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A review by rafaela_borges
Selfies by Sylvie Weil, Ros Schwartz
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
This is not the kind of book I usually read, but then I became interested in mathematicians and wanted to know more about André Weil, Sylvie's father. I finished his autobiography (which is beautifully written) and then ended up curious about Sylvie's books and wanted to see if I could find out more about him through them... which led me to Selfies 😊
I'm not going to lie: I wasn't expecting to like it, but not only do I love it, I also wish it was longer and had a sequel. I really couldn't stop reading it and I feel very sad and empty when it ended.
I love how she organized the story, first by introducing a famous self-portrait (often a painting), then describing how she would make one of herself, and finally she tells a story about an event of her life related to the theme of the self-portrait. I thought it was very creative and fun, and the stories were very diverse and engaging. I liked them all, my favorites being those about her son and the final one.
The only thing I'm a bit ambivalent about is the lack of pictures. I had to google the paintings described in each chapter, but on the bright side, it allowed me to picture it in my head first instead of "spoon-feeding" me the images. Maybe it would've been nicer if they had been included in the end of the book, but I guess it would make it more expensive too.
Now I hope I'll get the chance to read "At Home with André and Simone Weil" someday. Like her father, Sylvie is a very good writer, has a very unique style, and displays a lovely sense of humor and way to see and describe the world and her experiences.
PS.: Spoiler about the photobomb:
Since it was André Weil who made me interested in Selfies, the final chapter left me completely speechless! Based on what I've read about him, I thought that one of his few redeeming qualities was how much he seemed to love and be devoted to his wife and marriage, so I was quite shocked with Sylvie's discovery (although probably not as much as she was, ofc). And when she mentioned how similar her younger brother is to André, I got curious as to what he looks like, since Sylvie, Simone and André all have very distinctive facial features.
I'm not going to lie: I wasn't expecting to like it, but not only do I love it, I also wish it was longer and had a sequel. I really couldn't stop reading it and I feel very sad and empty when it ended.
I love how she organized the story, first by introducing a famous self-portrait (often a painting), then describing how she would make one of herself, and finally she tells a story about an event of her life related to the theme of the self-portrait. I thought it was very creative and fun, and the stories were very diverse and engaging. I liked them all, my favorites being those about her son and the final one.
The only thing I'm a bit ambivalent about is the lack of pictures. I had to google the paintings described in each chapter, but on the bright side, it allowed me to picture it in my head first instead of "spoon-feeding" me the images. Maybe it would've been nicer if they had been included in the end of the book, but I guess it would make it more expensive too.
Now I hope I'll get the chance to read "At Home with André and Simone Weil" someday. Like her father, Sylvie is a very good writer, has a very unique style, and displays a lovely sense of humor and way to see and describe the world and her experiences.
PS.: Spoiler about the photobomb: