Reviews

Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy

allmadnoattic's review

Go to review page

lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

reading_about_tigerlilies's review

Go to review page

reflective fast-paced

arr2_dee2's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

siddise's review

Go to review page

informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

beesbookshelves's review

Go to review page

reflective

5.0

ljutavidra's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Hmmm. Ne znam kako da počnem.
Ovo opisuju kao esej o pisanju; kao Levinu verziju Virdžinijine "Sopstvene sobe", kao žensku verziju Orvelovog teksta o tome šta ga je vuklo ka pisanju.

Moram reći da je ovde najmanje bilo o pisanju. Levi nam piše o svom životu, ali je to poput njene fikcije nejasno i u metaforama. I iako volim njene romane, ovaj put sam htela da saznam nešto o njoj, na onaj suvoparan, nefikcijski način. Možda će neki reći da je baš u tome čar, što je romantizovala svoju autobiografiju. Ali to nije bilo ono čemu sam se nadala.

sleepyysheepyy's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.75

josi1911's review

Go to review page

emotional reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

4.0

louanne's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

loribeth1961's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

 Since I'm (cough!) already behind pace on my Goodreads goal for the year, I thought I'd try a shorter book for a change, since the ones I've been reading lately have been pretty long ones, both book club/readalong selections and my own picks. "Things I Don't Want to Know: A Living Autobiography" by Deborah Levy is, in hardcover, just 163 well-spaced pages with generous margins and a large type size (also easy on my aging eyes!).

I don't remember how I learned about Levy's "Living Autobiography" trilogy -- I probably read a review of it somewhere -- and then I saw all three volumes at the local bookstore and was captivated by the bold cover designs. Eventually, I bought all three, and they've remained on my bookshelf since then (until now). (Books 2 & 3 in the trilogy are "The Cost of Living" and "Real Estate.")

I'll admit the first chapter had me wondering just what was going on here. It starts with Levy crying on escalators in train stations, which leads to a solo getaway trip to Majorca, where Levy encounters Maria, the proprietor of the hotel she's staying at, remembers a 1988 trip to Poland, and winds up chatting in a bar with a Chinese shopkeeper acquaintance.

But when I got into chapter 2 -- in which the author recounts memories of her childhood in South Africa, during the 1960s (i.e., the era of apartheid), it got much more interesting -- and I started seeing certain themes being repeated and developed, as Levy discovers her voice, as a young woman and as a writer.

The writing throughout is absorbing, and the reason why I'm rounding up my 3.5 star rating on StoryGraph to 4 stars on Goodreads.