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A review by sadiereadsagain
The Pleasure of Reading: 43 Writers on the Discovery of Reading and the Books that Inspired Them by Antonia Fraser
3.0
I love books about books, about reading, about anything to do with this amazing hobby/way of life. And authors loving on books is wonderful, to see the development of their passion and craft. So I was excited for this one.
Well... This collection of writers discussing their favourite books and how they fell in love with reading missed the mark for me. Many were writers I didn't know anything about, and the majority were older than my parents - I hadn't realised that this is a reissue of an older collection, with just a couple of new entries tagged on the end. But I don't need to know a person to enjoy their bookish memories. Except, they all seemed to have very similar ones - the same authors and books are mentioned time and time again. Obviously people's experiences and memories can't really be dictated by the editor, but it all comes down to a lack of diversity in the contributors. I don't doubt if the editor had asked people from different class or racial backgrounds there would have been a much richer pool of experiences to fill this book with.
Some of the entries are very good, either funny or poignant. But a majority came across as pompous and elitist, like a pissing contest of who was the most widely read at the youngest age. I do accept that, due to the age of most contributors, literature for younger generations wasn't anything like it is today. But I'm sure there were more than just five books available, even in the early 1900's.
I honestly found this a pretty dull collection.
Well... This collection of writers discussing their favourite books and how they fell in love with reading missed the mark for me. Many were writers I didn't know anything about, and the majority were older than my parents - I hadn't realised that this is a reissue of an older collection, with just a couple of new entries tagged on the end. But I don't need to know a person to enjoy their bookish memories. Except, they all seemed to have very similar ones - the same authors and books are mentioned time and time again. Obviously people's experiences and memories can't really be dictated by the editor, but it all comes down to a lack of diversity in the contributors. I don't doubt if the editor had asked people from different class or racial backgrounds there would have been a much richer pool of experiences to fill this book with.
Some of the entries are very good, either funny or poignant. But a majority came across as pompous and elitist, like a pissing contest of who was the most widely read at the youngest age. I do accept that, due to the age of most contributors, literature for younger generations wasn't anything like it is today. But I'm sure there were more than just five books available, even in the early 1900's.
I honestly found this a pretty dull collection.