I did really try with this book but I could not get past 25% before unfortunately having to DNF it as I just could not connect with the book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

A rediscovered classic from 1979 this story starts in full 1st person consciousness within the troubled mind of Princess Esmerelda of 72nd Street, New York. She looks after her realm of 72nd street making frequent inspections, checking on her subjects. Her mind undergoes what she refers to as “radiances” when reality becomes ethereal, she envisions flowers on her body & the problematic men around her seem like princes & kings so she takes them home. The early part of the book is witty and funny but we know however that our narrator is completely unreliable, yet totally honest, she believes this is her truth.
As the latter part of the book takes place we see true reality coming fast and her struggle to find her place within it as she realises that her episodes with these awful men have been traumatic, abusive and crazed.
Told so very believably I found these realisations difficult & could see how the world looked better under “radiance”. I was as concerned as if it were a true story. Not an easy read by any means but an important one that had me wondering how Elaine Kraf pulled it off, beautifully insightful on a world of unbalanced minds in the 1970’s
This review only scratches the surface, there is real depth in what is only a small book…

I really want to read more books out of my comfort zone but I just couldn't keep going with this one. It was like a headache. It wasn't bad - in fact, given what it is, I think it was very well done, I just struggled to read it and I struggled to really care. I think perhaps I'd prefer to read a book of this ilk written today.
I don't think it helps that I'm not doing so great at the minute so this probably wasn't the right book for me.

3 stars as I DNF'd but do believe it has an audience.

Penguin are re-publishing this 1979 novel by Elaine Kraf and it’s considered a feminist modern classic. I wasn’t sure what to expect beyond a literary romp through the 1970s art scene in New York and I’m still not really sure what I got!

Ellen is a single artist living in New York but she sometimes takes psychological breaks, where she becomes Princess Esmeralda. As Princess Esmeralda, she reigns over 72nd Street and lives a vivid, liberating existence. But some people are threatened by the carefree, dazzling princess.

Other than being some kind of high, I wasn’t really sure what the radiances were. I wanted to be told what her diagnosis was but I get the feeling that I wasn’t supposed to know. I was just supposed to take Esmeralda as she came and not analyse her too much, which I apparently struggled with.

As expected, there is a lot of commentary on men’s objectification of women and Ellen is rightly vehemently opposed to it. She is particularly alert to it and gets exceptionally angry when she spots men merely looking at women in what she perceives to be a sexualised manner. However, it does all seem to be her personal view of the situation.

There is a repeated motif of Ellen being coerced into doing things she doesn’t want to do. I feel like this is a situation that women find themselves in more often than men but the narrative voice felt very self-serving. I couldn’t connect to her, so although I agreed with her views and empathised with her people-pleasing traits, she wasn’t at all relatable.

Her true love is a free-spirited man named Auriel who she pines for. Perhaps it is her grief for that happy ending that she never got that triggers her retreats into the radiances. But as I said before, I don’t think I am supposed to think about the ins and outs of her mental health too closely.

Even as her powerful, regal alter-ego, Ellen still gets abused and treated terribly by men and I think that was the overall message of the book. All women are at risk of objectification and mistreatment at the hands -and eyes- of men. This is resoundingly true and Kraf manages to deliver this message very clearly.

The Princess of 72nd Street is a stream of consciousness novella that will probably confuse and frustrate you yet cause you to reflect on how women of all ages, races, social backgrounds are perceived and treated by men. It’s not long but it’s far from an easy read and personally, I didn’t love Ellen/Esmeralda as a narrator. It paints a picture of 1970s New York very well and considering art is such a strong theme, the writing style continues it.

“I don’t need LSD for things to look pretty.”

The Princess of 72nd Street is a book which follows a woman with two sides to herself: Ellen, the classical-music-listening, self-assured, serial monogamist with an art degree; and Princess Esmeralda, her ‘radiant’ and royal alter ego, seemingly only seeing the light of day during manic episodes which leave our narrator in a state of vulnerable ecstasy.

We take a psychedelic jaunt through the Princess’ New York neighbourhood, encountering a relentless throng of dangerous, entitled, and selfish men, many of whom take advantage of Ellen/Esmeralda. Whilst the tale may initially seem goofy and jocular, the highs of our journey sink into deep puts of despair. Realism sets in as we begin to relate to Ellen’s experiences, recognising these men from our everyday lives.

“Who will I be when the pain is gone?”

Whimsical, dream-like sequences and stream of consciousness descriptions of hallucinations are tainted and brutalised by harsh reality. I came away from this read feeling seen, shocked, and satisfied. Never before have I read something which such a clear voice that also spoke to me personally and put my own feelings into words.

A very interesting, relatively quick read! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of the re-release!

Elaine Kraf is one of those unfortunate writers who has somehow fallen through the cracks of fame and almost disappeared in obscurity and yet her tiny published literary output is original and abstract and still relevant today.
Ellen is an artist (as was Elaine herself) but she is also Princess Esmeralda of 72nd Street, ruling over her imaginary kingdom created in a series of trance like episodes she has termed as Radiances.
The line between reality and madness is blurred by eccentric characters including Auriel, her false prince; Rombert, obsessed with urine samples; George, who teaches the Communist Manifesto and is seduced by Doctor Clutrain, an hysterical therapist.
Bleak but colourful, tinged with sexual promiscuity, enriched with feminist ideals and its unique oddness.

Looking at this book from the context of when it was written and published, this is a 4-star read, where the main character experiences mental health issues and tells her story to the reader.
From the present context, because we have well-written books in a similar vein, it is not as groundbreaking - 3.5 stars.
The themes are still relevant and important, the character, underrepresented.
In many instances, I enjoyed her voice and her wisdom about relationships sometimes resonated with me.
At other times, as intended, I found her annoying, shallow , but vulnerable and complex.

The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf (UK release Jan 2025) is an affecting exploration of identity, resilience, and mental health set against the vibrant, unforgiving streets of 1970s New York. The novel centres on Ellen, a fiercely independent artist whose struggle to navigate life in a chaotic urban world is mirrored by the struggles in her mind.

The story paints a striking picture of how the pressures of the city—its noise, demands, and relentless pace—can weigh heavily on the mind. Her moments of strength contrast with times of deep vulnerability, creating a  portrayal of someone striving to maintain balance in an environment that often feels overwhelming. The novel doesn’t shy away from the stigma surrounding mental health, showing how it affects relationships, self-perception, and the pursuit of one’s dreams.

The Upper West Side and its denizens become a reflection of Ellen’s beleaguered and artistic mind: unpredictable, chaotic, busting with colour, and peppered with moments of unexpected beauty.

The writing captures this duality with zest, bringing us moments of great, if dark, humour and joy among Ellen’s bleaker periods of sadness and confusion. Bustling city life is contrasted with moments of quiet introspection, offering insight into Ellen’s inner world as it erupts into a state of heady, heedless, rapture that she calls ‘Radiance’.

During each “Radiance” Ellen believes herself to be Esmerelda, the eponymous “Princess of 72nd Street”, and feels delightfully free of earthly constraints. It’s clear to the reader, however, that Ellen is extremely vulnerable in this state, wholly unable to control her actions, and that this vulnerability is often exploited terribly by the people around her.

A tale of survival and hope, this novel’s frank but nuanced portrayal of mental health make it a moving read, which may not be to everyone’s taste – it’s a necessarily surrealistic and fragmented narrative, and Ellen’s telling of it cannot relied be upon - but I’m very glad to have read it and shared her truth(s).

For me this book was a very interesting take on mental health from the time frame of the 70's. It felt disjointed and yet intrigued to see it from a woman's POV during times of intense depression and manic episodes, it reminded me of a more intense 'Bell Jar'. At times Ellen feels so free and vibrant and at others I felt such sadness for her because those around her don't experience the world in the same way.
Overall the whole story feels chaotic and intensely dazzling and I am so glad Kraf's words have been re-released as I didn't know of her works prior to this review copy, now I will definitely be adding more to my TBR pile!

An overlooked classic, Kraf’s 1979 novel tells the story of Ellen, an artist living in New York. She experiences what she terms ‘radiances’, episodes of giddy unreality during which she believes herself to be Princess Esmerelda reigning over her kingdom of 72nd Street.

Throughout the novel Kraf tackles questions of authority. She asks us; who has the right to judge what is sane or insane? The figures who surround Ellen are, by no stretch of the imagination, mentally stable, and the character of the mental health practitioner ends up suffering a nervous breakdown himself. The fact that this occurs to the apparent arbiter of sanity implies that the line between sanity and insanity is rather more arbitrary than we would like to believe. It is something that fluctuates with circumstances. In The Princess of 72nd Street Kraf refuses to let these questions of power rest easy, constantly bring more forces into play - gender, art, social class. Although never seeking to provide definitive answers, the novel creates multi-shaded portraits of the amount of control we can exercise over the inner lives of others.

This is a fascinating look at mental health and female freedom. It is startlingly modern in its telling, something which I feel stems primarily from the fascinating first-person narrative style. Ellen is unique among unreliable narrators in that she is very aware of her own unreliable-ness and the potential she possesses for altered perception. She exhibits an astounding level of self-reflection and awareness. As such, no matter whether she is Princess Esmerelda or Ellen, she is consistently honest about her experience of the world. This results in a vibrant and sometimes humorous look at ideas of perception and intersubjectivity.

First published in 1979 this is the story of Ellen, an artist living in New York. Ellen struggles with meaningful loving relationships and the exes that she amasses and her art. She has an alter-ego Esmerelda, who appears to her during times of what Ellen describes as radiances. These euphoric states see Esmerelda taking over Ellen's life.

Esmerelda is the Princess of 72nd Street. She checks in on her subjects during the times of radiance with benevolence and joy. Sometimes this works in her favour, other times it doesn't. Often, when Ellen comes back to herself, she has to clean up the mess that Esmerelda has created in mind and body. Sometimes Esmerelda goes too far and is detained in mental hospitals and given drugs to quiet the effects of radiance.

This is a sharp, emotionally cogent account of what it's like to live with mental health problems. It's funny and shocking and violent and celebratory. Ellen welcomes the radiance because it's gorgeous and welcoming, but she fears what the world does to her under its influence. What I loved is that this isn't a clear cut account. There are elements of the radiance that totally work and which allow Esmerelda to show Ellen clearly what is happening in her non radiant life and then there are the other times when the balance tips. I loved that there are no right answers here, which there never are with mental health. This is an extremely modern book considering it was written nearly fifty years ago.

I really enjoyed this read.

It was first published in 1979 and talks of mental health and women. Having lived in 79 I know this was not a 'big issue' then no one knew of it as it wasn;t talked about like it is today.. Mommy's little helpers were kept under wraps.

It is a powerful read and although it has aged quite well I would love to read a more modern version and see how the main character would fair today

A very strange, very fun book. This book explores the way that mentally ill women are treated in society. It was heartbreaking at times, especially when Ellen takes over and is more lucid, seeing the way in which she was treated so poorly by men. Despite being written in the late 1970s, the messaging is still relevant today.

The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf explores women's mental health in an experimental way. A challenging but rewarding read.

3.5 stars
A thrilling take on mental health, manic episodes and womens rights, this book was interesting to read. The unreliable narrator added to the entertainment and also saved this book, I think if it was narrated in a typical way it might have lost some of its charm and excitement. The commentary on women and their rights in society was also interesting and added to the book, overall a fun short read.