Rating: 
Summary: Like a Soap Opera or Train Wreck...
Review: You can't help but continue to turn the pages. However, the book is highly repetitive and consists largely of quotes. The stories are interesting, and each deserves to be told, but the "he said, she said" tone forces one to question the legitimacy of Heymann's authority on the subject. As a member of both the D.C. and media communities, I can appreciate these "biographies" enough to recommend this book to others. But only to those who truly have an interest in the neighborhood and its history. Otherwise the nearly 400 pages of this text can be summed up with the following:
The women of Georgetown (particularly those who chose homes on "N" Street) had a significant influence on the men and politics of the day. Why? Because they knew how to through great parties. They invited the "who's who" and ensured the alcohol flowed freely enough to induce conversation. These conversations among policy makers must have changed the tone of policy, though Heymann fails to cite substantive examples, and when all else fails, he inserts a tale or two about the Kennedys!
Rating: 
Summary: Marriage more important than merit or talent?
Review: [I edited my review to show that the book deserves four stars not the one I originally gave it. The author deserved better than that. It IS well written and interesting. The main cast gets one star!]I'm a nearby resident of Georgetown. What a pity these empty busy-bodies are held in any esteem at all. In a country where merit is traditionally the sign of success, the influence and celebration of these social parasites is a deep disappointment. Without a lick of talent or hard work and only as a result of birth or marriage these nincompoops achieved a measure of power and influence- greatly undeserved. This group of "social geniuses" was instrumental in Georgetown not receiving an underground Metro station fearing an overflow of "undesireables". As a result of this decision twenty years ago, Georgetown has had to purchase its own buses to supplement DC's bus lines adding to the traffic. And boy what traffic. Thousands visit Georgetown every week, with no Metro Station they drive their cars creating one of the most vehicle-congested neighborhoods in the United States. This same group's "descendents" is now whining about the need for an underground Metro. What horrible examples these cackling hens and their still active replacements are to young women today.
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