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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
tak veľmi, veľmi som si želal šťastný koniec, ale život nemá a nepozná šťastné konce.
kniha je o mnohých veciach, no najmä o zavislosti a jej podobách. alkohol, láska, materstvo, sloboda.
po prečítaní tejto knihy nemám slov a ešte dlho mať nebudem. oceňujem, že sa tu objavilo niečo takéto - niečo úplne iné.
kniha je o mnohých veciach, no najmä o zavislosti a jej podobách. alkohol, láska, materstvo, sloboda.
po prečítaní tejto knihy nemám slov a ešte dlho mať nebudem. oceňujem, že sa tu objavilo niečo takéto - niečo úplne iné.
I read The Rules Do Not Apply pretty quickly. Ariel Levy makes you want to keep reading — her writing is beautiful and her style is a good mix of casual and professional.
Levy writes about her career as a reporter, her love life, her family life, having a miscarriage in Mongolia, her spouse's alcoholism, her own inability to be monogamous — it's all very open and raw, in a way that is refreshing to read.
But a lot of it made me squirm. It reeks of unquestioned privilege that makes her issues harder to take seriously. She also told other people's stories regularly (seemingly) without consent, including detailed stories from an alcoholics anonymous meeting. It's one thing to read an author's diary and another for her to attach a stranger or family member's diary to her own.
It also ended in an odd spot that left me incredibly unsatisfied. I'd be curious to see her take another try and rewrite it a bit.
3.5/5 stars
Levy writes about her career as a reporter, her love life, her family life, having a miscarriage in Mongolia, her spouse's alcoholism, her own inability to be monogamous — it's all very open and raw, in a way that is refreshing to read.
But a lot of it made me squirm. It reeks of unquestioned privilege that makes her issues harder to take seriously. She also told other people's stories regularly (seemingly) without consent, including detailed stories from an alcoholics anonymous meeting. It's one thing to read an author's diary and another for her to attach a stranger or family member's diary to her own.
It also ended in an odd spot that left me incredibly unsatisfied. I'd be curious to see her take another try and rewrite it a bit.
3.5/5 stars
Probably 3.75 stars. I loved her writing, but the book left me wanting more.
Ariel Levy astutely captures the carefree abandon of youth, the boundless optimism of being a woman in a world where you're told you can do anything, the profundity of platonic friendship, and the numbing grief of everything falling apart amid society's underlying judgement of women who don't follow the script. At 205 pages, The Rules Do Not Apply is a lightning fast read that left me feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. Yet still hopeful.
This is a deeply moving memoir. Ms. Levy experienced more sadness than anyone should. I hope she is content today.
A great memoir from a woman who has been through a lot of crap. She never feels sorry for herself and doesn't ask us to either. I've noticed in other reviews people call her "unlikeable", a basic term, usually from those who are not able to form more thoughtful responses. What some may find "unlikeable" is Levy's unwillingness to turn a tragic event into a comedic bit, or to find the light in a dark moment. She sits in her despair and allows us to sit with her—a refreshing change from the oversaturated genre of "It gets better."
"All of my conjuring had led to only ruin and death. Now I was a wounded witch, wailing in the forest, undone."
The writing is good, though sometimes too melodramatic for me (see above). At times it seemed disingenuous and lacked real emotion.
For me to connect with a memoirist, I have to like him/her. I failed to connect with Levy.
That said, she went through a loss I cannot even fathom and I hope getting it on paper has helped her cope.
The writing is good, though sometimes too melodramatic for me (see above). At times it seemed disingenuous and lacked real emotion.
For me to connect with a memoirist, I have to like him/her. I failed to connect with Levy.
That said, she went through a loss I cannot even fathom and I hope getting it on paper has helped her cope.
a lot of marketing and talking about this on publishers instagram but the book was in the least grasping.
Fascinating account of how thwarting traditional expectations (but not really, in someways) can come crashing down. Listened to this one and was just enthralled by the reading.
Alcoholism and pregnancy and infant loss play a significant role in the story of Ariel Levy's family and life so far. Her writing is very engaging and the book is organized. She manages to makes readers want to read and listen to her terrifying and excruciatingly sad experience because her careful words are so sincere.