Scan barcode
marxell's review against another edition
the few sentences specifically about loneliness were great. however 99% of what I read so far is about the life of artists I don't care about; saw that it will keep being this way, hence the DNF.
sadie_g's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
brisingr's review
5.0
When I read the title of this book, Adventures in the Art of Being Alone , I took art metaphorically, but it's literally a book that, starting from Laing's own experience of loneliness in New York, goes on to dissect the artworks and life of several artists that lived in the same city in the past century.
I kept thinking while reading this book: I am not particularly enjoying it. I am not a huge fan of visual arts, and so much of this book is just exactly that. But now, having finished it, I don't see how I can rate it anything lower. It's literally such an engaging book, mixing Laing's own personal anecdotes with some really easy to understand history on loneliness. There's also so much heart, so much kindness towards this emotion, so much understanding pertaining the experiences of loneliness. And as someone who is lonely in a new city - no friends, no partner - this book has provided me the kind of solace that its authors found, years before me, in art.
Highly recommended to anyone who wants an accessible non-fiction about the art scene of the past century, or just a slight memoir filled with knowledge.
I kept thinking while reading this book: I am not particularly enjoying it. I am not a huge fan of visual arts, and so much of this book is just exactly that. But now, having finished it, I don't see how I can rate it anything lower. It's literally such an engaging book, mixing Laing's own personal anecdotes with some really easy to understand history on loneliness. There's also so much heart, so much kindness towards this emotion, so much understanding pertaining the experiences of loneliness. And as someone who is lonely in a new city - no friends, no partner - this book has provided me the kind of solace that its authors found, years before me, in art.
Highly recommended to anyone who wants an accessible non-fiction about the art scene of the past century, or just a slight memoir filled with knowledge.
awen_mair's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
4.25
Really recommend this book if you like art and counterculture! I liked how Laing made the art relevant to her - I thought this provided a nice narrative thread throughout, even if it started off a little formulaic. Definitely gave food for thought.
makaelafauber's review
3.0
After moving to New York City for a relationship that ends before she even arrives, Olivia Laing experiences intense loneliness and isolation that pushes her to make contact with others through unconventional means: art. She researches various artists who, like her, lived in New York City and experienced the unique loneliness that comes with living in such a large city: to be surrounded by so many people yet feel so alone and unable to reach out and make contact.
I greatly enjoyed learning about her artists of focus, namely Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, David Wojnarowicz, Henry Darger, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Each felt the isolation of New York City and, to varying degrees, used it as inspiration for their work. Laing expertly weaves their histories with psychological research about loneliness to show not only why these artists felt it so strongly, but also why loneliness is not something to feel ashamed of even though it is so stigmatized in society. She also illustrates why loneliness is a compounding disease: once one feels lonely, they are less likely to a) reach out to others for fear of further rejection and b) be reached out to by others because of our intense fear of loneliness, how it almost seems contagious.
That said, I gave this book 3/5 stars because I don’t believe it lived up to its potential or even what the synopsis made it out to be. The synopsis depicts The Lonely City as a memoir about Olivia Laing’s encounter with loneliness and how she used art as a tool to connect with others who had felt the same isolation. Instead, the book is mainly research based, and its tone is more clinical than I had hoped. I think the book would be more impactful had Laing written it strictly as a series of essays or as a full blown memoir. In the current limbo-like state, neither fully essay nor memoir, it misses the mark.
I greatly enjoyed learning about her artists of focus, namely Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, David Wojnarowicz, Henry Darger, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Each felt the isolation of New York City and, to varying degrees, used it as inspiration for their work. Laing expertly weaves their histories with psychological research about loneliness to show not only why these artists felt it so strongly, but also why loneliness is not something to feel ashamed of even though it is so stigmatized in society. She also illustrates why loneliness is a compounding disease: once one feels lonely, they are less likely to a) reach out to others for fear of further rejection and b) be reached out to by others because of our intense fear of loneliness, how it almost seems contagious.
That said, I gave this book 3/5 stars because I don’t believe it lived up to its potential or even what the synopsis made it out to be. The synopsis depicts The Lonely City as a memoir about Olivia Laing’s encounter with loneliness and how she used art as a tool to connect with others who had felt the same isolation. Instead, the book is mainly research based, and its tone is more clinical than I had hoped. I think the book would be more impactful had Laing written it strictly as a series of essays or as a full blown memoir. In the current limbo-like state, neither fully essay nor memoir, it misses the mark.
amymay84's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
3.5