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shelleyrae's review
4.0
To the Women (and men) of Letters,
Having enjoyed your second publication, [b:Sincerely|15783911|Sincerely|Marieke Hardy|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1343990820s/15783911.jpg|21501453], arising from the literary stage show conceived by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire, I was delighted for the opportunity to read this third curated collected, titled Yours Truly.
I was pleased to see such an eclectic group of female and male contributors, 80 altogether, including journalist, Jenifer Byrne, comedienne, Corinne Grant, author, Toni Jordan, cricket legend, Merv Hughes, Spiderbait drummer, Kram and radio/TV funny man, Hamish Blake. There were a few names I didn't recognise and though helpfully you provide a brief bio of each at the back of the book, I would still prefer the information included at the end of each letter.
I enjoy the way in which the tone of the letters veer from the intimate and serious to the irreverent and comedic. It ensures the collection holds my interest and makes for a comfortable read through, though it would also be easy for a reader to dip in and out of at will. I enjoyed all of the letters but there were several that stood out for me including Annabel Crabb's secret betrayal of Marieke Hardy, Zora Sanders petty crime confession, Tracey Spicer's letter to Mr Misogynist, William McInnes ode to Wendy, the speed skater who changed his life, and Dani Valent's missive to her daughter.
What I also like about the Letter's collection is the way in which they make me think about how I would respond to the topics. What secret would I share? What petty crime would I confess? What unfinished business would I address and, of course, which woman has changed my life?
I have enjoyed the time I spent with this celebration of the lost art of letter writing and its collection of 'cathartic confessions, passionate declarations and vivid recollections'. Thank you, women (and men) of letters for sharing with me.
Yours Truly,
jacquie_mills's review
4.0
"Yours Truly" is the third of four books that form the Women of Letters series, curated by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire. The basic idea behind the books is that they hark back to the days of letter writing and involve Australian comedians, authors, actors, singers, journalists, artists, and politicians writing a letter in response to a particular prompt. The prompts vary from book to book, with some examples from "Yours Truly" including "To the history I'd like to rewrite", "To the moment the lights came on", "To the stranger who hopefully doesn't know who I am", and "To that thing on my body".
What ensues is an array of wonderful letters, each of them independently worth reading. I would say the majority of them have at least a tinge of humor to them (how could they not with some of Australia's finest on board?) and they also manage to be quite touching. "Yours Truly" is a delightful collection of memories (both fond and not-so-fond), revelations and realisations, expressions of fears and desires, repentance of sin, and plans for the future. Though the series is called "Women of Letters", the books do feature letters by men. Typically, they are directed to "The woman that changed my life", which is always interesting to read.
There's usually four or five people who write about the same prompt and it's also so fascinating to see how different people interpret the same starting sentence. I think that's my favourite thing about the books. I remember when I read the previous two books that I would frequently chuckle to myself or find something particularly moving but when I went to recall which ones had affected me the most, I couldn't pinpoint them. So, this time, I made sure to keep a pack of little sticky notes next to the book so I could quickly make a note of my favourites. If you do happen to pick up a copy, keep an eye out for the letters by Melanie Tait, Georgia Fields, Frank Woodley, and Kram (just some of my many favourites).
I would recommend this book if you love the art of writing letters and miss the practice of doing so! Who knows - maybe these books will inspire you to sit down and pen a lengthy (or short!) letter to someone important in your life. They are easy books to read but I often have to have another book on the go at the same time or else I find myself needing a fiction fix pretty badly (that could just be me though!).
What ensues is an array of wonderful letters, each of them independently worth reading. I would say the majority of them have at least a tinge of humor to them (how could they not with some of Australia's finest on board?) and they also manage to be quite touching. "Yours Truly" is a delightful collection of memories (both fond and not-so-fond), revelations and realisations, expressions of fears and desires, repentance of sin, and plans for the future. Though the series is called "Women of Letters", the books do feature letters by men. Typically, they are directed to "The woman that changed my life", which is always interesting to read.
There's usually four or five people who write about the same prompt and it's also so fascinating to see how different people interpret the same starting sentence. I think that's my favourite thing about the books. I remember when I read the previous two books that I would frequently chuckle to myself or find something particularly moving but when I went to recall which ones had affected me the most, I couldn't pinpoint them. So, this time, I made sure to keep a pack of little sticky notes next to the book so I could quickly make a note of my favourites. If you do happen to pick up a copy, keep an eye out for the letters by Melanie Tait, Georgia Fields, Frank Woodley, and Kram (just some of my many favourites).
I would recommend this book if you love the art of writing letters and miss the practice of doing so! Who knows - maybe these books will inspire you to sit down and pen a lengthy (or short!) letter to someone important in your life. They are easy books to read but I often have to have another book on the go at the same time or else I find myself needing a fiction fix pretty badly (that could just be me though!).
eri_123's review
3.0
Some of the letters were brilliant, hilarious, heart-warming, and wonderful examples of the art of letter-writing. Some of the others were self-serving/full of in-jokes/boring. Like any collection of writing from a number of different people, quality does vary. Nonetheless, the highlights make it worthwhile (and by the end, I was giving myself permission to skip through the boring ones - after all, almost 500 pages of letters is a lot to take in).
My favourites:
Clairy Browne's letter to her arse (Theme: To that thing on my body) was empowering and inspirational.
Alexandra Shepisi's letter to time (Theme: To that thing I yearn for) was just right.
Georgia Fields' letter to 3 year old Isobel (Theme: To the person who told me the truth) was hilarious representation of the wonderful world of children.
Hamish Blake & Zoe Foster Blake's letters to each other (Theme: to my other half) was an funny exception in a sea of boring, saccharine love letters.
My favourites:
Clairy Browne's letter to her arse (Theme: To that thing on my body) was empowering and inspirational.
Alexandra Shepisi's letter to time (Theme: To that thing I yearn for) was just right.
Georgia Fields' letter to 3 year old Isobel (Theme: To the person who told me the truth) was hilarious representation of the wonderful world of children.
Hamish Blake & Zoe Foster Blake's letters to each other (Theme: to my other half) was an funny exception in a sea of boring, saccharine love letters.
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