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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
this was pretty awesome. i really like how precise joan didion is with her writing. also, it’s so american. in a good way. she talks a lot about california and new york and just idiosyncrasies of the east and the west that are really interesting to me as someone who has only ever lived in the east. i think i’ll need to read more of didion. she’s someone i’d like to take writing inspiration from.
my favorites were “where the kissing never stops,” “slouching towards bethlehem,” and “on keeping a notebook.” definitely that one.
my favorites were “where the kissing never stops,” “slouching towards bethlehem,” and “on keeping a notebook.” definitely that one.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I thought I was more familiar with Joan Didion's early writing but I didn't know any of these essays! It was quite a slog getting through the first half - unfortunately, I wasn't alive in 1960s America so I felt like I was missing about a million references in these essays. They were still intriguing and incredibly well written but I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up. I will never know how she writes like that though. It's sort of stark and factual and you're like yeah, this is journalism!! But somehow there is also this deep emotion that runs throughout the writing and everything feels strangely intimate... and then she hits you with a devastating and poetic last few sentences. BOOM!
I definitely preferred her more personal essays, and the last couple were fantastic. Ugh, in awe of her!! The queen of non-fiction tbh.
I definitely preferred her more personal essays, and the last couple were fantastic. Ugh, in awe of her!! The queen of non-fiction tbh.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
slouching towards bethlehem, los angeles notebook, and goodbye to all that are masterpieces. this collection felt a lot more personal than some of her later pieces, and is all the better for it (think less freeway, mall, and water infrastructure). i’ll be thinking about some of these essays for a very long time.
reflective
slow-paced