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afrugalfather's review
3.0
Well done, well written, just had a lot less about photography than I had hoped.
mrjoe's review
3.0
Cinematographer John Bailey's excellent review: http://www.theasc.com/blog/2015/08/31/sally-mann-commands-hold-still/
rosseroo's review
2.0
I generally don't read memoirs or autobiography or biographies -- I simply don't find them interesting or compelling as a genre. However, this was the selection for our bookclub, so I picked it up and made my way through its almost 500 pages. There were points of connection for me -- I recall the controversy about thirty years ago around her photos of her children, I have friends who are professional photographers, I have family who grew up in similar social circumstances very close to where she did. But at the end of the day, I don't love her photography and thus don't particularly care that much about her life. I was hoping to at least get some glimpses into her working process, but there's very little of that in the book.
Instead, there is a huge amount of detail about her ancestors, which, while kind of interesting as stories, did nothing to contribute to my understanding of her or her work. The multi-media format provides some level of relief to the proceedings, but even then, so many of the images are too small to really make any impact. There are many layers of privilege that could potentially be unpacked from her self-presentation, but I never cared enough to really grapple with those themes. Potentially of interest to readers with a deep interest in photography or female artists.
Instead, there is a huge amount of detail about her ancestors, which, while kind of interesting as stories, did nothing to contribute to my understanding of her or her work. The multi-media format provides some level of relief to the proceedings, but even then, so many of the images are too small to really make any impact. There are many layers of privilege that could potentially be unpacked from her self-presentation, but I never cared enough to really grapple with those themes. Potentially of interest to readers with a deep interest in photography or female artists.
pattydsf's review
4.0
“As for me, I see both beauty and the dark side of the things; the loveliness of cornfields and full sails, but the ruin as the well. And I see them at the same time, and chary of that ecstasy. The Japanese have a phrase for this dual perception: mono no aware. It means ‘beauty tinged with sadness,’ for there cannot be any real beauty without the indolic whiff of decay. For me, living is the same thing as dying, and loving is the same thing as losing, and this does not make me a madwoman; I believe it can make me better at living, and better at loving, and, just possibly, better at seeing.”
What did I know about Sally Mann before I read her memoir? I knew just basic information. Mann lives in Lexington, VA and she got in trouble with a lot of people over some pictures that she took of her children. Not a lot to go on, but enough that I wanted to know more. Thank goodness, my book group choose to read this autobiography and that forced me to find the time to read this book.
Mann is an amazing photographer and an amazing writer. I was drawn into her story not only by the facts (some of which are weird), but also by her storytelling. I will read any book with a good story and Mann has some great ones. Her tale has taught me so much about photography, family life, genetics and other topics. I found myself making time for this book so I could see what Mann had to say next.
If you like reading about real people, pick up this book. If learning about family stories is your thing, this is also for you. If you are interested in seeing what makes someone tick, pick this up. Mann is a fascinating woman and her prose is wonderful.
What did I know about Sally Mann before I read her memoir? I knew just basic information. Mann lives in Lexington, VA and she got in trouble with a lot of people over some pictures that she took of her children. Not a lot to go on, but enough that I wanted to know more. Thank goodness, my book group choose to read this autobiography and that forced me to find the time to read this book.
Mann is an amazing photographer and an amazing writer. I was drawn into her story not only by the facts (some of which are weird), but also by her storytelling. I will read any book with a good story and Mann has some great ones. Her tale has taught me so much about photography, family life, genetics and other topics. I found myself making time for this book so I could see what Mann had to say next.
If you like reading about real people, pick up this book. If learning about family stories is your thing, this is also for you. If you are interested in seeing what makes someone tick, pick this up. Mann is a fascinating woman and her prose is wonderful.
tbrov's review
1.0
Ugh. I tried. But sentences like this "...all that time my buried horse-passion lay still rooted within me, an etiolated sprout waiting to break greenly forth at the first opportunity....With the purchase of that spavined old (re-)starter mount, my dormant obsession burst into full, extravagant leaf."
and "three additional mountains: Jump, House and Hogback. Responding to Paleozoic pressure, this anomalous trio erupted like wayward molars smack in the central palate of the valley... occasionally radiant with celestial frippery, you will stomp down on the accelerator in search of the next exit"
I only made it to page 13. Scanned through and read random pages, but every page contained something that makes me want to throw the book against the wall. Just now, opened at random; page 231 "Unrestrained myself, I walked up the porch steps, cupping my hands against the flyspecked window screen to discover within the pianist Simone Dinnerstein sitting before a Chickering grand piano, attended on her right by a man who had suffered the ravages of leprosy. At once: the humdrum and the miraculous, the inelegant and the ineffable."
If you enjoyed the above excerpts, this book is for you!
and "three additional mountains: Jump, House and Hogback. Responding to Paleozoic pressure, this anomalous trio erupted like wayward molars smack in the central palate of the valley... occasionally radiant with celestial frippery, you will stomp down on the accelerator in search of the next exit"
I only made it to page 13. Scanned through and read random pages, but every page contained something that makes me want to throw the book against the wall. Just now, opened at random; page 231 "Unrestrained myself, I walked up the porch steps, cupping my hands against the flyspecked window screen to discover within the pianist Simone Dinnerstein sitting before a Chickering grand piano, attended on her right by a man who had suffered the ravages of leprosy. At once: the humdrum and the miraculous, the inelegant and the ineffable."
If you enjoyed the above excerpts, this book is for you!
wordlover's review
5.0
Superb memoir - her graduate studies in writing, which I hadn't known about, become clear right away. Art, race, history, death, family, love - it's all here...
eowyn's review
3.0
This was for one of my book clubs. Parts of this book are 4, parts are 3. Overall I'm glad I read it.
pivic's review
3.0
This book is a dreamy kind of autobiography. Mann writes of childhood, adolescence with a piercing, yet slow eye, while delving into her starting out as a photographer with an acute sense of self-examination. Her handling of the whole thing where she was accused of being a paedophile, someone who used her kids to sell pictures without a care in the world for them, is really well-handled, I feel.
All in all, a good book on growing up, including sexuality, love, dislikes and work. Grew a bit tedious towards the end, but then, don't some of us?
All in all, a good book on growing up, including sexuality, love, dislikes and work. Grew a bit tedious towards the end, but then, don't some of us?