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I love this because my friend Mike gave it to me. Rest in peace, little Mikee. Still miss you.
medium-paced
This is a bit of cheat, since I didn't finish the book. While I think her concept is good one, it was poorly executed, unfocused, and over-written. It couldn't hold my attention and when it did I was either mocking it or cheering it. I had hoped for much, much more - intellectually, stylistically, content-wise - than what was here. After nearly 100 pages (and barely 2 chapters!), I gave up. I couldn't force myself to slog through it at the expense of reading other books I'll enjoy more.
“I don't think it's really about being bitchy or demanding or cold or calculating: those characteristics, after all, can be attached to most women with even the paltriest of evidence. I think, quite frankly, that the world simply does not care for the complicated girls, the ones who seem too dark, too deep, too vibrant, too opinionated...”
At one time, Wurtzel was quite the sensation. At 26 she wrote Prozac Nation and it seemed like everyone was reading it. The same was true with this book. In 1999 when it was published this got a lot of press. Of course, I never got around to reading either of these books when they were hot.
Sometime in the last couple of years I encountered quotations from this book like the one above. References were made to Bitch in some of the other books I was reading. There were enough times that I ran across Wurtzel or her book that I decided it was time to read it.
This is a little dated. For someone younger than me, it might take Wikipedia to explain who some of the women referenced are. However, others keep coming to the surface just like Wurtzel. I wonder if Wurtzel ever thought that Clinton would become a presidential candidate.
Even though this book was written almost twenty years ago, I found parts of it fascinating. I am not sorry I read it. Wurtzel makes some good points. Her beliefs about how the world sees women are still valid. Her examples are old, but the world is still mostly a man’s world and women who don’t fit the “proper” roles are still a problem. If you want to know more about bitchy women this is a good place to start.
At one time, Wurtzel was quite the sensation. At 26 she wrote Prozac Nation and it seemed like everyone was reading it. The same was true with this book. In 1999 when it was published this got a lot of press. Of course, I never got around to reading either of these books when they were hot.
Sometime in the last couple of years I encountered quotations from this book like the one above. References were made to Bitch in some of the other books I was reading. There were enough times that I ran across Wurtzel or her book that I decided it was time to read it.
This is a little dated. For someone younger than me, it might take Wikipedia to explain who some of the women referenced are. However, others keep coming to the surface just like Wurtzel. I wonder if Wurtzel ever thought that Clinton would become a presidential candidate.
Even though this book was written almost twenty years ago, I found parts of it fascinating. I am not sorry I read it. Wurtzel makes some good points. Her beliefs about how the world sees women are still valid. Her examples are old, but the world is still mostly a man’s world and women who don’t fit the “proper” roles are still a problem. If you want to know more about bitchy women this is a good place to start.
This book is literally so awful I only finished it because I try not to write reviews about books I don't finish. What a mess of nasty, judgmental self-centered opinions absolutely nobody asked for. Wurtzel literally blames women for their own murders, uses the n word at least twice, and degrades and offends almost every person she describes.
Other than being disgustingly offensive and ignorant, it just wasn't well-written. The concept doesn't match up to the title, every section reads like lengthy individual tabloid articles re-using the same references and very close phrasing if not verbatim to make conflicting points. Any time I tried to find merit in Wurtzel's argument, her commentary was so condescending and self-important it was cringe-worthy. Even chapters covering topics I have an interest in (Sylvia Plath, Hilary Clinton) were so long-winded and vindictive with no authority to fall back on that they were difficult to read. I will say it was interesting that she made the comparison between Hillary as First Lady and Ivanna Trump. Wurtzel frequently used the word "we" especially to refer to what "we" believe or know or want, and I struggled to figure out who exactly she imagined she was addressing. My conclusion is that she must have believed she was making relevant pop culture commentary. She used the word feminism many, many times, but she is very clearly working under her own definition here. Definitely not any that I am familiar with.
I have no idea what this book had to do with difficult women so much as just this particular one.
Other than being disgustingly offensive and ignorant, it just wasn't well-written. The concept doesn't match up to the title, every section reads like lengthy individual tabloid articles re-using the same references and very close phrasing if not verbatim to make conflicting points. Any time I tried to find merit in Wurtzel's argument, her commentary was so condescending and self-important it was cringe-worthy. Even chapters covering topics I have an interest in (Sylvia Plath, Hilary Clinton) were so long-winded and vindictive with no authority to fall back on that they were difficult to read. I will say it was interesting that she made the comparison between Hillary as First Lady and Ivanna Trump. Wurtzel frequently used the word "we" especially to refer to what "we" believe or know or want, and I struggled to figure out who exactly she imagined she was addressing. My conclusion is that she must have believed she was making relevant pop culture commentary. She used the word feminism many, many times, but she is very clearly working under her own definition here. Definitely not any that I am familiar with.
I have no idea what this book had to do with difficult women so much as just this particular one.
This is such a weird, long book that I am so delighted to have found. First of all it’s dated and hasn’t necessarily aged well. There are points and writing strategies, like the ending where the author invokes sort of the concept of the magical black slave, rising above suffering, where you just have to cringe in second hand embarrassment. I won’t pretend this book doesn’t have low points and weird tangents. At the same time, thank god this book was written ages ago, because no longer are much of the most interesting points she made, like the the type of toxic violent relationships that women actively choose to carry on, allowed to be made.
She roots for women to break out of the mold, to rebel, and she defends and also judges crappy behaviour. This book is all grey area of how women navigate living with men and being allowed to need more in their lives. I loved it, I hated it. But in the end, it wasn’t just the same accepted arguments couched in careful pc language. It made you think. And that is why despite any cons and dated celebrity references, I would still recommend it.
She roots for women to break out of the mold, to rebel, and she defends and also judges crappy behaviour. This book is all grey area of how women navigate living with men and being allowed to need more in their lives. I loved it, I hated it. But in the end, it wasn’t just the same accepted arguments couched in careful pc language. It made you think. And that is why despite any cons and dated celebrity references, I would still recommend it.
This book pissed me off. I was hopeful it would be an historical account of women that refused to fit into any societal mold and broke all the "rules." However, Wurtzel picks several "bad girls" in the last couple of decades (Amy Fisher, Courtney Love, etc) and rambles on page after page about random assumptions. To make matters worse, she frequently blames the victim! The chapter about Nicole Brown Simpson was infuriating. Don't waste your time.
To be honest I found this book for the most part entertaining. However it was very out dated but that was my own fault for reading the book long after publication. Regardless there were some good enough comments and it was written in a fluid easy to just sink into style. I didn't finish this book because I simply didn't feel like doing so. I would encourage people who enjoy Wurtzel's writing to read this book because it reads as an interesting conversation. I only stopped because I was just over the subject.
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Interesting to read an edge-y take on feminist issues of the late 1990s 25 years later. A lot has changed, but some progress has been made I think. Book is definitely too long, but the last few pages make for almost a (secular) feminist sermon.