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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
DNF. 50% of the way through I cannot finish. I don’t need to hear this much detail about the author’s sex life.
Cheering this woman on. I’ve loved both of her books.
So authentic and a very much needed voice!
So authentic and a very much needed voice!
Another great book by Stephanie Land. A continuation of her memoirs about trying to survive as a single mother who has to struggle to make ends meet, this book delves into her educational ambitions. Very inspiring.
This memoir sheds light on single motherhood, poverty, and the welfare system. Overcoming the hardships caused by so many factors out of her control was exhausting, and Stephanie Land reveals her emotional, physical, and mental states as she raised her daughter alone with an abusive ex undercutting her every effort, working as many hours as she could cleaning houses and offices and landscaping, and going to school full time to earn a bachelors in English so that she could achieve her dream of becoming a professional writer. The story just drops off after the birth of her daughter Coraline, but it reflects the reality that her story is not yet fully written. I can see how a lot of the experiences she went through have shaped her into who she is now, which is reflected clearly in her writing. The writing is so engaging, I feel like I lived this life with her.
This book will really hold a mirror to you.... Are you judging the book or the author? I wish this was a little tighter focused on her school experience. That said, I couldn't put it down. By the end I was rooting for her.
Having been a fan of Maid, I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, it was a struggle to finish. It felt rushed (I later read an interview from Land where she said she wrote the book in 30 days, which is very evident) and many chunks of the story felt off-topic. Much of the book read like the main character was in her early 20s, but she was in fact 35 at the time. Disappointing read. :(
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
could not finish. i really liked it at the beginning, but she quickly began losing me. and then later she includes multiple very extremely detailed sex scenes, which felt very out of place in the work. i am by no means a prude, but it was uncomfortable to listen to and jarring overall. I only got halfway through.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
medium-paced
This was an intriguing book, it gave a thoughtful look into the relentless pursuit of higher education while facing many challenges and harships. Land was able to balance being vulnerable and open with her experiences as a single-mother in poverty and completing her degree with a level of detail that created a picture of her situation but still left much to be curious about.