chelseamartinez's review against another edition
3.0
I got this book at a library book sale. I'm mailing it to my mom, who at this point maybe listens to audio books more than she reads books, but for me she will make an exception. I read part of this book standing in the pacific ocean, wearing a hat and a one piece bathing suit. COVID has really accelerated my rate of ascendance into middle-aged lady who dgaf, and this book is good for that also.
The beginning and the end are a bit generic in their body/face/aging-positivity, but themes, symbols, and advivce keep emerging that are delightful: wear turtlenecks, but more importantly, put shirt stays in the turtlenecks themselves to keep them from sagging; Layer Cake cabernet with ice as a go-to drink, and, the reason I really want to send this to my mom is that Keaton grew up in Santa Ana (yes, yes, I've seen Annie Hall but didn't realize she is playing herself so much, I guess), just a few years ahead of my mom. Reading this book, I wonder what it would have been like if my mom had gotten into theater instead of dance/cheer (although that would have been even less acceptable to my grandparents, I expect!).
Keaton is a few years older than my mom, but my grandfather was very old so my mom and aunts and uncles grew up with a lot of the same movies and reverence for Hollywood that is on display here. As the book goes on the juxtaposition of remembrances of young vs. old Gary Cooper, embracing Victoria's Secret as superior to the dictates of underwear shopping of yore, There's a fair bit of Woody Allen friendship talk in here (one transcribed phone message from him is a shocking shift in tone from Keaton's own voice and not a voice I'd ever want to hear in my inbox) and some other Hollywood-dating tales.These are far less interesting to me than the piece about her being a serial home renovator, from which I was reminded of the Chemosphere and learned about the Petal House and the Struckus House, my new favorite piece of LA architecture, or about her daughter swimming around the pier. So yeah, mailing the book to my mom and following the author on instagram now.
The beginning and the end are a bit generic in their body/face/aging-positivity, but themes, symbols, and advivce keep emerging that are delightful: wear turtlenecks, but more importantly, put shirt stays in the turtlenecks themselves to keep them from sagging; Layer Cake cabernet with ice as a go-to drink, and, the reason I really want to send this to my mom is that Keaton grew up in Santa Ana (yes, yes, I've seen Annie Hall but didn't realize she is playing herself so much, I guess), just a few years ahead of my mom. Reading this book, I wonder what it would have been like if my mom had gotten into theater instead of dance/cheer (although that would have been even less acceptable to my grandparents, I expect!).
Keaton is a few years older than my mom, but my grandfather was very old so my mom and aunts and uncles grew up with a lot of the same movies and reverence for Hollywood that is on display here. As the book goes on the juxtaposition of remembrances of young vs. old Gary Cooper, embracing Victoria's Secret as superior to the dictates of underwear shopping of yore, There's a fair bit of Woody Allen friendship talk in here (one transcribed phone message from him is a shocking shift in tone from Keaton's own voice and not a voice I'd ever want to hear in my inbox) and some other Hollywood-dating tales.These are far less interesting to me than the piece about her being a serial home renovator, from which I was reminded of the Chemosphere and learned about the Petal House and the Struckus House, my new favorite piece of LA architecture, or about her daughter swimming around the pier. So yeah, mailing the book to my mom and following the author on instagram now.
sjklass's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to Diane herself read this one. She’s quirky, awkward and self-deprecating. Funny stories, all themed around beauty, inside and out. Good way to pass the morning commute to downtown!
solitarysoul's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Maybe I am not old enough yet to appreciate this. Each chapter explored a different part of her body that she had issue with. Geez.
mees_grows's review against another edition
2.0
DNF 62%. This was just some rambling, I expected to have more substance and feminism but that was missing.
book_nut's review against another edition
Was hoping for thoughtful, got gossipy. I'm not in the mood for gossipy.
alimcfadzen's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to love this book. I love Diane Keaton. However, I have no idea what direction she was trying to take. It was so disjointed and all over the place that it made no sense whatsoever. Very disappointing.
robinsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I love reading celebrity memoirs but not a fan of the random musings and jumping from here to there and back again, which is the format of most of this book. Enjoyed it when she talked about her life, children, and other celebrities, but while some of her musings about aging were true and a little amusing (hair extensions sound awful!), her personal philosophical mumbo-jumbo got a little tiresome.
kellyhitchcock's review against another edition
I gave up on this one; it just wasn't my cup of tea. Particularly in audiobook format, it just didn't hold my interest like it should have.
cricket771's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book... and I'll still likely read her first book which received much better reviews. This book was very rambling and superficial... which I do understand was the point of some of the book to discuss aging and all that goes along with that process. I kept waiting to understand or get to the part of the book that made the rambling come together... it never did come together for me at least.