Reviews

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing

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lexchristakis's review against another edition

1.0

A 1 star is me being generous cause it had potential at the beginning and the last chapter was bearable but omfg. I felt like I was reading a peer reviewed uni paper again. This was so painful.

sassylk's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

this is a fascinating piece of art history that focuses on a topic that affects everyone but often goes undiscussed - loneliness. i am in a period of my life, post-graduation, that is lonely, and it really helped me to read this book and to see what a human emotion it truly is. laing writes fluidly and carefully, combining fascinating biography, art analysis, psychology, criticism, and literary depictions of new york with her own experiences and emotions, making this an ultra-mature, ultra-cool memoir of her own loneliness. the four artists she picks are fascinating, especially henry darger, whose works were found when he retired from his public service job; an utterly unknown, silent, lonely artist and citizen of new york. i breezed through the chapters on the artists, and i slightly wish the last 2 chapters had been as specifically focused, as they felt quite wandering. still fascinating stuff, especially ‘Quiet’, the weird, millennial cult of loneliness in the age of social media. brilliant non-fiction writing, i’d love to read her other stuff!

aeliesee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I read in 2020 that made it really hard. I would like to read again at another time in my life

vishalancyrus's review against another edition

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5.0

Reading this feels like wandering through a gallery at 2 a.m., where every painting watches you back. It’s about loneliness, sure, but Laing turns it into something achingly beautiful, almost seductive. You dive into the lives of Warhol, Hopper, and Wojnarowicz, and she’s peeling back layers of their work to reveal how solitude seeps into every brushstroke and photograph. There’s this strange intimacy to the way Laing writes—like she’s cracking open the core of being human while pretending not to look. Her prose is sharp, the kind that gets under your skin and stays there, making you rethink the way cities breathe and how we exist inside them. Even if nonfiction isn’t your thing, this book is an undeniable force, drawing you in with its mix of art, emotion, and the quiet terror and the melancholic beauty of being alone.