A review by tani
Tomboyland: Essays by Melissa Faliveno

2.0

Fair acknowledgement to start: I don't read a lot of things like this. It's not really my jam, and that probably influenced my rating. That being said, here are my thoughts: The writing was good, but also just too much for me. I am not a huge connoisseur of prose, and I'm sure that also influenced my rating. When you present me with a collection of essays, particularly when they're at least partially based on personal experience, I kind of expect to connect to the author a bit. I didn't feel that here. Instead, the prettiness of the writing made me feel quite disconnected. I also wasn't a huge fan of the mixing of topics. She tries to tackle a lot in each essay, and sometimes it was just too much for me. It felt unfocused, and I didn't walk away feeling like I understood Melissa Faliveno any better.