Scan barcode
tehanu1990's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
jacyjean's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
faehriss's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
While Claire does have some insights into the inevitability of biography being exposed in the digital age, where we draw the line with boycotts of artists and how much knowing of an author's misbehaviour tarnishes their work, this book is often repetitive in the way that it loops back onto earlier points and re-explains them in far more depth than is necessary for something that may have been read only a few hours prior. Towards the end it felt more like Claire trying to battle with her grief over ignoring her family in order to finish her books than any real analysis over whether we should line the pockets of problematic artists.
Ultimately, I do disagree with Claire's final conclusion in that we should continue to consume art made by people we view as heinous, even if they profit from it, just because we love it. This, to me, feels like an excuse made by somebody who can't muster the willpower to make life changes in order to live in line with their own morality. She argues that individual consumer's partaking in their art is inconsequential, but often our choice of consumption is the only choice available to us. To declare that to be entirely useless is to declare ourselves entirely powerless in the face of awful people doing awful things, and thats not a viewpoint I can stand for as I find it very detrimental to the concept of activism as a whole.
Ultimately, I do disagree with Claire's final conclusion in that we should continue to consume art made by people we view as heinous, even if they profit from it, just because we love it. This, to me, feels like an excuse made by somebody who can't muster the willpower to make life changes in order to live in line with their own morality. She argues that individual consumer's partaking in their art is inconsequential, but often our choice of consumption is the only choice available to us. To declare that to be entirely useless is to declare ourselves entirely powerless in the face of awful people doing awful things, and thats not a viewpoint I can stand for as I find it very detrimental to the concept of activism as a whole.
willowebk's review
2.5
Occasionally insightful (her observation that biographical knowledge of an artist is now inevitable in the internet age) but mostly just muddled. This book is highly personal-- basically a memoir as many reviewers have said-- and tries to tackle too many subjects. The section on motherhood, in particular, feels like a separate book idea.
She has a self-acknowledged blind spot about women who've done horrible things, continuing to hyper-focus on male crimes and claim that the worst thing a woman can be is an abandoning mother (what about a child abuser? a Nazi collaborator? a racist?). Also, her criteria for what constitutes a "monster" is internally inconsistent to the point of meaninglessness, and she uses strawman arguments CONSTANTLY (who really thinks that criticism should be wholly subjective and never include the critics own voice/emotions? has anyone said that in the last twenty years? who is that upset about Joni Mitchell's daughter?)
She has a self-acknowledged blind spot about women who've done horrible things, continuing to hyper-focus on male crimes and claim that the worst thing a woman can be is an abandoning mother (what about a child abuser? a Nazi collaborator? a racist?). Also, her criteria for what constitutes a "monster" is internally inconsistent to the point of meaninglessness, and she uses strawman arguments CONSTANTLY (who really thinks that criticism should be wholly subjective and never include the critics own voice/emotions? has anyone said that in the last twenty years? who is that upset about Joni Mitchell's daughter?)
sallysimply's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone I know who has read this has loved it, and while it did not quite hit that threshold for me, I can understand the hype.