Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Love and Making a Life by Amy Key
3 reviews
aqtbenz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse
paperbackstacks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
A heartfelt collection of essays and musings on the author’s life, Joni Mitchell’s Blue album, the entangled themes of loneliness and intimacy. It ponders whether we can rid ourselves of the underlying expectation of needing romantic love to have lived a “complete” life.
I took my time reading this collection, dipping in and out of it chapter by chapter. Allowing myself to pause and sit with each section I read. I could see so much of my younger self in Key’s experiences with romance, the tethering of selfhood and worth to whether or not I had a romantic partner. The cycle of creating an idea of a person, becoming enamored with it, and subsequently being heartbroken when the reality doesn’t align - or shatters in front of you.
The essays incorporate scenes from the author’s life, with Key looking back at the landscape of her romantic self and how her outlook on romance was shaped by the lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s album, Blue. Over the course of the collection, we see Key grappling with a world that is often catered to couples, and the journey she’s had in finding and establishing herself and the life she wants to live - regardless of whether or not she has a romantic partner.
The theme of loneliness is often touched on and returned to in this collection. Key contends with loneliness, whether it be in the aftermath of a breakup, having the realization that every adult in her life has “found their person”, looking at how her personal relationships have shifted as friends get married and have kids, or even just the absence of a theoretical romantic partner. The impact these things have had, and how they’ve shaped her. I read The Lonely City by Olivia Laing earlier this year, and this collection felt like an extension of the conversation Laing’s book was having about loneliness. However, Arrangements in Blue explored this theme on a much more intimate and one-to-one level, over the course of a life.
This collection is poignant and raw, gorgeously written, and intimately vulnerable. Amy Key takes us through the highs and lows, the reflections, and the milestones that have made up her adult life. As a reader, I saw parts of myself in Amy and her experience, and have since been able to look back with a deeper level of understanding and kindness on certain times in my life.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for allowing me to access an advanced reader’s copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I took my time reading this collection, dipping in and out of it chapter by chapter. Allowing myself to pause and sit with each section I read. I could see so much of my younger self in Key’s experiences with romance, the tethering of selfhood and worth to whether or not I had a romantic partner. The cycle of creating an idea of a person, becoming enamored with it, and subsequently being heartbroken when the reality doesn’t align - or shatters in front of you.
The essays incorporate scenes from the author’s life, with Key looking back at the landscape of her romantic self and how her outlook on romance was shaped by the lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s album, Blue. Over the course of the collection, we see Key grappling with a world that is often catered to couples, and the journey she’s had in finding and establishing herself and the life she wants to live - regardless of whether or not she has a romantic partner.
The theme of loneliness is often touched on and returned to in this collection. Key contends with loneliness, whether it be in the aftermath of a breakup, having the realization that every adult in her life has “found their person”, looking at how her personal relationships have shifted as friends get married and have kids, or even just the absence of a theoretical romantic partner. The impact these things have had, and how they’ve shaped her. I read The Lonely City by Olivia Laing earlier this year, and this collection felt like an extension of the conversation Laing’s book was having about loneliness. However, Arrangements in Blue explored this theme on a much more intimate and one-to-one level, over the course of a life.
This collection is poignant and raw, gorgeously written, and intimately vulnerable. Amy Key takes us through the highs and lows, the reflections, and the milestones that have made up her adult life. As a reader, I saw parts of myself in Amy and her experience, and have since been able to look back with a deeper level of understanding and kindness on certain times in my life.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for allowing me to access an advanced reader’s copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
elisemiddletonxo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Excrement, and Eating disorder
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