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A review by ladyofaragon
Vagina Problems: Endometriosis, Painful Sex, and Other Taboo Topics by Lara Parker
3.0
{2.5}
As a person living with vaginismus, I can't overstate how important I think this book is. Having conversations about these disorders is crucial. Sharing your experiences with them can be the difference between someone else choosing to give up or keep pushing.
While I applaud Lara Parker for baring her life to the entire world (well, everyone who has access to this book, anyway), I ultimately find that it reads like a rough draft. That's probably not the author's fault; my guess is that her editor fell short. The book is repetitive not just on a sentence level, but on a broader level as well; there were times when two paragraphs situated right next to one another read almost identical. Lara, with respect, I have three words for you: "Kill your darlings." As a writer myself, I know firsthand how much it can hurt to excise a sentence or passage of which you're particularly fond...but if it's not adding any new context or information, does it really need to stay?
(As another reviewer speculated, this could very well be owing to a page or word count quota from the publisher.)
I also found the overuse of metaphors and similes to be distracting. Again, having vaginismus myself, I know that explaining it to other people is a chore. This is just another thing the editor should have caught before publication.
With all that being said, I found some incredible passages in this book. It felt very good to see some of my own experiences mirrored on the page, and for that fact alone, this book has earned a place on my bookshelf.
As a person living with vaginismus, I can't overstate how important I think this book is. Having conversations about these disorders is crucial. Sharing your experiences with them can be the difference between someone else choosing to give up or keep pushing.
While I applaud Lara Parker for baring her life to the entire world (well, everyone who has access to this book, anyway), I ultimately find that it reads like a rough draft. That's probably not the author's fault; my guess is that her editor fell short. The book is repetitive not just on a sentence level, but on a broader level as well; there were times when two paragraphs situated right next to one another read almost identical. Lara, with respect, I have three words for you: "Kill your darlings." As a writer myself, I know firsthand how much it can hurt to excise a sentence or passage of which you're particularly fond...but if it's not adding any new context or information, does it really need to stay?
(As another reviewer speculated, this could very well be owing to a page or word count quota from the publisher.)
I also found the overuse of metaphors and similes to be distracting. Again, having vaginismus myself, I know that explaining it to other people is a chore. This is just another thing the editor should have caught before publication.
With all that being said, I found some incredible passages in this book. It felt very good to see some of my own experiences mirrored on the page, and for that fact alone, this book has earned a place on my bookshelf.