neofista's review against another edition
reflective
3.75
j'aurais pu mettre 4 étoiles mais à des moments je me perdait un peu ou je trouvais le temps longs... cependant l'aspect de la modernité accélérée, la nouvelle société de consommation etc m'a bien plu
brookmartin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Annie Ernaux is for girls who keep diaries
aylart's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
As a millennial who did not grow up in France, there were times when I did not understand enoyof the references to fully enjoy it. I was also a bit out of practice reading in French. Nevertheless, it was beautifully written as an inner monologue and there were quite few passages that really resonated and made me read them twice or more.
chirson's review against another edition
4.0
Niezwykle ciekawe - ten zabieg liczby mnogiej i trzecioosobowości niemalże nie potrzebuje wyjaśnienia na koniec, a bezosobowość narracji ciekawie kontrastuje z jej partykularnością i osobistym charakterem. Ciekawie jest pomyśleć o sobie przez pryzmat bycia częścią jakiejś zbiorowości, w której jednak nie jest się tylko tą jednostką i podmiotem, ale też częścią fali, struktury. Bardzo podobało mi się też pokazanie, jak zmieniło się podejście do przedmiotów i te przedmioty, do których się przywiązujemy. No i dla czytelnika mającego niewielką wiedzę o Francji (mnie) bardzo edukacyjne, niestety/stety.
heelturn2's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
beautiful flowing prose (& great translation) - i dislike reading aloud but i read some of this to my partner & it was really enjoyable to speak the words on the page/hear it spoken. so evocative of time & place & especially collective mindset in a way that was fascinating and very recognizable to me. the way events happen & you feel yourself experiencing them with others, experiencing events the same way at the same time with others like you - the way certain elections and protests are described here draws up moments i’ve experienced in this collective way, the panic surrounding the 2016 us elections, excitement & possibility around police brutality protests during covid lockdown, horror watching the siege on gaza from afar… idk. one of those pieces of art that conveys its highly specific thing so well and so clearly that it gives you sense of shared human experience, rather than that of an outsider looking in.
paulap's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This is a recount of the main events in Annie ernaux life, and in the world at that time, from the 50-60s to early 2000s. It was an interesting and well executed literary exercise. However, I am not sure how impactful it is. Also, especially for the earlier parts, there were many references I didn’t get. Unless you were in the same time and place as her, most likely you will not get all the references to events and cultural phenomena.
So overall, a good read but not one that would have a deep impact on me.
So overall, a good read but not one that would have a deep impact on me.