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mbuckley92 's review for:
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt
by Duchess Goldblatt
Duchess Goldblatt is a fictional character created for Twitter by an anonymous person. (Her Twitter bio: Beloved inspirational author of FEASTING ON THE CARCASSES OF MY ENEMIES: A LOVE STORY; AN AXE TO GRIND.) Prior to reading this book, I did not follow Duchess on Twitter. Her tweets are sprinkled throughout the book.
The book itself is the story of Duchess's creator, an nameless woman and how Duchess helped her cope with many personal losses. She begins by sharing that she is going through a devastating divorce which (it appears) has also resulted in the loss of many friends. She & her ex-husband have a child sharing arrangement with their only son that is distressful for both her and her son. Clearly, she is broken. She created Duchess Goldblatt as a kind-of alter ego where she can express her creativity at a time where her self-confidence is extremely low.
I found the character of Duchess much more likable that her creator. Duchess has a dark sense of humor with quick wit and a kind heart. She connects with her Twitter followers on an individual level in many cases, including other authors, famous people and most importantly Lyle Lovett. The creator has had an infatuation with Lyle Lovett for years and is a dedicated fan. When Lovett followed Duchess, they established a friendship.
I had a hard time enjoying the writer and her personal story/journey. She is short on specifics, which makes sense as an anonymous author, and I kept waiting for a more complete story of her brokenness. She never completely explains why her friends all deserted her. I was also left with questions about her relationship with her son.
By the end of the book, I appreciated her relationship with Duchess and how Duchess was an extension of herself. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the book if it was written from Duchess's perspective rather than her creators? What does Duchess think about her creator, about her followers? An interesting thought experiment.
The book itself is the story of Duchess's creator, an nameless woman and how Duchess helped her cope with many personal losses. She begins by sharing that she is going through a devastating divorce which (it appears) has also resulted in the loss of many friends. She & her ex-husband have a child sharing arrangement with their only son that is distressful for both her and her son. Clearly, she is broken. She created Duchess Goldblatt as a kind-of alter ego where she can express her creativity at a time where her self-confidence is extremely low.
I found the character of Duchess much more likable that her creator. Duchess has a dark sense of humor with quick wit and a kind heart. She connects with her Twitter followers on an individual level in many cases, including other authors, famous people and most importantly Lyle Lovett. The creator has had an infatuation with Lyle Lovett for years and is a dedicated fan. When Lovett followed Duchess, they established a friendship.
I had a hard time enjoying the writer and her personal story/journey. She is short on specifics, which makes sense as an anonymous author, and I kept waiting for a more complete story of her brokenness. She never completely explains why her friends all deserted her. I was also left with questions about her relationship with her son.
By the end of the book, I appreciated her relationship with Duchess and how Duchess was an extension of herself. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the book if it was written from Duchess's perspective rather than her creators? What does Duchess think about her creator, about her followers? An interesting thought experiment.