Poet and novelist Rooney ( O, Democracy! 2014) found sublime inspiration, thanks to a librarian friend, in real-life ad writer and poet Margaret Fishback. On this reckless odyssey, mink-clad Lillian is both embraced and accosted by strangers, all while contemplating the changes the years have brought to her and her beloved city. Now 85 and still venturing out on foot in all seasons and still in full possession of her gift for pithy, droll, and mischievous language (“Solutions of style have a greater moral force than those of obligation”), Lillian decides to celebrate 1984’s New Year’s Eve by dining as she does every year at a favorite restaurant, then walking through the city to attend a party to which she was invited by a young photographer she met in the park. One secret to her success was her love of New York City and her devotion to daily walks. Glamorous and ambitious Lillian Boxfish was celebrated in front-page articles in 1931 as “the highest paid advertising woman in America.” She was also famous for her best-selling books of wryly irreverent light verse.
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