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terrimarshall's review
4.0
This is a book of essays by a 20-something living in NY. She’s a good writer. She talks about doing drugs a lot, and that made me sad.
literatehedgehog's review
2.0
New York naughty white girl personal essays.
Maybe that's too harsh but I had much higher expectations for this based on other reviews and blurbs and I was sorely disappointed. I do read a fair amount of essays, so I could have reached my cap for "wowie I was a wild one" recollections or "this is how I (almost) met a famous person" anecdotes or "isn't my anxiety the worst?" navel-gazes. I wanted less introspection and more connection from these essays. In my view, personal essays use the personal details to connect to wider themes. I'm not asking for a treatise on the human condition, but a little more global perspective-taking.
reads somewhat like
Sloane Crosby's NYC intelli-smarm, Lena Denham's narcissism and Mindy Kaling's arbitrarily organized books.
I preferred
Scaachi Koul's reflections in One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter and Samantha Irby's dark wit in We Are Never Meeting In Real Life (and in her other writings).
My take-away is that I should check that the essays are somewhat personal, somewhat political or cultural before I commit myself.
Maybe that's too harsh but I had much higher expectations for this based on other reviews and blurbs and I was sorely disappointed. I do read a fair amount of essays, so I could have reached my cap for "wowie I was a wild one" recollections or "this is how I (almost) met a famous person" anecdotes or "isn't my anxiety the worst?" navel-gazes. I wanted less introspection and more connection from these essays. In my view, personal essays use the personal details to connect to wider themes. I'm not asking for a treatise on the human condition, but a little more global perspective-taking.
reads somewhat like
Sloane Crosby's NYC intelli-smarm, Lena Denham's narcissism and Mindy Kaling's arbitrarily organized books.
I preferred
Scaachi Koul's reflections in One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter and Samantha Irby's dark wit in We Are Never Meeting In Real Life (and in her other writings).
My take-away is that I should check that the essays are somewhat personal, somewhat political or cultural before I commit myself.
kaileycool's review
4.0
Read this by the pool, which is the perfect setting for feeling bad for/about yourself and reading about someone else who also feels bad for/about herself.
bean_mcmachine's review
5.0
Unbelievable in the best way. Caldwell’s writing is so beautiful while remaining grounded and gross. There is something so real about the way she speaks. Each section is better than the last. I never say this, but I can’t read it again.