Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I would have liked more detail about their lives in France during WWII, and it assumed more knowledge of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas than I had, but it was still incredibly interesting. I found it jumped around a little and was sometimes hard to follow, but fascinating nonetheless.
In this little, beautifully-wrought book, Janet Malcolm brings the reader into the heart of the enigmatic, complex emotional relationship between two remarkable women. Fascinating.
I've struggled to understand Gertrude Stein for years now. I thought this book might have some answers, but I feel that I'm back to square one.
What's achieved is driving home the point that Stein will always be a mysterious literary writer. Malcolm does an excellent job at discussing the controversies around Gertrude and Alice; did they or did they not acknowledge that they were Jewesses and lesbians during World War 2? How did their complicated relationships with German-aligned traitors during the war reflect on them, and what evidence is there about their attitudes toward the war?
As usual, because of the lack of information that anyone has on Stein, the best Malcolm can do is put scattered pieces together using accounts from close acquaintances of Gertrude and Alice. What I found fascinating was that Malcolm dove into the struggle Stein had writing her work as she tried to maneuver the thin line between writing something authentic versus something that could be easily commodified.
I'm never sure if I should admire Stein and her partner or be wary of them. But there is no denying the ripple effect that Stein's writing continues to have.
I'll never forget reading Tender Buttons and feeling like an absolute idiot; I still do.
Maybe over time and with more patience, I'll be able to pick apart her writing from intention, ego, and the unmistakable influences of all the talented male writers she obsessively surrounded herself with (I think she fed off them as much as they did her).
Until then, I'd recommend this book to any fans of Gertrude and Alice who want a deeper and more critical look at their lives and Steins' writing.
What's achieved is driving home the point that Stein will always be a mysterious literary writer. Malcolm does an excellent job at discussing the controversies around Gertrude and Alice; did they or did they not acknowledge that they were Jewesses and lesbians during World War 2? How did their complicated relationships with German-aligned traitors during the war reflect on them, and what evidence is there about their attitudes toward the war?
As usual, because of the lack of information that anyone has on Stein, the best Malcolm can do is put scattered pieces together using accounts from close acquaintances of Gertrude and Alice. What I found fascinating was that Malcolm dove into the struggle Stein had writing her work as she tried to maneuver the thin line between writing something authentic versus something that could be easily commodified.
I'm never sure if I should admire Stein and her partner or be wary of them. But there is no denying the ripple effect that Stein's writing continues to have.
I'll never forget reading Tender Buttons and feeling like an absolute idiot; I still do.
Maybe over time and with more patience, I'll be able to pick apart her writing from intention, ego, and the unmistakable influences of all the talented male writers she obsessively surrounded herself with (I think she fed off them as much as they did her).
Until then, I'd recommend this book to any fans of Gertrude and Alice who want a deeper and more critical look at their lives and Steins' writing.
I picked this up because I heard read a good review of a new book by Janet Malcolm and stumbled on this one at the library just before vacation. I was hoping it would teach me something about Gertrude Stein as someone who knew nothing, but it assumed a basic familiarity with her style and her notoriety. Still it was very good writing and I learned things, but it wasn’t enthralling.
Although this book purports to tell the story of how Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas (two elderly Jewish lesbians) survived in German-occupied France during WWII, it is really more of a meditation on their relationship and Stein and Toklas as people. Which is not to say that it is not good - especially if you are interested in Stein or Toklas.
I first read The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas in college for a class and my classmates all decried Alice and her perceived "doormat" status (in which she was always "sitting with the wives of geniuses"). This book shows Alice in a different light, and is an interesting addition to the larger picture.
I first read The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas in college for a class and my classmates all decried Alice and her perceived "doormat" status (in which she was always "sitting with the wives of geniuses"). This book shows Alice in a different light, and is an interesting addition to the larger picture.
Will probably appeal most to those who are already familiar with Stein and Toklas. Malcolm's writing is a pleasure to read but this small volume probably assumes the reader is already a fan of either woman or both.
“The instability of human knowledge is one of our few certainties. Almost everything we know we know incompletely at best.”
I will follow Janet Malcolm wherever she goes. Increasingly, she is able to venture straight to the heart of the most controversial biographical enterprise (meaning she turns her gaze not just on her subjects, here Stein & Toklas, but on the cottage industries of criticism and biography that surround them) with boundless generosity. I only wish the book were longer -- I read it with such rapaciousness -- I felt like we were just getting started.
2.5 stars rounded up
Gertrude Stein: American expat in Paris and larger-than-life author whose relationship with Alice Toklas survived the Nazi Holocaust. This book is a look into their private life, their "marriage" and the impact of Alice on Gertrude's writings and on her experience as a whole. I picked up this book because I am determined to learn more about the lives of all kinds of women and two elderly lesbians who spent the war in France seemed like an interesting story. However, it was pretty slow. And as much as I have heard of the name Gertrude Stein, her writing that was included in this book didn't really appeal to me at all. Too much of the text was about the author and her interactions with other authoritative Stein historians and truthfully, I got bored. I appreciated how many really famous people are a part of her acquaintance, that was fascinating. I'm also not sorry that I know more about these two women but I think I could've read a quick article about the two of them and it would've been just as good.
Gertrude Stein: American expat in Paris and larger-than-life author whose relationship with Alice Toklas survived the Nazi Holocaust. This book is a look into their private life, their "marriage" and the impact of Alice on Gertrude's writings and on her experience as a whole. I picked up this book because I am determined to learn more about the lives of all kinds of women and two elderly lesbians who spent the war in France seemed like an interesting story. However, it was pretty slow. And as much as I have heard of the name Gertrude Stein, her writing that was included in this book didn't really appeal to me at all. Too much of the text was about the author and her interactions with other authoritative Stein historians and truthfully, I got bored. I appreciated how many really famous people are a part of her acquaintance, that was fascinating. I'm also not sorry that I know more about these two women but I think I could've read a quick article about the two of them and it would've been just as good.
Very well done. Didn't make me like G or A any more than I already did...