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elisanolasco's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Love her voice, reminded me a bit of Stephanie Danler. Honest grit and wisdom.
womanvthevoid's review against another edition
4.5
i enjoyed this. it could have been tightened up a bit, but this is exactly the kind of thing I like to read. woman writes through her problems through reference and reading. i also loved the therapists take on the persephone myth: persephone is an opposite to demeter. maternal fertility, tethered to seasonal time, harvest vs. escape, risk, (a certain kind of) freedom, and wildness
also felt dragged by the many ways I am similar to this author. went to oberlin, she has a whole chapter about spiral jetty, where I used to work, she's obsessed w Mormons. dragged!
also felt dragged by the many ways I am similar to this author. went to oberlin, she has a whole chapter about spiral jetty, where I used to work, she's obsessed w Mormons. dragged!
jess_is_currentlyreading's review
3.75
I was so interested in most of these chapters but I found some to be frivolous. I think Dederer encapsulates exactly why I'm not enamored with the 70s & 80s. Her lighthearted portions were more my style, but her exposure of the rawness of herself and her emotions sits heavy on my chest in acknowledgement
kaycee_king's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
2.0
Yikes. I enjoyed her other book "Monsters" but this was...tough. Not my cup of tea subject matter wise, which is what it is. Oddly put together. The middle part was repetitive and got tedious.
nina_rod's review against another edition
3.0
“Seattle is a place where you are not supposed to emote. You are supposed to endure.” One of my favorite lines in the book and there were many. Bonus, this author lived in my neck of the woods, however her being in a more upscale neighborhood. (Stuck up snob.)
I could probably write the opposite of this book. The author took great pains in turning 40. Her body was not what it used to be and she wasn’t getting as much attention from men as she used to. And oh boy does she go into the attention she used to get from men. It was raw, honest and brave. I’m hoping her children and husband never read her book.
I, on the other hand, took great joy in turning 40. I slipped into invisibility as a non-threatening female behind the sexless minivan. I found it liberating, not soul-crushing. I liked the way this book was organized... bringing order to random musings. If I knew the writer in real life, I would have called her a bitch. But I was glad to know she had other women she called bitches too (those Saint Anne’s Brooklyn girls).
I loved reading her book like I loved Facebook stalking an open profile of a person I know I’d never be Facebook friends with. Although we both loved ‘A Room With A View’ and had a fascination with Mormons, so there’s that.
I could probably write the opposite of this book. The author took great pains in turning 40. Her body was not what it used to be and she wasn’t getting as much attention from men as she used to. And oh boy does she go into the attention she used to get from men. It was raw, honest and brave. I’m hoping her children and husband never read her book.
I, on the other hand, took great joy in turning 40. I slipped into invisibility as a non-threatening female behind the sexless minivan. I found it liberating, not soul-crushing. I liked the way this book was organized... bringing order to random musings. If I knew the writer in real life, I would have called her a bitch. But I was glad to know she had other women she called bitches too (those Saint Anne’s Brooklyn girls).
I loved reading her book like I loved Facebook stalking an open profile of a person I know I’d never be Facebook friends with. Although we both loved ‘A Room With A View’ and had a fascination with Mormons, so there’s that.
hatrireads's review against another edition
3.0
A very honest book about a wild child in Seattle who grows up to be a writer and mother and wife living on an island outside the city. Sexually explicit in a refreshing way. Very authentic memoir. I heard her speak at AWP about how to write about family without making anyone mad. Once you read this, you’ll be interested to hear what she said. I enjoyed this book. A bit gimmicky and choppy at times, but real true stuff here.
cubadianmom3's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75