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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
funny
reflective
There are so many interesting ideas in this book, including the ones that I did not agree with/found myself repulsed by. At times it felt like the author clarified thoughts that had been floating half formed through my head for ages. There are some topics addressed that I find more satisfyingly addressed by biologists or anthropologists - I think the literary/media reviews are usually the strongest parts - it did give me things to think about. Surprisingly funny.
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
It was a 2 until I read her brutal takedown of Sally Rooney. Amazing. 5/5. I like the beginning on the errors of minimalism. But it was hard to follow at times. Maybe I'm too sociology-pilled. I want an essay to follow a discernible argument structure, whereas it oftened meandered and I had trouble tracking what was going on.
challenging
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A bracing reclamation of mess and joy against the prevailing aesthetic ideology of 'less.' Rothfeld is at her best when engaging in cultural criticism, her tongue often acid but never verging into cruel. The strongest essays, in my opinion were 'To Have a Cake and Eat it' and 'Only Mercy,' both of which flirt with metaphysics in a way that clearly suits the author's background. Less convincing were the forays into personal essay, which color certain pieces without diving all the way into narrative. I prefer the analysis to the color commentary here, but only because Rothfeld herself seems less comfortable writing her own experiences, where the prose can feel over-polished and slippery.
I've known she was playing for the major leagues since I knew her in college (I doubt she remembers me lol). But even then she was an intellectual heavyweight and cut an outsized figure. It's been fun to watch her success, and I'm sure her writing and criticism is only on the up and up.
I've known she was playing for the major leagues since I knew her in college (I doubt she remembers me lol). But even then she was an intellectual heavyweight and cut an outsized figure. It's been fun to watch her success, and I'm sure her writing and criticism is only on the up and up.
slow-paced
If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be “tedious.”
Becca Rothfeld and I are on very different pages about life and what it feels like to be a human being. Glad I finished it though
Becca Rothfeld and I are on very different pages about life and what it feels like to be a human being. Glad I finished it though
i love the author’s decadent prose, and i align aesthetically and spiritually with the thesis of “indulgence over parsimony” (as another reviewer succinctly put it). some of the essays were not super accessible, relying on references that were rather obscure to me - but i’d happily return to wallow in the ones that did resonate more easily!