compiling research and putting it all together in a way that’s digestible and engaging for the reader. I loved this so much and am off to order a copy for my mom!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews