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sara_shocks's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh I like the Object Lessons series!
Great long essays on the high heel and what it represents for women. I was not expecting this to get into Ovid's Metamorphoses the ways it did, and that was such a delight! I wasn't quite sure about some of the Han foot binding discussions as much. Anyway, if you, too, have been tortured by high heels, I recommend checking this out.
Great long essays on the high heel and what it represents for women. I was not expecting this to get into Ovid's Metamorphoses the ways it did, and that was such a delight! I wasn't quite sure about some of the Han foot binding discussions as much. Anyway, if you, too, have been tortured by high heels, I recommend checking this out.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
3.0
"A true princess will feel the pea under a pile of mattresses, but not her Jimmy Choos"
This book was interesting, it covered a broad range of subjects, from Sylvia Plath to the Minotaur.
It had some well written one liners and bits of interesting information.
A very fast read
This book was interesting, it covered a broad range of subjects, from Sylvia Plath to the Minotaur.
It had some well written one liners and bits of interesting information.
A very fast read
grimondgalgmod's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I didn't know it when I picked this little book up but it is exactly the kind of thing for which I've been searching for a very long time. Fashion history meets feminist theory meets fairy-tale criticism. Throw in bits of personal memoir, reference to the work and lives of literary giants like Plath, Sand, and Borges (not to mention more contemporary artists like Ana Teresa Fernandez), and discussion of the problems of beauty as a cultural construct (constraint?) and you'll get an idea of what this book is about. Read it.
claudeclaudia's review against another edition
3.0
A little too liberal and a little too shallow for me personally but if you’re not looking for a super in-depth reading then it’s fine
Interesting but the “stream of consciousness” type paragraph style made it repetitive and inconsistent
Only makes a few minor points that you wouldn’t immediately think of 20 seconds after hearing the question “are high heels feminist?”
Interesting but the “stream of consciousness” type paragraph style made it repetitive and inconsistent
Only makes a few minor points that you wouldn’t immediately think of 20 seconds after hearing the question “are high heels feminist?”
shanaqui's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I thought at first this format was going to be very fragmentary and annoying: there's a new heading practically every page, sometimes multiple times a page, and it begins with more abstract stuff about stories.
In the end, though, it all comes together: there are more informative sections that discuss the history of high heels, and what they've meant to women. There are sections that look at related history, and fairytales, and what high heels do to the body.
It wasn't as quick a read as I expected, from the format. There are some bits that take some digesting (like the binding of womens' feet).
In the end, though, it all comes together: there are more informative sections that discuss the history of high heels, and what they've meant to women. There are sections that look at related history, and fairytales, and what high heels do to the body.
It wasn't as quick a read as I expected, from the format. There are some bits that take some digesting (like the binding of womens' feet).
j_ess_reads's review against another edition
4.0
HIGH HEEL - My introduction to "Object Lessons" - has whetted my appetite for more deep dives into the anthropological and ethical questions surrounding seemingly mundane things. Summer Brennan brings insightful commentary to the discussion, invoking mythology and fairy tale imagery, patriarchy and feminism, with sound historical analysis. This has already prompted conversations in my workplace, and I know of at least one person who is actively seeking out other lessons that objects can teach them. It's a quick read, and something I would have loved to share in my gender studies classes in college.
pennyzizzle's review against another edition
5.0
For such a “small” book (less than 200 pages), High Heel never feels small. Carefully researched and beautifully written, a fascinating topic approached through multiple layers and angles—I devoured this book. It is a book so rich and provocative that I will need to read it more than once.
zips777's review against another edition
4.0
There is so, so much packed into this tiny wee book. I feel like I’ve completed some kind of reading marathon, and the high heel has been both given depth and lost all meaning.
This would be best read, I think, slowly like poetry. It is divided up into 150 bits, each not particularly long. Each section should be savoured and pondered before moving to the next. I did not read it like this, but will most likely go back and do so. I am bad at savouring words.
I will say big section 2 (there are 4) lost me a little, though I don’t think I would have gotten lost had I read it more slowly.
It’s a bit like reading a book of truths you already knew, yet there is so much you didn’t know - but also you already knew it? It’s very familiar.
I very much appreciate and applaud the time and research that went into creating this book. It’s must have been extensive.
I found the Minotaur section to be the most compelling, terrifying part. Nothing was new information yet it was gripping and reflective.
This would be best read, I think, slowly like poetry. It is divided up into 150 bits, each not particularly long. Each section should be savoured and pondered before moving to the next. I did not read it like this, but will most likely go back and do so. I am bad at savouring words.
I will say big section 2 (there are 4) lost me a little, though I don’t think I would have gotten lost had I read it more slowly.
It’s a bit like reading a book of truths you already knew, yet there is so much you didn’t know - but also you already knew it? It’s very familiar.
I very much appreciate and applaud the time and research that went into creating this book. It’s must have been extensive.
I found the Minotaur section to be the most compelling, terrifying part. Nothing was new information yet it was gripping and reflective.
felicitysbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent. Superb. An absorbing discursive exploration of the many cultural meanings of heeled shoes and their meanings for women (and men) in the past and heading into the future. Read!