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A review by crnewm7
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler
3.0
I'll start with the good, as a childfree French bulldog mom who sometimes struggles with mental health, a lot resonated here with me. Parts involving Petunia and her decisions surrounding motherhood did bring me to tears and I think that's why we read memoirs at all, to have someone put our feelings to paper. Some of her depressive and anxious thoughts did ring true and I'm sure many readers will feel seen.
I do think this would've been more successful as a collection of essays. Many of my favorite parts were not about men, and this book was framed around her relationships with them. I don't think she was healed or far enough away from some of these events to successfully write a memoir with enough agency or accountability, nor do I think a memoir was her best medium to tell her story.
I began this book already knowing about her complete omission of John Mulaney. I went in with as much of an open mind as I could knowing this, but was unfortunately left disappointed-not because I wanted the gossip, but because it ended up feeling disingenuous. Her marriage ending had to have been a primary reason for the mental health crisis she found herself in and she doesn't discuss it at all. The story ends up feeling dishonest without it and the decade long gap in her life is glaringly obvious. He was likely the most significant relationship with a man she ever had, so the omission goes against the story she intended to tell.
Overall it wasn't super cohesive. Yes, some men were terrible to her and the patriarchy does adversely affect women's mental health, but I do wish something new was brought to the table to justify a whole book. As she says herself, I took what resonated and left the rest.
I do think this would've been more successful as a collection of essays. Many of my favorite parts were not about men, and this book was framed around her relationships with them. I don't think she was healed or far enough away from some of these events to successfully write a memoir with enough agency or accountability, nor do I think a memoir was her best medium to tell her story.
I began this book already knowing about her complete omission of John Mulaney. I went in with as much of an open mind as I could knowing this, but was unfortunately left disappointed-not because I wanted the gossip, but because it ended up feeling disingenuous. Her marriage ending had to have been a primary reason for the mental health crisis she found herself in and she doesn't discuss it at all. The story ends up feeling dishonest without it and the decade long gap in her life is glaringly obvious. He was likely the most significant relationship with a man she ever had, so the omission goes against the story she intended to tell.
Overall it wasn't super cohesive. Yes, some men were terrible to her and the patriarchy does adversely affect women's mental health, but I do wish something new was brought to the table to justify a whole book. As she says herself, I took what resonated and left the rest.