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reginamea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
zunaonbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
elmachogato's review against another edition
“why do we write? because we simply cannot live.”
the way i literally would blind buy any of patti smiths literary works she is such a engaging writing ohmygod
the way i literally would blind buy any of patti smiths literary works she is such a engaging writing ohmygod
asurasantosha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Two brief essays and 2 poems bookending a short story. And ending it all with an image collage. This was a somewhat unconventional collection of writings. The essays might even be described an extremely breif surrounding the writing of the short story. Those portions of the book were incredible. My favorite part. I also very much enjoyed the two poems and the context that the other writings provided on them.
The short story was challenging for me, though I'm aware it wasn't intended to be happy or satisfying. I had less issue with the handful of dark moments and allusions. I had much more issue with the fact the to protagonist of the story is 16. I'm not trying to imply that bad things don't happen to children, but I'm so indlcredibly uncomfortable with writing such an adult-themed book where the CHILD protagonist is/is expected to be as autonomous as an adult. I mostly mean this in the sense that her rejection of the adult characters "caretaking"(If you can call an adult/minor relationship that 🤮) and mentoring and "controling" is expected in the narrative. But it shouldn't be for a child. As a child, her rejection of others having sway in her life should be the "wrong" move. I can't help but feel this might be sort of romantizing the wrong thing. Had the protagonist been 18 or 19, I would have had no issue with any of this.
Otherwise, it was lovely. So poignantly written. Beautiful and incredibly metaphors and juxtapositions. I liked the roll winter played in this and loved seeing how Smith's experiences in the first "essay" transformed into an allegory of deeper meaning in the story.
I'd definitely recommend this book for artistic types with a grain of salt to some of the values here.
The short story was challenging for me, though I'm aware it wasn't intended to be happy or satisfying. I had less issue with the handful of dark moments and allusions. I had much more issue with the fact the to protagonist of the story is 16. I'm not trying to imply that bad things don't happen to children, but I'm so indlcredibly uncomfortable with writing such an adult-themed book where the CHILD protagonist is/is expected to be as autonomous as an adult. I mostly mean this in the sense that her rejection of the adult characters "caretaking"
Otherwise, it was lovely. So poignantly written. Beautiful and incredibly metaphors and juxtapositions. I liked the roll winter played in this and loved seeing how Smith's experiences in the first "essay" transformed into an allegory of deeper meaning in the story.
I'd definitely recommend this book for artistic types with a grain of salt to some of the values here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Blood and Stalking
lenemosbyy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
mindthebook's review against another edition
4.0
Klev in på Akademibokhandeln i Varberg för att skaffa fler ballografpennor och fann en tågvänlig, fritt associerande tunnis av Patti Smith, what's not to love. Abibliofobisk bokpackning, watch this.
Först blev jag emellertid irriterad över att originaltiteln verkade vara 'Written on a Train', men det är visst bara en del av boken. Däremot noterade jag nu här på goodreads att den italienska undertiteln är 'perché scrivo', vilket beskriver innehållet. Stör mig också på läsare som anklagar Patti för att skriva om "ingenting". Konst och litteratur är snarare "ALLT" in this thing called life.
Delar inte hennes vidskepliga sida, vilket jag sagt förut och förlaget vågade antagligen inte be henne döda sin darling, den märkliga novellen om konståkerskan mitt i, men som helhet är det ännu en fantastisk bok av the Smith att vila i och resa med.
Först blev jag emellertid irriterad över att originaltiteln verkade vara 'Written on a Train', men det är visst bara en del av boken. Däremot noterade jag nu här på goodreads att den italienska undertiteln är 'perché scrivo', vilket beskriver innehållet. Stör mig också på läsare som anklagar Patti för att skriva om "ingenting". Konst och litteratur är snarare "ALLT" in this thing called life.
Delar inte hennes vidskepliga sida, vilket jag sagt förut och förlaget vågade antagligen inte be henne döda sin darling, den märkliga novellen om konståkerskan mitt i, men som helhet är det ännu en fantastisk bok av the Smith att vila i och resa med.
naoki's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favourite things in the world is writers talking about writing. Patti Smith writing about writing? I’m in heaven.
Devotion has three parts. In How The Mind Works, Smith ruminates on a film trailer she came across about Estonian deportation to a Siberian work camp in 1941. The images in the trailer spark her curiosity, forming visual poems in her mind. We follow Smith to Paris, as literary figures, the ice-skating she watches on TV, as well as the city, itself, inspire her and connect with her thoughts back home.
Devotion, the second part to this book, is where these inspirations come together. A short story about a young ice skater from Estonia, devoted to the language of movement on ice. This story is vivid and beautifully paced.
In the third part, A Dream is Not a Dream, we are with Smith again, this time in Albert Camus’ house in Lourmarin. As she reads his last manuscript, unfinished, Smith questions–why does one write?
Devotion is an ode to devotion, and of course, writing. Another gorgeous offering from a writer I admire, a writer through and through-curious, constantly in wonder, and forever waiting to write another page.
Devotion has three parts. In How The Mind Works, Smith ruminates on a film trailer she came across about Estonian deportation to a Siberian work camp in 1941. The images in the trailer spark her curiosity, forming visual poems in her mind. We follow Smith to Paris, as literary figures, the ice-skating she watches on TV, as well as the city, itself, inspire her and connect with her thoughts back home.
Devotion, the second part to this book, is where these inspirations come together. A short story about a young ice skater from Estonia, devoted to the language of movement on ice. This story is vivid and beautifully paced.
In the third part, A Dream is Not a Dream, we are with Smith again, this time in Albert Camus’ house in Lourmarin. As she reads his last manuscript, unfinished, Smith questions–why does one write?
Devotion is an ode to devotion, and of course, writing. Another gorgeous offering from a writer I admire, a writer through and through-curious, constantly in wonder, and forever waiting to write another page.