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snappycatty's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I enjoyed the references to other books, many of which I haven’t read. Strangely uplifting in parts although also moving.
aria_izikdzurko's review against another edition
5.0
I am in love with this book. I have never felt so understood by someone I never met. This book voiced thoughts that I never even knew I took as truth until I saw them on paper. Melodramatic, elaborately poetic, and full of book recommendations... what more could I ask for? I am not usually a fan of memoirs or non fiction, but this is an exception.
A note: this is not a book to read if one is in a good place mentally. It is best for days where one feels nihilistic and lost, aimless or lacking purpose. If I had been in a better mood when I read this, it may not have made such a deep impression.
A note: this is not a book to read if one is in a good place mentally. It is best for days where one feels nihilistic and lost, aimless or lacking purpose. If I had been in a better mood when I read this, it may not have made such a deep impression.
sarapocher98's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
A beautiful, quiet yet heartfelt meditation on life and death, writing and reading, and what makes life worth living.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
cliobemuzedbookworm's review against another edition
I am going to sit on the rating for this one a bit. Sometimes a book will linger in your mind long past the finished date. I have a feeling this one might be one of those.
This was by no means an easy read and I could easily state that I've read it twice as I certainly did consume the majority of this book twice. The cadence of the narrative flow was haunting but also seemed to lull me into a state where I had difficulty grasping the author's meaning. However, on a second read I would feel like I had understood all along.
Regardless at the end of each essay I still wasn't really able to grasp the meaning of that particular essay.
I believe some of her final observations in te afterword best describe what I experienced when reading this: Sentences and paragraphs were written and rewritten under different circumstances, arguments reframed, thoughts revised; most of these essays took a year or longer to write. Coherence and consistency were not what I had been striving for.
That lack of coherence and consistency was definitely a big part of the difficulty for me, though there is also some order in all this chaos; some coherence throughout it all: books.
Intrigued to read more by this author and might give this one another ("third") read at some point.
This was by no means an easy read and I could easily state that I've read it twice as I certainly did consume the majority of this book twice. The cadence of the narrative flow was haunting but also seemed to lull me into a state where I had difficulty grasping the author's meaning. However, on a second read I would feel like I had understood all along.
Regardless at the end of each essay I still wasn't really able to grasp the meaning of that particular essay.
I believe some of her final observations in te afterword best describe what I experienced when reading this: Sentences and paragraphs were written and rewritten under different circumstances, arguments reframed, thoughts revised; most of these essays took a year or longer to write. Coherence and consistency were not what I had been striving for.
That lack of coherence and consistency was definitely a big part of the difficulty for me, though there is also some order in all this chaos; some coherence throughout it all: books.
Intrigued to read more by this author and might give this one another ("third") read at some point.
schwarzer_elch's review against another edition
2.0
Me costó mucho leerlo. A pesar de haber disfrutado y reflexionado con algunos momentos específicos, en general, sentí que la autora no era concreta. Entiendo el contexto en el que fue escrito; sin embargo, siento que es un texto pensado más para auto reflexionar y curar heridas internas, que para ser leído por terceros. Quizás se disfrute más si se lee cada capítulo de manera independiente y no todo de un tirón como lo hice yo.