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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I love the way Stephanie Land writes
I don’t even know where to begin other than with a thank you. Thank you to Stephanie land for writing this beautiful, brilliant, and painfully raw book to shed light on such important circumstances. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy.
Many are familiar with Stephanie from her first book, Maid, or the Netflix series of the same name. Her sophomore book does not disappoint but actually raises the bar. So beautifully written I couldn’t put it down. I cried, laughed, and felt anger alongside Stephanie in this book.
I hope her work is found by those who will be most helped from the words and leads to important change in our world to care for families under the poverty line.
Many are familiar with Stephanie from her first book, Maid, or the Netflix series of the same name. Her sophomore book does not disappoint but actually raises the bar. So beautifully written I couldn’t put it down. I cried, laughed, and felt anger alongside Stephanie in this book.
I hope her work is found by those who will be most helped from the words and leads to important change in our world to care for families under the poverty line.
Audiobook
I am a fan of Maid and how visceral Land writes about the struggles she encountered. I have mixed feelings about having another baby while struggling below the poverty line. I get that this is my own issue, just transparent about it coloring my review.
I am a fan of Maid and how visceral Land writes about the struggles she encountered. I have mixed feelings about having another baby while struggling below the poverty line. I get that this is my own issue, just transparent about it coloring my review.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
To begin, I feel the need to say that it feels a bit wrong to review something so personal. I loved "Maid." I re-read it before diving into it's sequel.
The author's voice felt different, and there's a lot of repeated background or anecdotes re-told in each chapter. It makes this feel more like a collection of essays all telling the same story. There wasn't a strong plot like "Maid." It was also never explained how Mia began to be called Emilia.
Many of these anecdotes are Land trying to justify bad decisions. I don't want to delver further into judging them, so I'll just leave it at that.
All that being said, Land definitely has a strong writing style. I'm interested in seeing if she ever publishes any fiction in the future.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
View this review and more on Coffee Powered Book Reviews
The author's voice felt different, and there's a lot of repeated background or anecdotes re-told in each chapter. It makes this feel more like a collection of essays all telling the same story. There wasn't a strong plot like "Maid." It was also never explained how Mia began to be called Emilia.
Many of these anecdotes are Land trying to justify bad decisions. I don't want to delver further into judging them, so I'll just leave it at that.
All that being said, Land definitely has a strong writing style. I'm interested in seeing if she ever publishes any fiction in the future.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
View this review and more on Coffee Powered Book Reviews
OK. This is why reading a wide variety of voices is important. THIS is why we do it.
And why particularly this book?
Well, this book is not always easy to read. I will confess that there are times I wanted to yell at the author. Stop buying alcohol if you don't have food. If you want hookups, but don't want to get pregnant, and have problems with birth control, well then, tell the guy the price of admission is a condom. Simple. Right? Even though I did not grow up with much money and at times not a ton of stability, I "made" it, made good choices, am now middle class, so I know, right?
Except I don't. I know MY lived experience. But I needed to hear Land's. What did poverty feel like to her? Single parenthood? The lingering trauma of her unsteady childhood, perpetual financial insecurity, domestic abuse, and personal circumstances comes through in this memoir, in such a powerful way that by the end I see how wrong I was to judge her choices earlier. And since Land's writing helps me to see that in relation to HER, I can also use that in my life. This is the story of an intelligent woman given loads of crap from life and trying to make something beautiful anyway, for herself and her daughters. Her experiences and emotions are hers, and her courage and skill in expressing that makes this a valuable book.
And why particularly this book?
Well, this book is not always easy to read. I will confess that there are times I wanted to yell at the author. Stop buying alcohol if you don't have food. If you want hookups, but don't want to get pregnant, and have problems with birth control, well then, tell the guy the price of admission is a condom. Simple. Right? Even though I did not grow up with much money and at times not a ton of stability, I "made" it, made good choices, am now middle class, so I know, right?
Except I don't. I know MY lived experience. But I needed to hear Land's. What did poverty feel like to her? Single parenthood? The lingering trauma of her unsteady childhood, perpetual financial insecurity, domestic abuse, and personal circumstances comes through in this memoir, in such a powerful way that by the end I see how wrong I was to judge her choices earlier. And since Land's writing helps me to see that in relation to HER, I can also use that in my life. This is the story of an intelligent woman given loads of crap from life and trying to make something beautiful anyway, for herself and her daughters. Her experiences and emotions are hers, and her courage and skill in expressing that makes this a valuable book.
I have not read her earlier book, or seen the TV series, "Maid".
Since "Angela's Ashes" so many memoirs (especialy American) have a, "Oh my life was SO hard" feel to them. There is a bit of that in here as well. But over all what I get, and enjoy, is the feeling of perserverance. And choice. And especially in the last third of the book, joy and kindness.
What I also like is that some of her previous studies as a student of Sociology comes to play here. What abusers are, poverty and what others expect you should or should not be capable of doing if you are poor (boy, does that come out in the 1 and 2 star reviews on Goodreads!), and that word that Americans hate to admit to - Class. Yep, this book is not just about classes at the U of Montana, but also about social class in the US of A.
I got a bit of a kick reading about feeling out of place as a 35 year old student at a university. Having gone to college in a large city, older students, especially at public universities, are almost more the norm than the exception.
May I suggest books from a previous generation, a different approach to single motherhood and academia - Mary Clearman Blew. She grew up in *rural* MT, and spent time as a student in Missoula, and also a faculty member at some of the smaller (and often 2 yr schools) in the U of MT and MT State U systems. She spent decades over-riding the "No" so many told her.
I look forward to reading the continuing story of Land's life and career.
My thanks to my local PL for adding this to their collection - and nice to see there is a Wait List to read it!
Since "Angela's Ashes" so many memoirs (especialy American) have a, "Oh my life was SO hard" feel to them. There is a bit of that in here as well. But over all what I get, and enjoy, is the feeling of perserverance. And choice. And especially in the last third of the book, joy and kindness.
What I also like is that some of her previous studies as a student of Sociology comes to play here. What abusers are, poverty and what others expect you should or should not be capable of doing if you are poor (boy, does that come out in the 1 and 2 star reviews on Goodreads!), and that word that Americans hate to admit to - Class. Yep, this book is not just about classes at the U of Montana, but also about social class in the US of A.
I got a bit of a kick reading about feeling out of place as a 35 year old student at a university. Having gone to college in a large city, older students, especially at public universities, are almost more the norm than the exception.
May I suggest books from a previous generation, a different approach to single motherhood and academia - Mary Clearman Blew. She grew up in *rural* MT, and spent time as a student in Missoula, and also a faculty member at some of the smaller (and often 2 yr schools) in the U of MT and MT State U systems. She spent decades over-riding the "No" so many told her.
I look forward to reading the continuing story of Land's life and career.
My thanks to my local PL for adding this to their collection - and nice to see there is a Wait List to read it!