Peaches & Daddy: A Story of the Roaring Twenties, the Birth of Tabloid Media, and the Courtship That Captured the Heart and Imagination of the America

By Michael M. Greenburg

Thirty-seven days later, amid blaring headlines announcing the event and with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in close pursuit, they were married. Within ten months they would... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590200462
• ISBN13: 9781590200469
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Abrams Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Compelling page-turner, captivating story-telling!

Greenburg tells this fascinating true story in an easy-to-read, impartial way - so triumphantly, considering all of the conflicting stories and evidence that forms this saga. He makes it is easy to get caught up in the essence of the era, reminding us of many of the origins of things we take for granted today. The author keeps us questioning the true motivations of the characters and portrays a scintilating tale that leaves the reader repeating, "truth is stranger than fiction". This story would make a blockbuster epic!

Excerpts from the 'Era of Wonderful Nonsense'

'Though the details of their story have long withered from the fleeting memory of a fickle public, their legacy of social rebellion and cultural nonconformity survives as one of the features of this wayward and unsettled time in the nation's history.' Few writers have been able to capture the glitzy zaniness and excesses of the 1920s as well as new author Michael M. Greenburg. Not only does Greenburg create a novel of one of the wildest and most notorious 'romances' of the past century - the multi-millionaire 51 year old Edward 'Daddy' Browning and the 15 (or 16) year old department store clerk Frances 'Peaches' Heenan - and wraps our attention around every aspect of this caper that 'invented' tabloid journalism - he also introduces a gift for prose that alerts us to a fine new talent. Greenburg's writing style is airborne and he takes the reader on an unforgettable flight through the events that created the madness of the frivolous, self indulgent 20s that followed the horror and shock of WW I. Tabloid journalism, that aspect of news reporting that titillates readers with gossip about the movie stars and all figures in the public eye, began with the media exposure encouraged by the notoriety hungry Browning and his 'inappropriate' married partner of a few months time. The Brownings flaunted their May December marriage and all the antics that accompanied it such as the thousand dollar a day spending excursions, outrageous and irresponsible wastes of money - all willingly delivered fodder to the 'new journalists' who followed their every move, giving rise to not only the tabloids but to the birth of the paparazzi. Greenburg shares this fascinating tale with his polished writing style and with his careful documentation, including many photographs from not only his infamous couple, but also from the backgrounds of each of them. Almost more interesting than the brief but highly visible taint of his affair and marriage to a near child is the rich background of Edward 'Daddy' Browning and his many quirks of lifestyle: he adopted young girls in their teens, had affairs that border on bizarre, and yet had his 'good' traits as a wealthy (if necessarily highly visible) benefactor to children. Greenburg covers the entire history of this odd character from his birth to his death with all the notable debris left strewn about Manhattan as his memorial. Though it is often said that fact is stranger than fiction, Michael M. Greenburg's PEACHES AND DADDY is one of the best examples of that truism. This is an inordinately fascinating, beautifully written book that makes history come alive in the hands of a master. Greenburg, a former editor of the Pepperdine Law Review and now a practicing attorney in Boston, may just have entered the arena of fine biographers: with his superb talent for writing one can hope he will continue entertaining us with further books - based both on fact and fiction. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, November 08

Great Read!

I loved this book. It got me from page 1 and I couldn't put it down. The section on the trial is absolutely riveting - the most exciting non-fiction I've read since Devil in the White City. Greenburg's top notch ability to bring a piece of history to life is only surpassed by his incredible research skills. I can't wait for his next book.

A Tabloid Treat!

I picked up this book intending to just glance at the 1920's photographs of flappers and old fashioned "composographs," but then I made the mistake of reading the first page. Three hours later, I still hadn't put this juicy, captivating book down and I was deep into the world of big city wealth and scandal! Gossipy, brilliantly written, and culturally relevant, I wish there were more books of this sort to hijack my afternoons. What a fabulous read!

a dazzling read!

Peaches and Daddy is brilliant! Greenburg recounts history in a way that is not only well structured and researched, but also highly entertaining. The reader gets thrown into the Roaring 20's and caught up in the birth of sensationalist journalism, following protagonists whose lives were too tumultuous and preposterous to invent for a fictional book. It's a wonder that the tale has taken so long to resurface.