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chealf_life's review against another edition
3.0
For the first 200 pages of this book I was wondering what the heck I was reading and why I continued to read it. But the last bit made it worth finishing, at least. I went into this with the expectation it would’ve been funnier and maybe more insightful and I guess that’s my own fault. Creating my own grief, if you will. (A nod to the book). Still well written, nonetheless.
nikki_mcclaran's review against another edition
2.0
[b:But You Seemed So Happy: A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits|56382367|But You Seemed So Happy A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits|Kimberly Harrington|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1613413740l/56382367._SY75_.jpg|87854733] is a collection of essays revolving around the author's (impending/ongoing?) divorce. A divorce that is not propelled by anger, a singular incident, or any viciousness, but rather from a marriage that has slowly burnt out. Because I have an eidetic memory isolated to romantic comedies, this brings to mind the scene in "Life As We Know It" where sexy doctor (Josh Lucas) says, "If my wife and I fought like that... we'd still be married."
I feel like a heartless, awful person to rate such a personal collection lowly. As this is a deeply personal reflection. Harrington not only allows us glimpses into the dissolution of her marriage but also how she came to consider love, in the first place, and how she's learned to move on afterward... often in humorous ways. And, in some essays, it really, really worked. The essays, "Life is Better on Weed" and "How to Punch Your Kids in the Face" were 5-stars, and Harrington really knows how to use the word "well" to make you laugh. But, a lot else of the collection just didn't work for me.
This may be due, in part, to me most certainly not being the target demographic. But, I more likely think it's because I just didn't connect with Harrington's style. Many times, rather than feeling witty, I thought the humor felt forced and/or the overarching sense of self-importance felt like the main takeaway. There were several instances in which Harrington admitted that her younger self "knew" she'd one day be famous and that her friends often felt they were the smartest people in the room... and it started making a lot of sense why those statements were repeated.
Plus, although I think(?) Harrington mentioned in the prologue that she recognizes marriage didn’t work for her but may for others (maybe this was inferred on my end?), by the end, she throws so much shade at marriage, as an institution and those in it, this collection is less about divorce and more about her anger of getting married in the first place.
I feel like a heartless, awful person to rate such a personal collection lowly. As this is a deeply personal reflection. Harrington not only allows us glimpses into the dissolution of her marriage but also how she came to consider love, in the first place, and how she's learned to move on afterward... often in humorous ways. And, in some essays, it really, really worked. The essays, "Life is Better on Weed" and "How to Punch Your Kids in the Face" were 5-stars, and Harrington really knows how to use the word "well" to make you laugh. But, a lot else of the collection just didn't work for me.
This may be due, in part, to me most certainly not being the target demographic. But, I more likely think it's because I just didn't connect with Harrington's style. Many times, rather than feeling witty, I thought the humor felt forced and/or the overarching sense of self-importance felt like the main takeaway. There were several instances in which Harrington admitted that her younger self "knew" she'd one day be famous and that her friends often felt they were the smartest people in the room... and it started making a lot of sense why those statements were repeated.
Plus, although I think(?) Harrington mentioned in the prologue that she recognizes marriage didn’t work for her but may for others (maybe this was inferred on my end?), by the end, she throws so much shade at marriage, as an institution and those in it, this collection is less about divorce and more about her anger of getting married in the first place.