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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a book I know I will have to reread at some point again in my future, such as when I am married and have children. I really resonated with Sasha as a teenager and a young woman trying to find herself, so I know that when I experience these parts, I know I will find a connection with Sasha's as well.
About four or five chapters into this book I realised that I needed to underline sentences and paragraphs just to keep them with me. While the writing was a bit slow, I appreciate that Shulman stuck around to tell us the reader about the important moments of Sasha's life, that while mundane at times always had a reason behind it.
The sad truth that hangs over this book that while it is set in the 50's and was released in the early 70's, a lot of the crap our main character Sasha has to go through and worries about, are shit that woman still have to deal with. I felt pity for her at times, while an incredibly smart person with a mind of her own (I studied Philosophy for a year and that subject is hard), she is sadly conditioned by the patriarchy to think of beauty as the only important thing. This is even while she is trying to remain free from the role of wife and mother. It's a sad truth.
About four or five chapters into this book I realised that I needed to underline sentences and paragraphs just to keep them with me. While the writing was a bit slow, I appreciate that Shulman stuck around to tell us the reader about the important moments of Sasha's life, that while mundane at times always had a reason behind it.
The sad truth that hangs over this book that while it is set in the 50's and was released in the early 70's, a lot of the crap our main character Sasha has to go through and worries about, are shit that woman still have to deal with. I felt pity for her at times, while an incredibly smart person with a mind of her own (I studied Philosophy for a year and that subject is hard), she is sadly conditioned by the patriarchy to think of beauty as the only important thing. This is even while she is trying to remain free from the role of wife and mother. It's a sad truth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book, the writing, and Sasha herself. I’m sure as I get older and reread it, I will connect even more, especially to the ideas about motherhood. When I started it, I thought that Sasha was the vain blonde she wanted people to see her as but delving further in, her intelligence and resignation were both astounding. Seeing her become the woman she always knew she would be, despite her resistance, was strange and sad. Her early insight into the world was powerful, especially as it followed her through life, and it really resonated with me.
I'm surprised I enjoyed this book as much as I did.
I read this for uni (as I am currently doing a project on famous texts of second wave feminism) and, although this is fiction, I could easily believe that I was reading an entry of a bored suburban housewife straight out of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique.
Sasha's struggles with her sexuality in this book are very relatable and Shulman manages to articulate the fear of sexual assault. Shulam contrats the empowerment of saying no and standing up for yourself with the fear of what will happen if you do say no which I think is a struggle all women can relate to and/or have personally experienced.
The only thing I didn't like about this book is that I did get a little bored hearing about Sasha when she is a married woman. I preferred reading about Sasha's experiences in suburban Ohio and the trials and tribulations that come with being a teenager girl. Maybe this is because I, myself am not a 30 year woman with kids and so I don't understand what it is like, but I found myself enjoying Sasha's story more as a rebellious teenager/young adult as opposed to a depressed housewife.
I also absolutely love the cover of this book and think it would fit well with other stories, such as The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin or Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
Overall,
⭐⭐⭐⭐
OR
I read this for uni (as I am currently doing a project on famous texts of second wave feminism) and, although this is fiction, I could easily believe that I was reading an entry of a bored suburban housewife straight out of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique.
Sasha's struggles with her sexuality in this book are very relatable and Shulman manages to articulate the fear of sexual assault. Shulam contrats the empowerment of saying no and standing up for yourself with the fear of what will happen if you do say no which I think is a struggle all women can relate to and/or have personally experienced.
The only thing I didn't like about this book is that I did get a little bored hearing about Sasha when she is a married woman. I preferred reading about Sasha's experiences in suburban Ohio and the trials and tribulations that come with being a teenager girl. Maybe this is because I, myself am not a 30 year woman with kids and so I don't understand what it is like, but I found myself enjoying Sasha's story more as a rebellious teenager/young adult as opposed to a depressed housewife.
I also absolutely love the cover of this book and think it would fit well with other stories, such as The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin or Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
Overall,
⭐⭐⭐⭐
OR
Memoirs of an Ex Prom Queen follows Sasha as she navigates through adult life in a world ruled by men.
I really enjoyed this book and at times found it incredibly shocking. Though this book was originally 1970s, a lot of the content remains relevant today in regards to the treatment of women in particular. I loved the honesty of this book .
I was provided a free e-book via NetGalley.
I really enjoyed this book and at times found it incredibly shocking. Though this book was originally 1970s, a lot of the content remains relevant today in regards to the treatment of women in particular. I loved the honesty of this book .
I was provided a free e-book via NetGalley.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half of this book was very compelling - a sad, yet not unrealistic, attempt to reconcile a desire to be successful, educated and independent with an ever-creeping need to feel attractive and wanted by others. Our protagonist, Sasha, is intelligent, capable and full of dreams; her era ( the book is set primarily between the 1950s - 1970s, and was published in the 70s), location and formative influences collude to inform her, at every turn, that she cannot fulfil these and have the family she also eventually wants. Her life is divided into two self-and society-imposed sections: ‘before thirty’ and ‘after thirty’ and all her decisions are based around this cut-off. Sasha recognises the ridiculousness of her situation - in many ways, she is fierce and bold in her youth - but struggles to break free from societal norms.
The second half was not quite as strong, particularly the final 30 or so pages - whilst I appreciate how the story reflects Sasha’s mental state and her deflection of her circumstances, it felt too rushed and not as fully explored as I would have liked.
Overall, an enjoyable read, and one that I am not surprised sparked some controversy in the 1970s, despite containing nothing actually controversial today.
The second half was not quite as strong, particularly the final 30 or so pages - whilst I appreciate how the story reflects Sasha’s mental state and her deflection of her circumstances, it felt too rushed and not as fully explored as I would have liked.
Overall, an enjoyable read, and one that I am not surprised sparked some controversy in the 1970s, despite containing nothing actually controversial today.
Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen is apparently a feminist classic but I find it hard to believe that women reading it would feel inspired by it.
Yes, the book and engrossing and superbly written, but what is essentially a Bildungsroman comes with very little growth for the main character.
Sasha Davis is clever and educated but despite this, some travelling, and numerous experiences, she is not able to free herself from the misogynistic and patriarchal bullshit she has internalised from a very early age. She is and remains a product of her time.
Davis is also very self-centred (she tells very little of the circumstances of the people around her), a master at self-delusion, and despite her protestations to the contrary, she is both feckless and rudderless, making for a not altogether pleasant and likeable character.
So perhaps it is a feeling of recognition of all the unfairness and humiliations doled out by men that turned this book into a favourite for so many women, in addition to being a good read despite everything.
Yes, the book and engrossing and superbly written, but what is essentially a Bildungsroman comes with very little growth for the main character.
Sasha Davis is clever and educated but despite this, some travelling, and numerous experiences, she is not able to free herself from the misogynistic and patriarchal bullshit she has internalised from a very early age. She is and remains a product of her time.
Davis is also very self-centred (she tells very little of the circumstances of the people around her), a master at self-delusion, and despite her protestations to the contrary, she is both feckless and rudderless, making for a not altogether pleasant and likeable character.
So perhaps it is a feeling of recognition of all the unfairness and humiliations doled out by men that turned this book into a favourite for so many women, in addition to being a good read despite everything.