susannes_pagesofcrime's review
2.5
I found this one to be interesting at times but also quite self indulgent and a bit preachy which put me off.
zoevjester's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Definitely rushed it, but will definitely reread in the future because there are a lot of interesting points that I want to take the time to properly reflect on.
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review
5.0
It felt fitting to finish this after work earlier this week, sat on the shoreline with the waves gently lapping and the sun giving that sweet golden hour grace. Like Chelsea Watego’s book which I posted about yesterday, this was another read that felt like fireworks for the mind. It’s one I now have underlined and tabbed and even have the odd “!!” in the margins, my readerly way of eagerly nodding in agreement.
Wood articulates what she really values in a work of art as “the blow to the nervous system, the sensation freed from its mechanical conveyance.” It’s an apt sentence to share, being delicious to read and within an essay in which Wood observes how people commenting on books almost never mention language. Wood also mentions marketability (the inseparability of book publishing from book marketing is a fascinating concept to chew over!) and how for some works “their finest qualities cannot be articulated in any form except the experience of reading them.” While I could tease out some more quotes, open my well-tabbed and annotated copy and share more of what I loved in this, I do think it’s a read that will move you as you read it. While it is practical, and I found great solace in it as someone coming out of a particularly dark year, it’s also a read that will stay with me for more than it’s individual component pieces. I feel like I’ve been given a glimpse into Wood’s thinking and approach to her craft, as well as the wisdom of a person who has been able to articulate so perfectly what they have absorbed in their life.
This is beautiful, and pages well worth time between if your year has been shadowed and needs some light to be let back in.
Wood articulates what she really values in a work of art as “the blow to the nervous system, the sensation freed from its mechanical conveyance.” It’s an apt sentence to share, being delicious to read and within an essay in which Wood observes how people commenting on books almost never mention language. Wood also mentions marketability (the inseparability of book publishing from book marketing is a fascinating concept to chew over!) and how for some works “their finest qualities cannot be articulated in any form except the experience of reading them.” While I could tease out some more quotes, open my well-tabbed and annotated copy and share more of what I loved in this, I do think it’s a read that will move you as you read it. While it is practical, and I found great solace in it as someone coming out of a particularly dark year, it’s also a read that will stay with me for more than it’s individual component pieces. I feel like I’ve been given a glimpse into Wood’s thinking and approach to her craft, as well as the wisdom of a person who has been able to articulate so perfectly what they have absorbed in their life.
This is beautiful, and pages well worth time between if your year has been shadowed and needs some light to be let back in.