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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Other than an essay here or there, this was my first real exposure to Didion, and what a treat to be in her head. Well, sort of—part of her gift lay in showing us just how much of a curse it could be, seeing and thinking and feeling that way all the time. But to visit it for a while!
I much prefer the essays where she’s writing about something abstract, or at least something broad enough to be projected onto: journaling, Alcatraz, the wind that makes you sad, New York. There, her personal imagination picks up the strands of whatever she’s nominally reporting on and either ties them into an eloquent bow or else takes them and runs wild into some even more interesting land. It’s when her gaze gets mired in overly-reported specifics that my attention drifts—but never so far that I can’t be knocked out by her next hundred-dollar sentence.
I much prefer the essays where she’s writing about something abstract, or at least something broad enough to be projected onto: journaling, Alcatraz, the wind that makes you sad, New York. There, her personal imagination picks up the strands of whatever she’s nominally reporting on and either ties them into an eloquent bow or else takes them and runs wild into some even more interesting land. It’s when her gaze gets mired in overly-reported specifics that my attention drifts—but never so far that I can’t be knocked out by her next hundred-dollar sentence.
challenging
funny
reflective
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This book spoke to me in a way few others have. I've recently developed an affinity for essay collections and this was, of course, no exception.
Whils I found Slouching Towards Bethlehem a bit slow at the start, I returned to it and was almost immediately enthralled.
I am not from California and have barely even been there, but I still found myself connecting deeply with Didion. I am certain I will be returning to many of these pieces again.
Whils I found Slouching Towards Bethlehem a bit slow at the start, I returned to it and was almost immediately enthralled.
I am not from California and have barely even been there, but I still found myself connecting deeply with Didion. I am certain I will be returning to many of these pieces again.
Wasn't overly impressed. This is a generous 3 stars from me. Think I had in my mind it would be something great from the past, and while it had some interesting stories to start, part of it felt just like her random musings, and just in general, I'm more looking for a good narrative. Thinking the pieces would have been good to read in their time as part of the magazine or wherever they were printed, and interesting from a look back at the 60's now, but not overly of interest to me in general.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced