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A review by slimy
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
slow-paced
1.0
I'm quite surprised that this book was as bad as it was, considering the reputation it has.
Honestly I can't think of another book I would say engages more with unchecked privilege. It's truly astounding the wealth that informs Didion's entire process of grief, and it does not ingratiate her to the reader. Nothing feels more distant, more foreign than listening to her explain how she stayed in her "oscar-winning friend's" house while her daughter was in the hospital, or how she was flown from NYC to LA on a moments notice in a friend's private jet. I guess I'm glad she had the privilege of experiencing loss and grief in this way- but I really don't care to read a book about her experience. It it nothing most people can relate to, and I don't know why this book was published, honestly. It's not like underneath all the privilege there are profound truths about grief and the human condition.... she literally just outlines intimate details of both her husband's and her daughter's medical care. I really don't care about the history of the name of the infection your daughter got in the hospital. Like I said - there is nothing profound here. This book is just a very privileged woman experiencing grief. It's not relatable, it's not profound, and it's not even interesting.
Honestly I can't think of another book I would say engages more with unchecked privilege. It's truly astounding the wealth that informs Didion's entire process of grief, and it does not ingratiate her to the reader. Nothing feels more distant, more foreign than listening to her explain how she stayed in her "oscar-winning friend's" house while her daughter was in the hospital, or how she was flown from NYC to LA on a moments notice in a friend's private jet. I guess I'm glad she had the privilege of experiencing loss and grief in this way- but I really don't care to read a book about her experience. It it nothing most people can relate to, and I don't know why this book was published, honestly. It's not like underneath all the privilege there are profound truths about grief and the human condition.... she literally just outlines intimate details of both her husband's and her daughter's medical care. I really don't care about the history of the name of the infection your daughter got in the hospital. Like I said - there is nothing profound here. This book is just a very privileged woman experiencing grief. It's not relatable, it's not profound, and it's not even interesting.