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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
there’s so much life and beauty injected into the objectively boring parts of this book and the personal bits are incred. also possibly the only book i’ll ever read that discusses bonfante gardens!
didn’t really get into it until the very end. still a valuable read, but not my fave
Didion never disappoints. The memoir parts of this work better than the more general parts and also help tie everything together.
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I’m just writing this for myself to keep my thoughts on the book.
I never thought about how white california was. I mean, I did notice it but I rarely recognized it for what it truly was. I grew up in a white suburb outside LA yet when I think of california as a whole, I think about how diverse it is. At least in comparison to other states, california is home to all different sorts of people, and many outsiders believe it to be liberal and welcoming, but that’s really not always the case. Reading this I’m reminded that like all other states, white people came in and took over and then built it up. It was interesting reading this in Didion’s perspective because her california is not much like the one I know. I went into the book thinking it was going to tug at my heart and my love for where I grew up but it didn’t. My california is a place that my family chose to move to for a better life, and although that is a similar theme for all those to come here, it’s different when you come as an immigrant from another country. Didion touched lightly on that, but I guess it’s not really part of california she knows. She also grew up in Sacramento, which made me think about ladybird and Greta Gerwig (a story that does tug at my heart and make me cry), which is on the opposite side of where I grew up. I guess I had higher expectations for this book and the level of relatability.
I never thought about how white california was. I mean, I did notice it but I rarely recognized it for what it truly was. I grew up in a white suburb outside LA yet when I think of california as a whole, I think about how diverse it is. At least in comparison to other states, california is home to all different sorts of people, and many outsiders believe it to be liberal and welcoming, but that’s really not always the case. Reading this I’m reminded that like all other states, white people came in and took over and then built it up. It was interesting reading this in Didion’s perspective because her california is not much like the one I know. I went into the book thinking it was going to tug at my heart and my love for where I grew up but it didn’t. My california is a place that my family chose to move to for a better life, and although that is a similar theme for all those to come here, it’s different when you come as an immigrant from another country. Didion touched lightly on that, but I guess it’s not really part of california she knows. She also grew up in Sacramento, which made me think about ladybird and Greta Gerwig (a story that does tug at my heart and make me cry), which is on the opposite side of where I grew up. I guess I had higher expectations for this book and the level of relatability.
The last sentence made me sob on a plane. Other than that, a special, skeptical, loving book.
I am 100% bias when giving this review because not only am I from California but I also love Didions writing
Her coverage of what it means to be from and the culture of California is so good because it doesn’t focus on how California is portrayed in pop culture with surfing/celebrities/tech companies but rather the underbelly of ca and the foundation of it
Though it had a slow start for me the further you got in the better it got plus a quick read with only 226 pgs
If you want to understand true Californian delusion and pride , this is the book for u
Her coverage of what it means to be from and the culture of California is so good because it doesn’t focus on how California is portrayed in pop culture with surfing/celebrities/tech companies but rather the underbelly of ca and the foundation of it
Though it had a slow start for me the further you got in the better it got plus a quick read with only 226 pgs
If you want to understand true Californian delusion and pride , this is the book for u
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
The ending broke me. Miss Joan has such a way with words that she can make the most boring thing seem interesting and weave it into a beautiful portrait of American life. I loved the stories about the crossings, Lakewood, and the last part about death of her parents (even though it will keep me up tonight). I love everything this woman writes, but she I don’t know if it was really necessary to put all the technical details about the airplanes in the book. I am a Joan Didion stan until death.
I could have used this book as a young person growing up in El Dorado County, thinking I’d have to move as far away as possible to be anything remotely interesting.