Little Edie's Diary -
[GGC-9-624]

What a delightful and wonderful surprise! Little Edie’s diary is very captivating and precise. I Only Mark The Hours That Shine is such a very appropriate title for Little Edie’s diary because even as an 11 year old girl, she seemed to have possessed an infinite optimistic tendency as she displayed in the Grey Gardens documentary. The tone in her diary really suggests maturity and sophistication for such a young preteen; it is not the incessant prattling tone of pre-adolescence. Her innate wisdom and genuine unselfishness are two themes that truly “shine” throughout the pages of her diary.

For example, on Wednesday, January 9, 1929, she writes, “So you see-- tho I am having a very quiet time--I fill it up by devoting it to the things I am struggling to accomplish. Writing—dancing--and my health!” This statement shows such an indomitable spirit in someone so young who seemed to have maintained this “can do” attitude throughout her entire life. In addition, I really appreciate the editor’s thoughtfulness for providing the helpful list of the people in Little Edie’s life so that the reader is able to keep track of the identities of the names mentioned throughout the diary. Furthermore, I love how this diary inadvertently provides a pictorial of bits and pieces of late 1920’s era.