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donasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Instagram Review: www.instagram.com/p/B76j0GFgpTt/
Marie Arana edits and introduces this collection of essays written by various household authors from the 90's and then published in Washington Post's weekly editorial, "Book World." This book would please and entertain the bookworm or writer interested in the past lives of other (or in my case, more successful) writers. I question the value The Writing Life offers the contemporary writer as a writing text, mostly because you will want to make yourself aware how old the essay is before you decide how brilliant (or ridiculous) you decide the material really is, and therefore, do you need to scream into that pillow (or spend an hour taking notes, only to scribble them out)?
In general, as with almost anything, I found a good number of essays I considered timeless enough to be useful. Nadine Gordimer in "Being a Product of your Dwelling Place" writes about how Apartheid affected writing all over the globe. That event happened long ago, but she's not only writing about Apartheid; she writing about a groundswell and that's a thing we can see if we look around us now and at any point in history. That's a timely and timeless essay. Another fine example is Ntozake Shange's "From Memory to the Imagination." The first paragraph of this essay stunningly satirizes the fiction writer's experience when they are accused of autobiography. The rest of the piece matches this opening in bite and value. Many more of the essays in this book can be of equal value to the writer, and any reader will find good reading.
On the other hand, some of the essays didn't age as well. I found a hopelessly irresponsible depiction of bipolar disorder, in so many possible ways, in both Marie Arana's write up of the author Kay Redfield Jamison, and in Jamison's article, "From the Clinic." In "Too Happy for Words,"Alice McDermott's expresses seeping disapproval for seemingly everyone -- mothers who are older than her, mothers who are younger than her, and all men (and the worst part, her tone assumes the reader's in on it with her). If she wrote satire into this essay, I missed it. The tones of both these pieces clank because they're outdated. If you decided to pick up this book and one of the essay feels like it belongs to your grandpa, check the year at the end of the essay. Because it just might belong to your grandpa.
All said, I loved this collection and I think it was worth the new price I paid for it. If you can get it used or get an eBook, I would consider that a good deal for sure! Take care writers and creatives!
Marie Arana edits and introduces this collection of essays written by various household authors from the 90's and then published in Washington Post's weekly editorial, "Book World." This book would please and entertain the bookworm or writer interested in the past lives of other (or in my case, more successful) writers. I question the value The Writing Life offers the contemporary writer as a writing text, mostly because you will want to make yourself aware how old the essay is before you decide how brilliant (or ridiculous) you decide the material really is, and therefore, do you need to scream into that pillow (or spend an hour taking notes, only to scribble them out)?
In general, as with almost anything, I found a good number of essays I considered timeless enough to be useful. Nadine Gordimer in "Being a Product of your Dwelling Place" writes about how Apartheid affected writing all over the globe. That event happened long ago, but she's not only writing about Apartheid; she writing about a groundswell and that's a thing we can see if we look around us now and at any point in history. That's a timely and timeless essay. Another fine example is Ntozake Shange's "From Memory to the Imagination." The first paragraph of this essay stunningly satirizes the fiction writer's experience when they are accused of autobiography. The rest of the piece matches this opening in bite and value. Many more of the essays in this book can be of equal value to the writer, and any reader will find good reading.
On the other hand, some of the essays didn't age as well. I found a hopelessly irresponsible depiction of bipolar disorder, in so many possible ways, in both Marie Arana's write up of the author Kay Redfield Jamison, and in Jamison's article, "From the Clinic." In "Too Happy for Words,"Alice McDermott's expresses seeping disapproval for seemingly everyone -- mothers who are older than her, mothers who are younger than her, and all men (and the worst part, her tone assumes the reader's in on it with her). If she wrote satire into this essay, I missed it. The tones of both these pieces clank because they're outdated. If you decided to pick up this book and one of the essay feels like it belongs to your grandpa, check the year at the end of the essay. Because it just might belong to your grandpa.
All said, I loved this collection and I think it was worth the new price I paid for it. If you can get it used or get an eBook, I would consider that a good deal for sure! Take care writers and creatives!
alisonb's review against another edition
5.0
It was like stepping into a room and witnessing brilliant minds who spoke on the craft writing. I was inspired and surprised by what some of the writers had to say as well as intrigued by the variety of personalities that sit down to compose stories. Most invaluable was the list of authors I walked away with in my back pocket. I visited my local library the soonest I could and grabbed their books off the shelf, ready to discover more.
whoopsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Quite a number of these short essays were a joy to read -- insightful, even revelatory windows into a writer's mind. But too many were deadly boring and self-serious, penned by writers I found myself wishing had not found pens at all.
I'm grateful to have read this; I very much enjoyed Marie Arana's brief biographies of each author, and would love a continuing series of these essays (this was published in 2003) -- but would appreciate a more discriminating editorial hand in deciding which writers should make the final cut.
I'm grateful to have read this; I very much enjoyed Marie Arana's brief biographies of each author, and would love a continuing series of these essays (this was published in 2003) -- but would appreciate a more discriminating editorial hand in deciding which writers should make the final cut.
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