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ponch22's review against another edition
5.0
Read this as part of my 2017 Reading for Growth Challenge. I had almost purchased it last year after seeing in on the shelf at NYC's Drama Book Shop. I've wanted to read more of [a:Sarah Ruhl|81678|Sarah Ruhl|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1441834463p2/81678.jpg]'s plays ([b:The Clean House|6105608|The Clean House|Sarah Ruhl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327909147s/6105608.jpg|6282945] is the only one I've read so far) and the title caught my eye, but for some reason (probably the other 6 books I bought that day) I didn't pick it up. When I saw "essay collection" on this year's challenge, I knew what to buy and read!
It's probably more of a 4.5* book, but I rounded up because why not? Ruhl has this wonderful way of writing her essays that makes you feel very close to her. I knew nothing about her (besides a few of her plays) but after reading this collection I feel like calling her up next time I'm in NYC to see if she wants to get coffee and talk theatre.
The essays range in size from one sentence to several pages (they probably average around a page and a half). The general conceit is, as a mother of three she has very little time to sit down and write so this book collects a lot of her ideas that could possibly be longer dissertations if time weren't at such a premium. Her writing is concise and smart and funny. The topics she writes about range from using storms on stage to creating neologisms; from comparing the standard theatrical structure to the male orgasm to wondering why so many excellent playwrights get "promoted" to other genres (e.g. screenwriting or TV).
Most of the essays revolve around playwriting and the theatre, so it's not too surprising I enjoyed it. What did surprise me was the sudden urge I felt to write a play of my own. I've never thought of myself as much of a writer. Stand-up comedy, sketches, novels—all feel too difficult for me to do with any sort of regularity (where does one come up with the "idea" for a joke, a sketch, a book?). But while reading [b:100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write|20613666|100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater|Sarah Ruhl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393644931s/20613666.jpg|39895014] part of me wanted to create a play where a sudden gust of wind affected the plot; where a rhyming epilogue put verse back into theatre; where I refuse to write "End of Play" on the last page and instead just use "The End."
But beyond a few things that came across me I still don't have an idea (or the time) to write anything. Plus I'm way behind in my yearly challenge...
It's probably more of a 4.5* book, but I rounded up because why not? Ruhl has this wonderful way of writing her essays that makes you feel very close to her. I knew nothing about her (besides a few of her plays) but after reading this collection I feel like calling her up next time I'm in NYC to see if she wants to get coffee and talk theatre.
The essays range in size from one sentence to several pages (they probably average around a page and a half). The general conceit is, as a mother of three she has very little time to sit down and write so this book collects a lot of her ideas that could possibly be longer dissertations if time weren't at such a premium. Her writing is concise and smart and funny. The topics she writes about range from using storms on stage to creating neologisms; from comparing the standard theatrical structure to the male orgasm to wondering why so many excellent playwrights get "promoted" to other genres (e.g. screenwriting or TV).
Most of the essays revolve around playwriting and the theatre, so it's not too surprising I enjoyed it. What did surprise me was the sudden urge I felt to write a play of my own. I've never thought of myself as much of a writer. Stand-up comedy, sketches, novels—all feel too difficult for me to do with any sort of regularity (where does one come up with the "idea" for a joke, a sketch, a book?). But while reading [b:100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write|20613666|100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater|Sarah Ruhl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393644931s/20613666.jpg|39895014] part of me wanted to create a play where a sudden gust of wind affected the plot; where a rhyming epilogue put verse back into theatre; where I refuse to write "End of Play" on the last page and instead just use "The End."
But beyond a few things that came across me I still don't have an idea (or the time) to write anything. Plus I'm way behind in my yearly challenge...
_lillie_'s review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
amlibera's review against another edition
5.0
Lovely short meditations on theatre and ideas of theatricality. I had forgotten that Sarah Ruhl studies at Piven, so much connection to the world of improvisation and comedy and I found myself highlighting a great many passages throughout.
marthaeve's review against another edition
5.0
great book for theater lovers...and thinkers of all sorts
joygoesandreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.25
Well written short essays that really provide a reflection for people who aspire to be in theatre or pursue any other art in their life. Some essays felt a little rushed and would have loved to have some more depth. Loved the breaking of the fourth wall the author did in the beginning!
mosso's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book in a single sitting on a four hour flight. It's not particularly long and was a great quick read, but I feel like I got out the time I invested in it, not a whole lot. Sarah Ruhl's 100 essays focus on theater, minimalism, and literature, which I care deeply about, and parenthood, which I do not. The essays on parenthood are at least amusing and the ones on theater I found either fascinating or relatable or both. My issue is that the term essay is used rather liberally. Maybe it's just me, but I feel to be called an essay, you need more than one or two paragraphs (or sentences in some cases). Every time I felt that Ruhl may be leading on to a bigger idea, deeper message, thought-provoking inquiry, the essay would end and start into another one, leaving me to draw my own conclusions (such is a playwright though). This book made me laugh in the I'm-reading-in-public way where you just exhale a little more than usual, and it was, at its heart, a very genuine, varied, and intimate snapshot of life. So if you ever find yourself in need of a way to kill a couple of hours, it's not a bad way to pass the time.
Favorite Essay:
11. An essay in favor of smallness
I admire minimalism.
Favorite Essay:
11. An essay in favor of smallness
I admire minimalism.