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torrie_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I want to preface this to say that this had some great stories in it and the letters were really interesting.
It is a collected works so it's a little bit of everything.
It has letters that she wrote, short stories, and also screen plays.
I loved the letters and stories.
I can't really say with the screen plays because I couldn't get lost in them. That means nothing about the quality of the work, they all seemed interesting. I just couldn't enjoy the format. But if you enjoy reading screen plays then you should pick up this collection for sure.
It is a collected works so it's a little bit of everything.
It has letters that she wrote, short stories, and also screen plays.
I loved the letters and stories.
I can't really say with the screen plays because I couldn't get lost in them. That means nothing about the quality of the work, they all seemed interesting. I just couldn't enjoy the format. But if you enjoy reading screen plays then you should pick up this collection for sure.
torrie_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I want to preface this to say that this had some great stories in it and the letters were really interesting.
It is a collected works so it's a little bit of everything.
It has letters that she wrote, short stories, and also screen plays.
I loved the letters and stories.
I can't really say with the screen plays because I couldn't get lost in them. That means nothing about the quality of the work, they all seemed interesting. I just couldn't enjoy the format. But if you enjoy reading screen plays then you should pick up this collection for sure.
It is a collected works so it's a little bit of everything.
It has letters that she wrote, short stories, and also screen plays.
I loved the letters and stories.
I can't really say with the screen plays because I couldn't get lost in them. That means nothing about the quality of the work, they all seemed interesting. I just couldn't enjoy the format. But if you enjoy reading screen plays then you should pick up this collection for sure.
the_bfool's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
invertible_hulk's review against another edition
5.0
Another fantastic collection of Collins work. It's a bit uneven, compared to Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?, but there's still so much good stuff in here. Especially the novel excerpt and the screenplays.
invisiblemonster's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Do not let the title deceive you. It is not a book of diary entries, but an amalgamation of those and letters, short stories, plays, and screenplays. Very very very few notes are present. The short stories and diary entries are mainly stream of consciousness and serious wtf moments, and, unfortunately, I didn’t know what I was reading most of time. The letters are very personal and by far my favorite in this collection. Plays and screenplays are difficult for me to read; a visual medium is needed for me to fully enjoy the experience. Therefore, I have no real opinion about these sections. However it is safe to say that they are written with such verve that they held my attention easily enough. One play in particular (The Reading) was so good that I had goosebumps. The screenplay Losing Ground was developed into a movie in 1982 (in which Collins also directed) and I will definitely look for that. In the end I feel a sadness that the life of this creative force was cut short and she has somewhat been lost in obscurity. I hope you will all feel at least a little compelled to look up the life and work of Ms Collins.
arisbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
IQ "There is no such thing as a helpless black woman [...]. There is no cultural conditioning, no unspoken expectation anywhere, that would allow me to believe I could afford to be helpless. The attitude of helplessness, of dependence, is foreign to me, based on assumptions that are alien to my upbringing. [...] I don't know how to be helpless. I don't know how not to make things work." ('Notes From A Black Woman's Diary', 48)
I was unable to keep my mind from wandering while I read the screenplays, they're long and I think my mind isn't built to concentrate and visualize like that. However I do really want to watch 'Losing Ground'. It is also worth noting that I'd never read a screenplay before and many of the abbreviations and directors notes went over my head. I also ultimately would say I'm still glad the screenplays were included because they serve as yet another testament to how versatile a writer Collins was. This collection might also have one of my favorite intros of all time, I am eagerly awaiting Danielle Evans' next book/short story collection and she was the perfect choice to introduce this collection. Like many newfound fans I mourn this literary talent we lost too soon but am exceedingly grateful that we have been given the opportunity to rediscover her work and give her the appreciation she deserved in her lifetime. I am an unabashed Kathleen Collins fan and I hope we get to see more of her unpublished works and her unique characters; artsy bourgeoise intellectual Black women with vibrant love affairs.
I was stunned by how deeply this resonated with me and also accurately summed up a feeling I'd had but never been able to express. "I have always liked to read memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, always been interested in the inner life. It is true that with age this habit is diminishing-as if, with age, my life is sufficient material unto itself an doesn't require any further comparison with other lives. But this is very recent. When I was younger I devoured them-indiscriminately-concerned, at first, only with the person's love life: the great love of their existence...how it turned out, what joy and sorrow it brought...I think i was preparing myself for a great love, storing up information on how to behave when it finally came along...[...] So when the 'love interest' subsided, I turned to memoirs for strength, just as if I were asking someone to show me, show me how to fight loneliness and anxiety and fear and insecurity." ('Notes From A Black Woman's Diary', 42-43). I think this also speaks to why I found her diary entries to be so captivating. And true to form they were by far my favorite section. The nosy person in me wanted more letters and diary entries along with the short stories ('The Reading' in this collection was great and I loved most of the stories in her previous book).
I was unable to keep my mind from wandering while I read the screenplays, they're long and I think my mind isn't built to concentrate and visualize like that. However I do really want to watch 'Losing Ground'. It is also worth noting that I'd never read a screenplay before and many of the abbreviations and directors notes went over my head. I also ultimately would say I'm still glad the screenplays were included because they serve as yet another testament to how versatile a writer Collins was. This collection might also have one of my favorite intros of all time, I am eagerly awaiting Danielle Evans' next book/short story collection and she was the perfect choice to introduce this collection. Like many newfound fans I mourn this literary talent we lost too soon but am exceedingly grateful that we have been given the opportunity to rediscover her work and give her the appreciation she deserved in her lifetime. I am an unabashed Kathleen Collins fan and I hope we get to see more of her unpublished works and her unique characters; artsy bourgeoise intellectual Black women with vibrant love affairs.
I was stunned by how deeply this resonated with me and also accurately summed up a feeling I'd had but never been able to express. "I have always liked to read memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, always been interested in the inner life. It is true that with age this habit is diminishing-as if, with age, my life is sufficient material unto itself an doesn't require any further comparison with other lives. But this is very recent. When I was younger I devoured them-indiscriminately-concerned, at first, only with the person's love life: the great love of their existence...how it turned out, what joy and sorrow it brought...I think i was preparing myself for a great love, storing up information on how to behave when it finally came along...[...] So when the 'love interest' subsided, I turned to memoirs for strength, just as if I were asking someone to show me, show me how to fight loneliness and anxiety and fear and insecurity." ('Notes From A Black Woman's Diary', 42-43). I think this also speaks to why I found her diary entries to be so captivating. And true to form they were by far my favorite section. The nosy person in me wanted more letters and diary entries along with the short stories ('The Reading' in this collection was great and I loved most of the stories in her previous book).
erikawynn's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
invertible_hulk's review
5.0
Another fantastic collection of Collins work. It's a bit uneven, compared to Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?, but there's still so much good stuff in here. Especially the novel excerpt and the screenplays.
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