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emotional
informative
medium-paced
I read the novel after hearing about it from a Taylor Swift book club choosing it. It looked like she’s led an interesting life. And oh man, she definitely has. I don’t know if I would have had the resilience. I definitely don’t have the creativity or courage. What a life! It’s worth it just to read about their adventures.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
“I stand naked when I draw. God holds my hand and we sing together.”
This memoir pulled me in from the first page with wonderful prose, as empathetic and musical as Patti Smith’s lyrics and poetry, and then kept my attention with a mixture of personal recollections, reminiscence on the nature of art, and an assortment of anecdotes that illustrate the epoch. At times, I felt a little lost when I didn’t immediately recognize a name or somesuch; this is definitely a book aimed at someone who already has an idea of the musical and art scene of the 70s, and while I’m decently familiar with the music parts, sometimes I had to stop reading and pull up Google.
Robert Mapplethorpe feels like the true main character, even when he isn’t directly appearing on the page. I don’t think I really fell under the charm of his personality, no matter how much the narrative tried to pull me under and how much I didn’t mind succumbing. But I really liked the depiction of the bond he and Patti shared, how tightly entwined their lives remained even as their relationship changed from lovers to friends to something family-like in ways that defy strict categorization. I think what they shared is as close as it gets to finding a soulmate.
I really enjoyed how the book was structured, the narrative kind of growing denser and more expansive as it progressed. First we get the daily existence of someone striving to find something *more*, something that will give their life meaning. Then comes the part about the young starving artists that feels both freeing and a tiny bit claustrophobic, that endless juxtaposition of unleashed creativity and struggling in small apartments with limited funds. And then by the time we get close to the Chelsea Hotel times, more and more actors keep entering the stage, and the kaleidoscope of names and events grows and grows, sweeping you away.
When it comes to flaws, I guess I didn’t really like how much the author put Robert on the pedestal. She didn’t exactly shy away from depicting his flaws, but she always hurried to make excuses for him or to downplay the extent of the objectively shitty things he did, likeinitiating sex when he knew he had an actively symptomatic STI . I can’t exactly fault her for it, given how important this man was for her and how much his loss hurt her. It’s kind of hard to be critical of someone in these circumstances! But still, I think the reason he was borderline my least favorite person to read about here was that the writing was pushing me to adore him no matter what, and I got kind of contrary.
This memoir pulled me in from the first page with wonderful prose, as empathetic and musical as Patti Smith’s lyrics and poetry, and then kept my attention with a mixture of personal recollections, reminiscence on the nature of art, and an assortment of anecdotes that illustrate the epoch. At times, I felt a little lost when I didn’t immediately recognize a name or somesuch; this is definitely a book aimed at someone who already has an idea of the musical and art scene of the 70s, and while I’m decently familiar with the music parts, sometimes I had to stop reading and pull up Google.
Robert Mapplethorpe feels like the true main character, even when he isn’t directly appearing on the page. I don’t think I really fell under the charm of his personality, no matter how much the narrative tried to pull me under and how much I didn’t mind succumbing. But I really liked the depiction of the bond he and Patti shared, how tightly entwined their lives remained even as their relationship changed from lovers to friends to something family-like in ways that defy strict categorization. I think what they shared is as close as it gets to finding a soulmate.
I really enjoyed how the book was structured, the narrative kind of growing denser and more expansive as it progressed. First we get the daily existence of someone striving to find something *more*, something that will give their life meaning. Then comes the part about the young starving artists that feels both freeing and a tiny bit claustrophobic, that endless juxtaposition of unleashed creativity and struggling in small apartments with limited funds. And then by the time we get close to the Chelsea Hotel times, more and more actors keep entering the stage, and the kaleidoscope of names and events grows and grows, sweeping you away.
When it comes to flaws, I guess I didn’t really like how much the author put Robert on the pedestal. She didn’t exactly shy away from depicting his flaws, but she always hurried to make excuses for him or to downplay the extent of the objectively shitty things he did, like
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Kaunis, esteettinen kertomus kahdesta taiteilijasta ja heidän erikoislaatuisesta suhteestaan. Ihan kakaroita on todellakin runoilijan taideteos, jossa taiteilijoiden ja muusien roolit vaihtuvat ja ainoastaan rakkaus ja taide pysyy. Tässä on vähän rappioromantiikkaa, paljon surua ja kipuja, mutta samaan aikaan kaikki on niin erityistä ja ihmiset pitävät toisiaan kädestä.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Suicide, Transphobia, War
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Alcohol
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Toxic friendship
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
ohh this was just gorgeous. paints a beautiful, evocative picture of the new york scene in the chelsea in the 60s and 70s: i love reading books set/talking about this time period as it seems like such a far off country now. patti smith really transports you there. i love books with deep descriptions of physical detritus, of belongings and collections which make up a person's surroundings in different stages of their life, and this is one of those: patti and robert are both real magpies (as they were both visual artists this make sense) and the description of their art and belongings really builds a picture of their homes and studios over the years. i've seen a couple of reviews talking about how this book doesn't have much of a plot and whilst this is true, it is a memoir, not a novel, so it doesn't have a plot as much as life doesn't have a plot. a beautiful ode to robert mapplethorpe and a really touching insight to the beautiful relationship between him and patti smith. loved it and would definitely read again !!! 4.75 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Terminal illness
Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Robert and I had explored the frontier of our work and created space for each other. When I walked on the stages of the world without him I would close my eyes and picture him taking off his leather jacket, entering with me the infinite land of a thousand dances.
This one was tough to rate in my opinion, but in terms of writing and the flowing of it I love it, I felt emersed into their lives and shared stories.
This was crushing to read especially the last parts, but it was so worth it, it was a beautiful relationship and I'm glad I picked this one up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Reading about her experiences and growth in the Arts and Music scene in New York was captivating.
The ending made me cry, and her poems and the photos included in the book are beautiful!
The ending made me cry, and her poems and the photos included in the book are beautiful!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicide, Pregnancy, Alcohol