A House Is Not a Home

I enjoyed immensely meeting Miss Polly Adler! She wrote one compelling story about her life, her entire life. The years she made her name were a little before my time, however, I would have been thrilled to meet her. And at a young age, I'd loved to have visited her 'house' and sampled the wares.Polly is a very special lady. Her heart is huge. Her love of people is amazing. Polly is one unique lady.I was drawn and held to the pages as I watched her life, good, bad, and successfully lived from her own words. As a writer and avid reader, I highly recommend 'A House Is Not a Home' to anyone interested in how things rolled back in the Roaring Twenties. "Thank you, dear Polly, for one enjoyable read where I came to truly appreciate a person like you. May you rest in a well-deserved peace."

I first read this book 25 years ago. I borrowed it from a friend at school and was heart broken when I had to return it. Even as an ignorant 15 yr old, I realised that this book was important. I have been looking for my own copy ever since and am so pleased with this new release.If you are in any way interested in history, expecially from a womans point of view, this is the book for you. It never occured to me (as a 15 yr old) that women played a role in history until I read this book. Mind you, I attended a private girls school and I still had no idea that history could be relayed from the perspective of a woman; a migrant; a law breaker; you name it....this book covers all the gaps and presents a womans/migrants/law breakers point of view of New York in the 20's, 30's and 40's.Most importantly, this book is an autobiography, so much more personal, warm and authentic. I really came to like Polly Adler and I truly admired her guts and her honesty.25 years later, this book is a little more tame than I remember. I was outraged by the goings on when I first read it. Nonetheless, it is still powerful and dare I say it again, important.

Polly Adler writes a wonderful history of the prohibition era in NYC. Alongside the bio & history you’ll find interesting asides about celebrities, gangsters and the like. I didn’t know there was such a thing as Eno’s salt...so many interesting tidbits...Above all, it’s written in a very readable & fun style.Please click the “helpful” tab if this review was . Thank you

Hard times create interesting people.Pearl was the result of poverty in her era.

Extremely interesting re: the business of running a house of ill repute in the 20's during prohibition including scary gangsters and even scarier politicians. While she tries to portray herself as the Mother Theresa of Madams it is still a good read and dare I say impressive how she managed everything.

Not only is this Great, Easy Reading ... It is Insightful about Immigration in the Early 1900's in America, especially from the standpoint of women realities during that time. The stories are true and actually extremely entertaining. This 'lady' was actually my grandmother's 1st cousin and my grandmother is mentioned in the book.

One you may not find on the shelf of your local library, in this book Ms. Adler tells what it was like to be the madame of a high end brothel, including how and why she, as well as some of her girls, got into the business.

I have been looking for this book for years. Called used book stores and libraries-nothing. Found it from a book seller used on Amazon. Good book ( a little pricey for 20.00 but in ok condition) got it here on time and I enjoyed the read and adding it to my collection.

Goed boek met een boeiend verhaal. Het toont een kant van de samenleving waar veel mensen niet mee in aanraking komen en is daarmee zeer leerzaam.Af en toe het gevoel dat de auteur een beetje vrij is met de waarheid en her en der wat langdradig maar desondanks een zeer interessant en goed geschreven boek, zeker voor een autobiografie.