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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I wanted to love this, I really did. But it was unnecessarily drawn out, and I struggled to stay interested from the beginning to end of each chapter. It plodded where it should have raged, and each chapter should have been half the length. Still glad to have read it, but it's less original or striking than I hoped.
medium-paced
Using her wealth of experience as an international model, bestselling crime novelist, human right’s activist, and mother, Tara Moss equips readers to confront gender inequality in every aspect of society. Through immersive research and intimate wisdom, this dynamic duo will educate and empower.
I listened to The Fictional Woman and [b:Speaking Out: A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls|28113709|Speaking Out A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls|Tara Moss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461771218s/28113709.jpg|48122564] as audio books, and now have a HUGE crush on Tara Moss’s voice. As a strong and confident speaker, her warmth and wisdom bursts through her rich tone. Hearing the author read her own work is intimate, and sometimes unearthed my own pain. Although I plan to buy all my female friends and family members these books for Christmas, I know I’ll be returning to the audio versions.
The Fictional Woman confronts the countless “fictions” that have kept the status quo well-fed for centuries. As a woman who has filled many different roles throughout her life – is it so hard to believe a girl can be a hot blonde AND a bestselling crime writer? – Moss combines personal memoir with in-depth research to discuss the socio-historical constructs of gender roles.
The aim is to open readers’ eyes to the burgeoning reality of gender inequality, and how this affects both men and women in every layer of society. Methodically, Moss explores key aspects of modern life that are impacted by sexism, including politics, film and publishing industries, domestic violence and sexual assault laws, representations found in folklore and fairytales, stay-at-home parenting and maternity leave, and childbirth and abortion laws.
While this book can be pretty damn heavy, the intimacy of Moss’s storytelling makes The Fictional Woman raw and moving. Several times during reading, I felt my heart rate accelerate to a dizzying speed – its no-holds-barred approach to issues that are routinely silenced and misrepresented means that the content is often confronting. However, I love knowing that my values as a feminist are now empowered by knowledge and shared wisdom.
I have so much respect and gratitude to Tara Moss for this intimate insight into her life to show the indisputably real effects of gender inequality. I empathise with her pain and find her confidence to fight discrimination truly inspiring. These books not only gave me a new role model for navigating life, but also the self-belief to speak up for my rights and values.
This review can also be found on my blogPaige's Pages.
I listened to The Fictional Woman and [b:Speaking Out: A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls|28113709|Speaking Out A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls|Tara Moss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461771218s/28113709.jpg|48122564] as audio books, and now have a HUGE crush on Tara Moss’s voice. As a strong and confident speaker, her warmth and wisdom bursts through her rich tone. Hearing the author read her own work is intimate, and sometimes unearthed my own pain. Although I plan to buy all my female friends and family members these books for Christmas, I know I’ll be returning to the audio versions.
The Fictional Woman confronts the countless “fictions” that have kept the status quo well-fed for centuries. As a woman who has filled many different roles throughout her life – is it so hard to believe a girl can be a hot blonde AND a bestselling crime writer? – Moss combines personal memoir with in-depth research to discuss the socio-historical constructs of gender roles.
The aim is to open readers’ eyes to the burgeoning reality of gender inequality, and how this affects both men and women in every layer of society. Methodically, Moss explores key aspects of modern life that are impacted by sexism, including politics, film and publishing industries, domestic violence and sexual assault laws, representations found in folklore and fairytales, stay-at-home parenting and maternity leave, and childbirth and abortion laws.
While this book can be pretty damn heavy, the intimacy of Moss’s storytelling makes The Fictional Woman raw and moving. Several times during reading, I felt my heart rate accelerate to a dizzying speed – its no-holds-barred approach to issues that are routinely silenced and misrepresented means that the content is often confronting. However, I love knowing that my values as a feminist are now empowered by knowledge and shared wisdom.
I have so much respect and gratitude to Tara Moss for this intimate insight into her life to show the indisputably real effects of gender inequality. I empathise with her pain and find her confidence to fight discrimination truly inspiring. These books not only gave me a new role model for navigating life, but also the self-belief to speak up for my rights and values.
This review can also be found on my blog
This book was a complete impulse purchase to make up the remaining credit on a gift card I had with me - and boy was I glad I grabbed it. I am unfamiliar with Moss's other works, but the idea that the truthfulness of her being a writer had been questioned merely because she was a model and conventionally attractive was enough for me to pick it up and give a skim through. After finishing the book today, I am thoroughly impressed with the eloquence in which Moss expresses her understanding of social justice, and the humbleness and passion with which she speaks of her own experiences - the wonderful and terrifying. Many of the anecdotes surrounding Australian political and social issues struck a little close to home, and I was once again reminded of some of the depressing realities of the 21st century: women are still in many ways, considered to be of less value than men; men who exhibit "unmanly" attributes are also considered second-class; we still live in a society where the rich and powerful make decisions that affect those who are least able to defend themselves and their rights. None of this is new, of course, but the discourse Moss has put forward was captivated and stimulating.
I think today, where the word "feminist" is considered akin to "man hater", "whore", "sex hater", "religion hater", etc., it is so important for all women (particularly young girls who are being bombarded with these frightening and incorrect stereotypes) to read up on these issues and see things from the perspective of a woman who doesn't feel the need to sacrifice one belief for the the sake of another. I'm not asking anyone to subscribe to someone else's ideologies, but exposing oneself to other ideas is a great way to open up an important, and currently often misdirected, debate.
I think today, where the word "feminist" is considered akin to "man hater", "whore", "sex hater", "religion hater", etc., it is so important for all women (particularly young girls who are being bombarded with these frightening and incorrect stereotypes) to read up on these issues and see things from the perspective of a woman who doesn't feel the need to sacrifice one belief for the the sake of another. I'm not asking anyone to subscribe to someone else's ideologies, but exposing oneself to other ideas is a great way to open up an important, and currently often misdirected, debate.
3.5*
Nothing special really, but the few last chapters were quite good. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the erasure of aging women.
Nothing special really, but the few last chapters were quite good. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the erasure of aging women.
Tara Moss is probably best known as a person you hate; she seems to succeed in everything she puts her mind to. Starting her career early at 14 as a model, she always dreamed about being a writer. People don't encourage others to be writers but they do tell girls that they should be a model. Eventually she did and it took her around the world and taught her so much; the experiences may not have been all good but it helped shape her life. Eventually she did start writing and her Makedde Vanderwall become a huge success and she created this character as a way to explore her interests in forensic science, psychology and other topics. Now with nine fiction novels under her belt Moss is giving us her first non-fiction book, The Fictional Woman.
The title comes from the idea that people tend to dismiss and stereotype others. Tara Moss is no stranger to this; she even took a polygraph test to prove she wrote her books. While this book starts off as a memoir it is important to know that this is a social critique on the world and feminism. The book begins as a memoir to provide context, an understanding of Tara Moss' struggles and her life helps to see where The Fictional Woman is coming from. Historical context is also an important part of understanding feminism as well, especially when it comes to gender equality and pop culture. There have been plenty of Spiderman (too many), Zorro and James Bond movies but there has never been a Wonder Woman movie. In literature, the female archetype stems from fairy tales and medieval fiction, heroines tend to face off another woman, often older and depicted as witches. Cinderella type stories require a man in order to live happily ever after and even chick-lit often portrays a gender inequality.
The Fictional Woman explores this imbalance in pop-culture and society and looks at where these archetypes come from. It is impressive to see the amount of research and information Tara Moss puts into this book; it really was eye opening. I highly recommend people read this book but I need to warn everyone it may contain triggers. I'm surprised to see that the imbalance is so prominent in today’s society and I am trying to make more of an effort to read a balance of authors. The problem I found is I tend to pick up books without taking notice on of the author, sure it sometimes easy to know their gender but I don't research authors before starting a book. I try to make more of an effort and it is an area I need to work on.
I’m really impressed with Tara Moss, she seems to succeed in everything she does; sure I’m a little jealous that she is so talented but I still feel motivated. For those interested, I recently wrote a piece about an author event with Tara Moss on Boomerang Books if you are interested, I talk in a lot more detail about The Fictional Woman. I have never spent so much time thinking about feminism, I plan to do a lot more of it, even read some more books on the topic. I might even incorporate it into my critical reviews; it is an important topic that needs to be addressed.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2014/07/19/the-fictional-woman-by-tara-moss/
The title comes from the idea that people tend to dismiss and stereotype others. Tara Moss is no stranger to this; she even took a polygraph test to prove she wrote her books. While this book starts off as a memoir it is important to know that this is a social critique on the world and feminism. The book begins as a memoir to provide context, an understanding of Tara Moss' struggles and her life helps to see where The Fictional Woman is coming from. Historical context is also an important part of understanding feminism as well, especially when it comes to gender equality and pop culture. There have been plenty of Spiderman (too many), Zorro and James Bond movies but there has never been a Wonder Woman movie. In literature, the female archetype stems from fairy tales and medieval fiction, heroines tend to face off another woman, often older and depicted as witches. Cinderella type stories require a man in order to live happily ever after and even chick-lit often portrays a gender inequality.
The Fictional Woman explores this imbalance in pop-culture and society and looks at where these archetypes come from. It is impressive to see the amount of research and information Tara Moss puts into this book; it really was eye opening. I highly recommend people read this book but I need to warn everyone it may contain triggers. I'm surprised to see that the imbalance is so prominent in today’s society and I am trying to make more of an effort to read a balance of authors. The problem I found is I tend to pick up books without taking notice on of the author, sure it sometimes easy to know their gender but I don't research authors before starting a book. I try to make more of an effort and it is an area I need to work on.
I’m really impressed with Tara Moss, she seems to succeed in everything she does; sure I’m a little jealous that she is so talented but I still feel motivated. For those interested, I recently wrote a piece about an author event with Tara Moss on Boomerang Books if you are interested, I talk in a lot more detail about The Fictional Woman. I have never spent so much time thinking about feminism, I plan to do a lot more of it, even read some more books on the topic. I might even incorporate it into my critical reviews; it is an important topic that needs to be addressed.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2014/07/19/the-fictional-woman-by-tara-moss/
I've revised my rating because I am just lingeringly annoyed by Moss's take on life for women in Spain. My husband is Spanish and we have traveled there frequently, as all his family are there. Moss makes a lot of statements about Spanish women, their appearance, their ability to wear comfortable shoes and clothing, and they are all based on her rather boutique experience of going there on a trip to promote her work. The reality for Spanish women is rather a bit uglier in that the lingering machismo and sexism can make day to day life unpleasant for women, especially women walking around on their own, etc. A good case in point, this recent "social experiment" that was detailed in a liberal Spanish paper, El Pais:
http://verne.elpais.com/verne/2015/10/29/articulo/1446141466_816484.html
Watch the video, subtitled in English. Does the reality described therein seem like Tara Moss's Spain? No, it does not. And this brings me back to a fundamental question. Has Tara fallen victim to the same problem she recounts? Did her assumptions based on the appearance and clothing of Spanish women dictate her impressions of their actual life?
Tara Moss has raised many a good point in this book, which I still want my daughter to read, because I think it makes feminism more accessible, via Moss's career and public persona, to young people. But the book isn't the gospel.
http://verne.elpais.com/verne/2015/10/29/articulo/1446141466_816484.html
Watch the video, subtitled in English. Does the reality described therein seem like Tara Moss's Spain? No, it does not. And this brings me back to a fundamental question. Has Tara fallen victim to the same problem she recounts? Did her assumptions based on the appearance and clothing of Spanish women dictate her impressions of their actual life?
Tara Moss has raised many a good point in this book, which I still want my daughter to read, because I think it makes feminism more accessible, via Moss's career and public persona, to young people. But the book isn't the gospel.
I genuinely adore Tara Moss as a writer. Her Makedde Vanderwall series is compelling and evocative, I highly recommend it to fans of the crime genre.
Unfortunately, The Fictional Woman doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a memoir or a feminist manifesto, and being trapped between the two feels like a disservice to both. It's certainly interesting, but it feels like it might be stronger as two separate books.
Unfortunately, The Fictional Woman doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a memoir or a feminist manifesto, and being trapped between the two feels like a disservice to both. It's certainly interesting, but it feels like it might be stronger as two separate books.