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gabllewellyn 's review for:
Didion and Babitz
by Lili Anolik
I devoured this book. I do my best to avoid looking at the Goodreads reviews of books I’m actively reading, so as soon as I read the last page I hopped on here and was shocked!
People are entitled to their opinions, but I think it’s wild that some of the complaints are that it’s a book of one-sided gossip written journalistically, when that’s more or less exactly what the author states it is at the start.
This is a story of Eve and Joan and their relationship, told through Eve’s perspective. To imagine that it could have been anything else is wild. And means Joan’s status as “a secular holy woman” is definitely questioned.
Anolik says from the beginning that she’s an Eve apologist, having spent many years of her life researching her, interviewing her, and interviewing the people she was closest to. As a result I think we get a stunningly accurate (and extremely fascinating) look into Joan from Eve’s POV throughout history. I believe it’s an accurate telling of Eve’s perspective, because that’s is where the journalism of this book comes into play.
If you’re on the fence about this book and are reading the reviews and getting discouraged, I just want to say I think this book is highly worth the read. Not only because it’s a stunning retelling of LA in the 60s, 70s from an insider’s POV, but because it analyzes what it means to be an artist, an woman in the arts, and the things we’re willing to do in the name of ambition.
I loved it. I really did.
People are entitled to their opinions, but I think it’s wild that some of the complaints are that it’s a book of one-sided gossip written journalistically, when that’s more or less exactly what the author states it is at the start.
This is a story of Eve and Joan and their relationship, told through Eve’s perspective. To imagine that it could have been anything else is wild. And means Joan’s status as “a secular holy woman” is definitely questioned.
Anolik says from the beginning that she’s an Eve apologist, having spent many years of her life researching her, interviewing her, and interviewing the people she was closest to. As a result I think we get a stunningly accurate (and extremely fascinating) look into Joan from Eve’s POV throughout history. I believe it’s an accurate telling of Eve’s perspective, because that’s is where the journalism of this book comes into play.
If you’re on the fence about this book and are reading the reviews and getting discouraged, I just want to say I think this book is highly worth the read. Not only because it’s a stunning retelling of LA in the 60s, 70s from an insider’s POV, but because it analyzes what it means to be an artist, an woman in the arts, and the things we’re willing to do in the name of ambition.
I loved it. I really did.