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tmathews0330's review against another edition
5.0
Caldwell writes beautifully. I didn't make many of the choices she made but I can see parts of myself in her anyway. She makes me see what pieces of my life might have been.
lizawall's review against another edition
maybe i'm projecting, but in these essays i got the impression of a sort of ditzy manic-pixie-dream-girl cover barely holding down a cauldron of rage. this made me wonder if the secret of every manic pixie dream girl (sorry to keep using that terrible term) is repressed anger? which was interesting, but i would be even more interested to see all that rage burn free! like i think there is a searing genius here wrapped in a blanket of likability and i just want see what happens if it were to hulk out? but i might have the wrong idea... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
danielapereiraa222's review against another edition
4.0
read this in 2 hours and I absolutely love it.
rjbookreads's review against another edition
4.0
hard to get into at first as i definitely didn’t give it the benefit of the doubt since it was just a collection of essays which i’ve never read before, but i loved each and every story and gave me such an interested outlook on her life. looked forward to each new story. so raw and devastatingly beautiful at the same time.
rkmelcher's review against another edition
4.0
Though I'm not one of those "perfect" folks mentioned in the intro to I'll Tell You In Person, I'm certainly boring as fuck and have led a boring-as-fuck life thus far. Because of that, I forget from time to time that others do not have boring lives and have done things, and do things, I have not, even life things that should be expected regarding booze and sex and drugs and, you know, life. I've naively--and stupidly--felt in the past that "crazy" nights involving any of the aforementioned matters should dictate my feelings towards a person, even one I obviously adore.
And that's awful and wrong.
Chloe's writings have reminded me of this. Her honesty in Heroin and Acne was importantly unsettling to me at times, and it introduced me to her terrific writing. I finally have read more with the release of I'll Tell You In Person, which even 50 pages in reminded me why her essay was my favorite in Days Like This. And as a hopefully less naive, not-quite-as-stupid person, it also will continue to remind me that my life is and has been rather high on the pants-shittingly boring scale, and others who fall far lower on that scale are no less deserving of my fondness, adoration, and time.
In short, thank you, Chloe, for helping me be less of a judgmental prick and love the people in my life more. I hope your latest book earns you (significantly) more than $3000. You deserve the recognition. You're great. Please keep it up.
And that's awful and wrong.
Chloe's writings have reminded me of this. Her honesty in Heroin and Acne was importantly unsettling to me at times, and it introduced me to her terrific writing. I finally have read more with the release of I'll Tell You In Person, which even 50 pages in reminded me why her essay was my favorite in Days Like This. And as a hopefully less naive, not-quite-as-stupid person, it also will continue to remind me that my life is and has been rather high on the pants-shittingly boring scale, and others who fall far lower on that scale are no less deserving of my fondness, adoration, and time.
In short, thank you, Chloe, for helping me be less of a judgmental prick and love the people in my life more. I hope your latest book earns you (significantly) more than $3000. You deserve the recognition. You're great. Please keep it up.
ashvaughn's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook and at first, I was a bit annoyed that it felt like it just went on and on without stopping. But that same feeling kept me listening all day until I finished. It felt like I was sitting down listening to Chloe tell me stories about herself non-stop. Memoir and personal essays are my favorite genres and this was a great example of both.
briannanorm's review against another edition
2.0
I was really into this at the beginning but it lost me about half way. I guess as expected some stories were super good and some were really boring. The good ones just seemed few and far between.
adam_armstrong_yu's review against another edition
5.0
While writing my thesis, I'd decided to go back and reread some of my favorite essay collections, and this was at the top of my list. I feel so close to this book. It might seem minor, but there were so many tiny details describing where the author was from that absolutely struck me because they'd also been details in my own life, such as Coconuts, the music and movies store, and Freihofer’s cookies. The essays in this book recount moments in a life consumed by self-loathing, loneliness, talent, ambition, desperation, not caring, only caring, hurting, healing, until finally settling on a note tinged with hope, that a way through the mess might be possible. It’s about finding yourself at the intersection between wanting a home and not knowing where that might be, wanting to trust in yourself but not having a firm grasp on who that person is. Sometimes I found myself stepping away from the book because I identified with portions so strongly that I was nearly breathless, shuddering in recognition. This book will always have a place on my desk while I'm writing.
leighbeevee's review against another edition
5.0
I read this in less than 24 hours. A lot of times, I'll skip an essay or two in a collection if they don't grab me. I didn't skip any this time. So good. I loved every bit.