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thechanelmuse's review
2.0
“…there comes a point at which every writer knows when a book is not working, and every writer also knows when the reserves of will and energy and memory and concentration required to make the thing work simply may not be available.”
Let me tell you…why this book is not for me. The foreword by Hilton Als is way too long and ends up spoiling the 12 essays. Why was that even necessary? As for the collection itself, it’s boring and not cohesive. Hopefully the next Joan Didion book I pick up will be the one for me.
Let me tell you…why this book is not for me. The foreword by Hilton Als is way too long and ends up spoiling the 12 essays. Why was that even necessary? As for the collection itself, it’s boring and not cohesive. Hopefully the next Joan Didion book I pick up will be the one for me.
hiiiiiinat's review
3.5
Classically good Joan Didion - I wish I had read this as a paperback instead of an audiobook, because I feel like I just wanted to underline so many astute observations. Some of them were less interesting to me, but I love the essays on writing - it's like a beautiful window into her mind. She's so cool, forever and always <3
whoopiegirlberg2000's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
bibliobrandie's review
4.0
I love Joan Didion and I really enjoyed this collection. Some were real standouts for me, like "Why I Write" and "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice." Others were just okay, like the last piece on Martha Stewart. The intro suggests she is a master into the mythical window of the 1960s and I think that is true and I do prefer to read her older stuff.