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jesslolsen's review against another edition
4.0
I cringed, I was shocked, I nearly cried and I laughed, oh how I laughed!
I can’t imagine going through half of the stuff mentioned in this book, no wonder Rosie spent time in a mental institution (spoiler alert, sorry!)
I can’t imagine going through half of the stuff mentioned in this book, no wonder Rosie spent time in a mental institution (spoiler alert, sorry!)
emilykabbott's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking & yet somehow hilarious? Rosie is a gifted writer, I read the book & also listened to the podcast of her reading it with her Mum.
daniellerobb's review against another edition
2.0
Rosie spends the books judging her mum for all the things she does when she's drunk while simultaneously telling stories about shitting the bed when she herself is drunk and thinks it's funny. Way too much toilet humour in it for me (honestly Rosie, if you refer back to the time you shit your pants when you were a kid one more time, I'll scream). Had to skip pages because it was just starting to get to crass and gross. Not ny kind of book.
stinamirabilis's review against another edition
3.0
“If Augusten Burroughs and Lena Dunham abandoned their child in an Australian housing estate, she’d write this heartbreaking, hilarious book,” writes Dominic Knight of The Chaser on the front of my book.
Why, Dominic? Why would you do that? Why would you ruin what I anticipated would be a really good read?
See, I really like Augusten Burroughs. I find it a wee bit ridiculous that one person could write that many memoirs, but that hasn’t stopped me from reading most of them, and they were great.
Lena Dunham, on the other hand. Words can’t describe how much I loathe Lena Dunham. From her casual disregard of her sexual assault of her younger sister, to her liberal, White Girl feminism, to her obscene self-obsession to the point of narcissism, to… well, it would be easy to pull receipts all day, but I’m sure the same could be done for any of the celebrities I like. I just straight up hate the bitch, okay?
Anyway, reading that review kind of ruined the experience of reading this book from me, because certain passages kept jumping out at me as Dunham-esque, and it made the author seem more unlikeable than she probably deserved to be. Which is unfair, and honestly, does it matter whether or not she’s likeable? Probably not, and I don’t imagine she’s trying to be likeable.
She’s overly frank, in my opinion, to the point of grossness - but does my aversion to this perhaps reflect my envy of her honest self-appraisal? Psychology says we tend to have a slight positive bias towards ourselves, slightly-rose-tinted glasses - it’s an adaptive tendency, of course, because if we were to realise that we are just. not. that. great. … well, we’d all be lying in bed depressed and nothing would ever get done. Or maybe that’s just me. I’m embarrassed that, even being aware of this phenomenon, I still fall victim to it at times, like I should be some kind of super human who can transcend all psychological phenomena. Mostly I just hate being predictable, and nothing makes you feel more predictable than studying psychology.
BUT I digress. And for all my whingeing and pompous psychological theory divagations, I did like this book. Rosie Waterland grosses me out a little bit, but that probably says more about me than it does about her, and honestly I respect the shit out of her - she has overcome a huge amount of adversity, and is unapologetic about being a mess of a human being, and it's kind of reassuring to know that I am much better at Adulting than someone who has such a successful career, like maybe there's hope for me yet. This book was an entertaining and oftentimes poignant read, and it would probably deserve four stars if it weren’t for the fact that it kept evoking Lena Dunham in my mind, which always makes me feel a little queasy. Thanks a frickin bunch, Dominic frickin Knight.
Why, Dominic? Why would you do that? Why would you ruin what I anticipated would be a really good read?
See, I really like Augusten Burroughs. I find it a wee bit ridiculous that one person could write that many memoirs, but that hasn’t stopped me from reading most of them, and they were great.
Lena Dunham, on the other hand. Words can’t describe how much I loathe Lena Dunham. From her casual disregard of her sexual assault of her younger sister, to her liberal, White Girl feminism, to her obscene self-obsession to the point of narcissism, to… well, it would be easy to pull receipts all day, but I’m sure the same could be done for any of the celebrities I like. I just straight up hate the bitch, okay?
Anyway, reading that review kind of ruined the experience of reading this book from me, because certain passages kept jumping out at me as Dunham-esque, and it made the author seem more unlikeable than she probably deserved to be. Which is unfair, and honestly, does it matter whether or not she’s likeable? Probably not, and I don’t imagine she’s trying to be likeable.
She’s overly frank, in my opinion, to the point of grossness - but does my aversion to this perhaps reflect my envy of her honest self-appraisal? Psychology says we tend to have a slight positive bias towards ourselves, slightly-rose-tinted glasses - it’s an adaptive tendency, of course, because if we were to realise that we are just. not. that. great. … well, we’d all be lying in bed depressed and nothing would ever get done. Or maybe that’s just me. I’m embarrassed that, even being aware of this phenomenon, I still fall victim to it at times, like I should be some kind of super human who can transcend all psychological phenomena. Mostly I just hate being predictable, and nothing makes you feel more predictable than studying psychology.
BUT I digress. And for all my whingeing and pompous psychological theory divagations, I did like this book. Rosie Waterland grosses me out a little bit, but that probably says more about me than it does about her, and honestly I respect the shit out of her - she has overcome a huge amount of adversity, and is unapologetic about being a mess of a human being, and it's kind of reassuring to know that I am much better at Adulting than someone who has such a successful career, like maybe there's hope for me yet. This book was an entertaining and oftentimes poignant read, and it would probably deserve four stars if it weren’t for the fact that it kept evoking Lena Dunham in my mind, which always makes me feel a little queasy. Thanks a frickin bunch, Dominic frickin Knight.
jesskvan's review against another edition
5.0
Hands down the best memoir I've ever read. Funny, insightful and real. As a warning, it is full on, and whilst reading it, it wouldn't be unwise to take a few breaks. I didn't, because I could hardly put it down, but I probably should have. Still, enjoy, and look after yourself.
sheenamohsen's review against another edition
4.0
I think what horrifies me most about this book is that I related to it so much. Violent and horrific and mortifying experiences and all, there is just so much that I found relatable. The way she deflects trauma with humor too. Holy moly. A lot of the one star reviews on Goodreads criticize her for this, but I get it. I’m all about burying my trauma with humor. Making a joke out of a horrible situation. Not being able to take anything seriously. Yes. Give it to me.
Waterland has had an effed up life. She ended up—in spite of it all—becoming a prominent writer for a popular Australian publication. How incredible. I loved the last chapter: her message about loving yourself despite what society tells you about yourself is a great message. Finding your place in the world and deciding that nothing else matters.
I really loved this book. There were some grammatical issues throughout that bothered me, but I really can’t complain.
Waterland has had an effed up life. She ended up—in spite of it all—becoming a prominent writer for a popular Australian publication. How incredible. I loved the last chapter: her message about loving yourself despite what society tells you about yourself is a great message. Finding your place in the world and deciding that nothing else matters.
I really loved this book. There were some grammatical issues throughout that bothered me, but I really can’t complain.