I've never read anything quite like this - a combination memoir and double biography. Volk does a wonderful job of telling the stories of both her mother and Elsa Schiaparelli, and of the profound influences each had on her life. I'd give it an extra half star if I could. Highly recommended. ( )

Audrey Morgen Volk’s second daughter may not have lived up to her exacting standards of 1940’s and ‘50’s beauty, composure and comportment, but she certainly lives up to the task of being her mother’s biographer, capturing a way of life – Audrey’s way of life – with humor, admiration and understanding. Audrey and her restaurateur husband, Cecil, lived a charmed life on NYC’s Riverside Drive. Patricia Volk captures her mother’s commitment to a beautiful life beautifully lived, albeit achieved with a discipline and aesthetic few may possess. As a young girl, Patricia watches Audrey apply her makeup, always topped by the daubs of Schiaparelli’s ‘Shocking’ perfume (Cecil’s annual birthday present wrapped with $100 bills). A constant childhood refrain is passing commentary on her mother’s beauty. Patricia admires and loves her mother, yet senses she will never measure up to Audrey’s exacting quest for perfection. Patricia’s life is transformed when she reads fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s autobiography and learns of another strong woman who achieves much, loves fashion and yet is neither beautiful nor composed. This revelatory experience opens to Patricia a life of choosing her own path.

Each chapter begins with a quote from Elsa and Audrey, followed by Patricia’s exploration and melding of their perspectives on fashion, motherhood, sex and much more. Throughout are some wonderful illustrations and photographs, as well as an epilogue which explores transformative books in the lives of many who people the book. Patricia, now herself a grandmother, doesn’t shy from foibles and faults, but is kind and ultimately forgiving. I enjoyed this book and would recommend to those who have an interest in NYC of the ‘40s and ‘50s, fashion, pre-feminism and, of course, the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters. ( )

It is my habit to listen to NPR and it was on one of the shows that I heard an interview with Patricia Volk about her book, Shocked.

I'm woefully ignorant about the world of high fashion, so the name Schiaparelli did not immediately strike cords with me. Yet as I read, I realized that her influence even peaked into that small home in a middle class, mostly Jewish neighborhood, where I grew up. But the interview was so alive, fascinating, that I immediately headed to the library to request the next available copy of the book. Luckily for me, the wait was just two days.

This was a voyage into a completely different world than my own. Though I grew up surrounded by strong, beautiful, fascinating, forthright women, they were nothing at all like either designer/artist Elsa Schiaparelli or Audry Volk, the author’s mother. It was a glimpse not behind the curtain, but more of one from backstage to the spotlight itself, to see how women of fashion and a prestige my family never experienced lived.

The juxtaposition of the the life of these two women, and how they helped shape Volk, not so much by example, but by helping her to build her mind and ideals into a life she, herself, wished to live, is fascinating. Richly illustrated with photographs and fancy from the world of both women, dotted with dashes of the famous, the memoir reveals lives rich in conviction, passion, flare, and some flamboyance. I loved that each chapter began with a quote from each woman, and then unrolled with Volk's take on a subject or situation. And Volk also reiterates the theme of how a single book can change a life. I would add my own belief, that it is the books you read, and the people you meet, who help shape the person you become. While this book will not change who I am, it certainly has expanded my knowledge and filled in some interesting bits of information. I'm glad I read it. ( )

When I picked up this book, I thought that the author’s mother was perhaps friends with Schiaparelli and that she had grown up with both women in her life. No, it turns out,, neither mother nor daughter ever met the imaginative designer- the only connection was that Audrey Volk wore Schiaparelli’s perfume ‘Shocking’ for much of her life. But when the precocious reader Volk was ten years old, she picked up her mother’s copy of “Shocking Life”, Schiaparelli’s autobiography. What she read there presented her with a version of womanhood that was diametrically opposed to that which her mother lived.

Audrey Volk was incredibly beautiful, smart, and personable. She excelled in school, married comfortably, had children and devoted her life to doing things *right*. Her life was full of rules: rules for how one dressed, rules for decorating, rules for how to have the right friends, rules of decorum. The most important thing, to her, was how one presented oneself, and protected oneself. Her friends never met each other, because, she reasoned, what if two of her friends decided to do something together and leave Audrey out? When this did happen, she dropped both friends permanently. There were no gray areas with Audrey. Patricia Volk, even from a young age, had problems with that. Schiaparelli- or Schiap as she referred to herself- was no classical beauty and relied on her talents to survive. Her life was colorful and she took chances- with her life and with her art. Her way of being a woman was diametrically opposed to that of Audrey’s. She didn’t wear neutrals or have monocolor rooms, and her friends were chosen to be exciting and interesting. Patricia Volk could pick the best from both her mother’s way and Schiap’s way. And she did have to pick, because neither woman was perfect. Schiap spent little time with her daughter; she sent her away to live & be educated, letting someone else bring the girl up. Audrey demanded strict adherence to her rules; once when Patricia spoke back to her, Audrey hit her in the face hard enough to damage a tooth to the point of needing a root canal.

The author switches around in viewpoints; she follows Schiap, Audrey and herself from childhood as they grow up and assume lives as women, but I had no trouble following who was who. It’s a fascinating exposition on having a narcissistic mother with control issues. I’m sure Patricia Volk could not have written this book while her mother was alive. It would have been the ultimate betrayal. ( )