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jrabbit12's review
1.0
There is nothing more annoying than a person who insists on telling you repeatedly how interesting and clever they are. If I had to sit next to this woman at a dinner party I think I would stab myself in the ear with a butter knife. Maybe it's impossible to write personal essays and not sound like an arrogant ass, but even Anne's(faux)self-depreciation shouted 'but really, I'm AMAZING'.
Some treasures: 'Uncommon Shelf' (I can't talk about Arctic Exploration at dinner parties because no one understands it/me)
'My husband and I read aloud because were so in love with each other and with books - look at this funny joke he made up about Telemachus to keep me on my toes when I was falling asleep'
"We're too busy NOT to read Homer
"Had I been a better mother, I would have said, 'AFTER breakfast.' But instead I sat down and joined the audience."
Thinking that maybe I'm a cynical ass, I didn't mention this during discussion of the book. But when a friend came over and picked up the copy on the coffee table she shared the same impression and began reading her favorite eye-rolling-shut-up-already parts out loud.
Hey Anne, I get it.
P.S. 'Winter's Tale' was hollow and not that great (read:bad) - so that's great that you're friends with Mark Helprin, but I'm nonplussed by that so you don't have to mention it more than once.
Some treasures: 'Uncommon Shelf' (I can't talk about Arctic Exploration at dinner parties because no one understands it/me)
'My husband and I read aloud because were so in love with each other and with books - look at this funny joke he made up about Telemachus to keep me on my toes when I was falling asleep'
"We're too busy NOT to read Homer
"Had I been a better mother, I would have said, 'AFTER breakfast.' But instead I sat down and joined the audience."
Thinking that maybe I'm a cynical ass, I didn't mention this during discussion of the book. But when a friend came over and picked up the copy on the coffee table she shared the same impression and began reading her favorite eye-rolling-shut-up-already parts out loud.
Hey Anne, I get it.
P.S. 'Winter's Tale' was hollow and not that great (read:bad) - so that's great that you're friends with Mark Helprin, but I'm nonplussed by that so you don't have to mention it more than once.
hktul's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
Love books about books. Sometimes literary lovers can sound a bit pretentious when they wax on about the lose of long words but Fadiman is so goddamn sincere that it comes off as a charming trait. This was the pick me up book that I needed, it's self-aware and endearing while making me want to reexamine my relationship with books.
norasteinkopf's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
karinlib's review
4.0
According to the title, Anne Fadiman is a common reader, I would say that it is an understatement, because she reads the way most people breath: all the time. Her essays on reading are funny and wonderful. She came a family of readers, where books contained notes in the margins, dogeared, smudged sticky fingerprints and splayed face down for easy retrieval (and I shudder at the thought). Her thoughtful and loving husband bought her 19 pounds of books from a secondhand bookstore for her birthday (I can't think of a more romantic birthday present).
If you love books about books, I highly recommend it.
If you love books about books, I highly recommend it.
jojo_27's review
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time. I'm not terribly picky about genre in my reading; what I care about is craft, and this book is a work of art. Each word is carefully and lovingly chosen, for if Anne Fadiman is anything, it is a true lover of words. She uses them to prick, to enfold, to surprise, to enlighten.
I discovered this gem on a discount bookshelf in college, and after the first read, I went back and bought all the remaining copies (five or six) to give as gifts to carefully selected friends. I myself have re-read it at least once a year since, at first thrilling at new ideas, then drawing comfort from the familiarity of an old friend when in strange places. With each reading, I learn something new about Ms Fadiman and about myself.
I've had discussions with multiple friends over the merits of courtly vs carnal love; compared quiz results from "The Joy of Sesquipedalians"; agonized over what should rightly be the focus of my own "odd shelf"; debated with men I'm not even dating the best way to marry libraries, and the merits of doing such at all; tried to divine which of my own friends will someday grace my friends and family collection; and relived the beauty of Wordsworth's "Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent's Narrow Room", all the while resolving to give poetry another try.
If you love books, if you love words, hasten with all your might to this one.
I discovered this gem on a discount bookshelf in college, and after the first read, I went back and bought all the remaining copies (five or six) to give as gifts to carefully selected friends. I myself have re-read it at least once a year since, at first thrilling at new ideas, then drawing comfort from the familiarity of an old friend when in strange places. With each reading, I learn something new about Ms Fadiman and about myself.
I've had discussions with multiple friends over the merits of courtly vs carnal love; compared quiz results from "The Joy of Sesquipedalians"; agonized over what should rightly be the focus of my own "odd shelf"; debated with men I'm not even dating the best way to marry libraries, and the merits of doing such at all; tried to divine which of my own friends will someday grace my friends and family collection; and relived the beauty of Wordsworth's "Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent's Narrow Room", all the while resolving to give poetry another try.
If you love books, if you love words, hasten with all your might to this one.