saramariebt's review
2.0
I enjoyed the honestly in this book, even if I couldn't relate to all of the essays. There were a few that I could really identify with and wished I could laminate them and keep them forever.
dja777's review
3.0
I realize that my life (adjusted easily into marriage, had two even-tempered children, was happy to be a SAHM, etc.) wouldn't fit very well into this particular book of essays, but I couldn't help looking askance at some of the women represented in there. There were some interesting insights, but some of these women just seemed to make life harder for themselves than they needed to. Again, it may be that this book was by and for different people than the person that I am. Almost all of them were professional writers and/or editors, and a large majority were in therapy for multiple years, neither of which I have any experience with. There were a few essays where I found myself muttering, "Oh, get over yourself already!"
The essays were quite readable, some were very touching, and I would be interested in discussing the book with someone for whom it was more personally meaningful.
The essays were quite readable, some were very touching, and I would be interested in discussing the book with someone for whom it was more personally meaningful.
zoes_human's review
DNFed three and a half essays in. It appears to be a book full of essays about middle-class, mostly white, mostly urban, mostly cisgender, and mostly heterosexual women working out their personal issues in relationships. Yay for self-examination, but I'm not particularly interested in reading it. Basically, it's your typical middle class ennui lit, but female this time.
INDIVIDUAL ESSAY RATINGS AND COMMENTS
Excuse Me While I Explode: My Mother, Myself, My Anger
E. S. Maduro
3 stars
Amazingly self-aware, the author examines her conflicting goals and wonders how to find a satisfying future with less anger.
Getting the Milk for Free
Veronica Chambers
2 stars
Ummm ... I just can't relate to this one very much, and I didn't find the point of it to be all that interesting.
Crossing to Safety
Jen Marshall
3 stars
A nice essay about one woman's trip of self-discovery in learning that the relationship "goals" placed before us all weren't actually what she wanted.
>Moving In. Moving Out. Moving On.
Sarah Miller
DNF
Oh man, yet another middle class lady coming to terms with herself. I'm out.
INDIVIDUAL ESSAY RATINGS AND COMMENTS
Excuse Me While I Explode: My Mother, Myself, My Anger
E. S. Maduro
3 stars
Amazingly self-aware, the author examines her conflicting goals and wonders how to find a satisfying future with less anger.
Getting the Milk for Free
Veronica Chambers
2 stars
Ummm ... I just can't relate to this one very much, and I didn't find the point of it to be all that interesting.
Crossing to Safety
Jen Marshall
3 stars
A nice essay about one woman's trip of self-discovery in learning that the relationship "goals" placed before us all weren't actually what she wanted.
>Moving In. Moving Out. Moving On.
Sarah Miller
DNF
Oh man, yet another middle class lady coming to terms with herself. I'm out.
imabrunette23's review
4.0
Personally, I really liked the essays in this book. Yes, some of them were not to my taste, but for the most part, I felt like I identified with some part of all of them. Then again, I'm in that space right now, trying to figure out what it means to me to be a wife, and what it will mean to me to be a mother. It's probably not something most men would find interesting, it's definitely gender specific. It helped me feel less... alone... reading other women working through some of the same issues I currently am. It helped me to hear someone else insist that marriage and babies are not always straight out of a fairy tale. Sometimes, it sucks and you're angry and the world will not end if you're a "bitch."
kristennd's review
4.0
This felt more negative than the men's version. Interestingly, although these writers were also more angry than their husbands, they were also accepting more blame for their situations. Like Pamela Stone's [Book:Opting Out?], this collection made me kinda glad I'm not a Type-A and thus have no grand ambitions to worry about giving up. Because they always have to give them up. At the same time, there seemed to be a thread of unrealistic expectations. Most of the writers grew up with mothers who did all the housework. So no wonder that they're frustrated at doing it now. They don't want to do any housework, shared or otherwise. As someone with a long list of childhood chores, that made me less than sympathetic. Living together didn't come out looking like a great option, surprisingly. There was one piece explaining why the author and her partner will never marry, which was interesting and entertaining but I never figured out her reason. A few observations I particularly liked: Kate Christensen: "Like most of the girls I knew when I was growing up, I'd always assumed I'd marry the perfect man. But for me, the man himself wasn't an important element in my fantasies of the future; he existed in my imagination as a flawless but shadowy alter ego, a male version of myself who would read my mind, meet all my needs, and have none of his own." Cynthia Kling (on relationship advice from well-meaning friends): "Women complain that men boss them around and tell them what to do, but what about all that female coercion? The oppressive solidarity of the smart-girl set?" Ellen Gilchrist: "I think older women probably make better mothers in many ways. But young women are more selfish and you have to be selfish to demand time for yourself when you have children. Young women are closer to the time when they were manipulative and childish and they don't let their babies manipulate them as much as older mothers do. These are only my conclusions from watching children in grocery stores."
monenahall's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not in love with this book. Some of the stories are interesting, some less so. I have a huge pile to read. Not sure this is worth finishing.
toniobarton's review
5.0
Collection of short stories about marriage, work, children, divorce, affairs and dress sizes. . . So blunt, truthful, wonderful.