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Reviews tagging 'Addiction'
My Friend Anna: The True Story of the Fake Heiress Who Conned Me and Half of New York City by Rachel DeLoache Williams
4 reviews
breandthebooks's review
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction
forgottencupoftea's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I rarely read this type of book but found myself very curious when this very book was mentioned in one of the last episodes of the Netflix show <i>Inventing Anna</i>.
As the show ended up portraying Rachel in a not-so-positive light, I thought reading her own account of the whole situation would change things for me. Spoiler alert: it didn't (not really anyway). The structure of the book made little sense to me (and structure is important, especially in nonfiction). The writing isn't anything special. The author often tends to digress and it seems like she gets lost in her own account which makes the book much longer than it could be.
I also found it quite hard at times to empathise with Rachel as she appears to be quite privileged and to navigate life with ease (college, study abroad, internships and Vanity Fair). All of those aren't bad things, good for her even, but there is a lack of self-awareness on her part throughout much of the narration.
As the show ended up portraying Rachel in a not-so-positive light, I thought reading her own account of the whole situation would change things for me. Spoiler alert: it didn't (not really anyway). The structure of the book made little sense to me (and structure is important, especially in nonfiction). The writing isn't anything special. The author often tends to digress and it seems like she gets lost in her own account which makes the book much longer than it could be.
I also found it quite hard at times to empathise with Rachel as she appears to be quite privileged and to navigate life with ease (college, study abroad, internships and Vanity Fair). All of those aren't bad things, good for her even, but there is a lack of self-awareness on her part throughout much of the narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction and Bullying
chronicallyplotting's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
<This book was very challenging to want to keep reading. The base story is interesting, don’t get me wrong. But the author spends so much time going into her elaborate lifestyle even apart from the scam. Almost feels at times like Rachel is bragging about her high needed life. The author complains about the financial stress of it all but in the same paragraph she takes a family vacation and other lavish expenses that a person who is out thousands probably shouldn’t take. The book was Very heavy on descriptions and added details that took away from the story.
This book ended up feeling like it was rushed and is a cover up to try to make her involvement look less than it was. When she willingly paid for parts of the trip, volunteering her cards and going on a trip like that should come with some liability of cost. I definitely feel like this book was the authors attempt to smooth out her image. >
This book ended up feeling like it was rushed and is a cover up to try to make her involvement look less than it was. When she willingly paid for parts of the trip, volunteering her cards and going on a trip like that should come with some liability of cost. I definitely feel like this book was the authors attempt to smooth out her image. >
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
2.5
I picked this up about a month ago and took a long pause from listening to it because I was (and am still) focusing on blackathon. Since starting it, I have listened to it on and off while I do tasks like package up books for pangobooks, folding laundry, or getting dressed, and otherwise didn't think about it much, and when I did, I could only think of how much it annoyed me.
However, I couldn't get myself to relax tonight, so I put this on as a distraction while I played a game on my phone for hours on end. I thought that this book was going to annoy me less the closer that I got to the end, and I was simply incorrect.
The concept is interesting and the content - at least some of it, is interesting as well. Williams' story on its own is absolutely a ride, and I empathized with her throughout the narrative...I just wish she'd told it in a more engaging way. The writing just wasn't that attention grabbing for me, and while the beginning was trying to set the scene and introduce "characters," I feel like you can do that without spending almost 100 pages doing it.
That being said, this was interesting sometimes - fascinating, actually. The complete sociopathy of Anna Delvey is very interesting as depicted here, but I would've liked to know more about the pathology of Anna than just about the sting that went down and how much money she lost. I guess, to be fair, I should've looked to a different book for that.
My last gripe isn't with the book itself, but the author. She's been very vocal about how "Inventing Anna" on Netflix is just giving Anna a platform and money in both Netflix and Anna's pockets - and it's true that that isn't ethical. Anna shouldn't be rewarded for her crimes. I can't help but think, however, what is Williams doing with this book, if not profiting off of Anna's crimes, and Anna herself?
Victims have the right to tell their stories, I will never dispute that, nor do I ever want to downplay someone's trauma. At the same time I have trouble with thinking that what she has written and put into the world is any better than what Netflix has done. That's just my two cents though, others might have different opinions and that's cool.
However, I couldn't get myself to relax tonight, so I put this on as a distraction while I played a game on my phone for hours on end. I thought that this book was going to annoy me less the closer that I got to the end, and I was simply incorrect.
The concept is interesting and the content - at least some of it, is interesting as well. Williams' story on its own is absolutely a ride, and I empathized with her throughout the narrative...I just wish she'd told it in a more engaging way. The writing just wasn't that attention grabbing for me, and while the beginning was trying to set the scene and introduce "characters," I feel like you can do that without spending almost 100 pages doing it.
That being said, this was interesting sometimes - fascinating, actually. The complete sociopathy of Anna Delvey is very interesting as depicted here, but I would've liked to know more about the pathology of Anna than just about the sting that went down and how much money she lost. I guess, to be fair, I should've looked to a different book for that.
My last gripe isn't with the book itself, but the author. She's been very vocal about how "Inventing Anna" on Netflix is just giving Anna a platform and money in both Netflix and Anna's pockets - and it's true that that isn't ethical. Anna shouldn't be rewarded for her crimes. I can't help but think, however, what is Williams doing with this book, if not profiting off of Anna's crimes, and Anna herself?
Victims have the right to tell their stories, I will never dispute that, nor do I ever want to downplay someone's trauma. At the same time I have trouble with thinking that what she has written and put into the world is any better than what Netflix has done. That's just my two cents though, others might have different opinions and that's cool.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Bullying and Suicide attempt
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