You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
This was an entertaining read but not like a typical celebrity book you fly through. These are individual essays and there is no real order to them. Some ran a little long and did not hold my interest the entire time. She is a very good writer and I like that she has a message throughout the book. I definitely will be reading part two!
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Exile in Guyville has been a touchstone for me for a long time, an album that I turn to during certain periods in my life, so I was excited to read this hoping it would give me more insight into Liz Phair as an artist. I've also read a few rock memoirs such as Carrie Brownstein's and Kim Gordon's that I enjoyed quite a bit. Liz Phair's foray into writing is my least favorite of the three.
While her essays feel the most "literary," they often feel formulaic. The metaphors and similes systematically placed, rather than written naturally into the text. Also, memoirs usually make me understand and like the authors more, but in this case, personally, I found Phair highly annoying. The stories she decided to share about her life didn't always feel like the most interesting which makes me think she isn't that interesting. Also, while these are supposed to be "horror stories" from her life, most of the times, they are self-induced horror situations and she lacks no self-awareness. I spent most of the reading cringing and annoyed at her childish decisions. From the ethnocentric lack of self-awareness in China to the rash decision to find her own way through a NY, blizzard, inconveniencing more people in the end. Save yourself time.
While her essays feel the most "literary," they often feel formulaic. The metaphors and similes systematically placed, rather than written naturally into the text. Also, memoirs usually make me understand and like the authors more, but in this case, personally, I found Phair highly annoying. The stories she decided to share about her life didn't always feel like the most interesting which makes me think she isn't that interesting. Also, while these are supposed to be "horror stories" from her life, most of the times, they are self-induced horror situations and she lacks no self-awareness. I spent most of the reading cringing and annoyed at her childish decisions. From the ethnocentric lack of self-awareness in China to the rash decision to find her own way through a NY, blizzard, inconveniencing more people in the end. Save yourself time.
3.5 really. I actually enjoyed the stories and appreciated the vulnerability it took to share them, but the flow of the writing itself was clunky in parts. Of course, I probably expected too much.
I don’t like Liz Phair. I read this hoping to gain a new appreciation for her and her music but I was left disappointed. Her vapid stories come off as entitled and self absorbed. A better title might be, “Horror Stories of the Privileged White People”.
Always have a soft spot for Liz Phair (including the less popular albums and this weird book).
Reading this book felt like listening and relistening to her fourth album 'Somebody's miracle'
I gave up on it, i thought the first song and chapter was a weird choice to introduce the rest of the album/book.
It grew on me and there were some chapters I just sped read through.
If you are not a Liz Phair fan you might not get the structure of this memoir.
I gave up on it, i thought the first song and chapter was a weird choice to introduce the rest of the album/book.
It grew on me and there were some chapters I just sped read through.
If you are not a Liz Phair fan you might not get the structure of this memoir.
I received an ARC of this book that is missing a couple of chapters and pictures.
This book ended up being nothing like I thought it would be, but I throughly enjoyed it. Each chapter is a different story from Liz’s life. It’s not chronological and the year or her age are only mentioned in some. The writing is wonderful and I was entertained throughout. If you’re hoping to hear about her music career or what her songs are about, you may be disappointed. I hope to get my hands on a finished copy to read the additional chapters.
This book ended up being nothing like I thought it would be, but I throughly enjoyed it. Each chapter is a different story from Liz’s life. It’s not chronological and the year or her age are only mentioned in some. The writing is wonderful and I was entertained throughout. If you’re hoping to hear about her music career or what her songs are about, you may be disappointed. I hope to get my hands on a finished copy to read the additional chapters.
This is overall a decent read. Liz is a good writer and I love Exile in Guyville but she honestly seems like a pretty annoying person! Cringe moments include:
- Her description of seeing Do the Right Thing among an entirely white audience
- The sentence: “I don’t know anything about economics, but I’m a passionate student of the soul.”
- Reminding us every other page that she is an ~artist~
- Her description of seeing Do the Right Thing among an entirely white audience
- The sentence: “I don’t know anything about economics, but I’m a passionate student of the soul.”
- Reminding us every other page that she is an ~artist~
I learned a lot about Liz Phair’s life through the “horror” stories she shared. They provided an interesting look at her history and allowed me to reflect on myself. She was great narrating the audiobook, which included music between the stories.