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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
i wouldn’t call it succinct, but this book is enlightening on many levels for native californians. amazing reflection of the struggle of the state
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
why isn't this book regarded as some of her best, like "the year of magical thinking" and "slouching towards bethelehem"?
a book for californians past, present, and future. whether you love the state or hate it... read it. truly one of the best pieces of writing about california by one of the best californian writers. didion explores the tensions and contradictions in california's history, as well as its residents' cultures and beliefs. the book is a blend of historical review, literary criticism, research, and memoir.
a book for californians past, present, and future. whether you love the state or hate it... read it. truly one of the best pieces of writing about california by one of the best californian writers. didion explores the tensions and contradictions in california's history, as well as its residents' cultures and beliefs. the book is a blend of historical review, literary criticism, research, and memoir.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
instead of a memoir, this is more of a historical account of didion’s heritage and ancestry in california. i can imagine this would be interesting to some, particularly native californians who would enjoy learning about the history of their home state, but unfortunately it wasn’t what i was looking for, nor what i was expecting due to this book being labelled as joan didion’s ‘first ever memoir’, which it isn’t. but there’s no denying that didion is a fantastic writer, and i enjoyed the last 50 or so pages the most.
As several people have already mentioned here, this is a disjointed attempt at a cohesive book. Split into four sections, this is more of a hodgepodge of reportage than the California memoir that I had hoped for. In fact, Didion seems to have culled a couple pieces from the past that she then incorporated into this, in addition to examining and analyzing her first novel. This isn't bad, and there truly are some interesting insights on her California life and the State's history, but it's not too solid of a work either.
reflective
medium-paced
as with all didion, this is beautifully written and rigorously researched. i didn’t find quite as engaging as some of her other works but still gorgeous and deeply provoking.