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documentno_is's Reviews (1.28k)
challenging
funny
informative
fast-paced
I think from this novel I got a renewed clarity on the purpose of criticism (and thank you for the history lesson.) There is no such thing as apolitical writing, and to be intentionally apolitical is to choose the ideology of inconsistency, or non-resistance (usually liberalism.) Some of the sections more concerned with the history of criticism lost me a little, and I appreciated the effort of breaking them up. The "takedowns" were all delightfully entertaining and I agreed with them. Some of the more personal essays were kind of... eh? I appreciate the inclusion, especially in the face of Chu's ultimate conclusion about authority they were unfortunately just-- less strong. The language more imprecise, the tone sort of saccharine and melancholy, and I can empathize with the intention but the ultimate result watered down her strong points. I really appreciate that to review a single book Chu summarizes an author's entire career and bibliography to use against them. Savage.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly psychotic. I mean it’s vaguely reminiscent of Skins era drama but they’re all millionaire adjacent for some reason. Gossip Girlesque. I had to say I had slightly higher expectations after reading Conditions of Will but this was so juvenile. But entertaining! But terrible..
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
These girls need dialectical materialism. This book is the weird hodgepodge of information that you get when attempting to surface level critique of dissatisfying aspects of society without understanding the systems of capital that have created them. Not to mention, upholding the specific enactors of some of the worst villains and monopoly men of this day ( Corcoran, Kardashians, etc) then freeing yourself from the consequences of having these belief systems by saying oh I’m just a girl I don’t even read, I’m on beta blockers. As reality TV cast members, I found them entertaining and charming, and I occasionally have liked things that they’ve talked about in their podcast, but they really need a deeper understanding of the world if they’re going to claim to be icons or role models of any sort.
I know the delusion chapters were supposed to humanize them, and I appreciate Paige’s struggles with academic feats but that doesn’t really give you full cart blanche to not take responsibility for your thoughts and ideas. I hope in the future I get to see a little more claiming of feminist ideas (not just repackaging a sanitized version of them) and naming them as such and a little maturity in terms of what having a platform means for responsibility for your worldviews (especially if you directly profit off certain progressive ideas surrounding women’s empowerment.)
I did appreciate the section on dealing with anxiety, and found there were some helpful tips and things girls might not be aware of in terms of their brain chemistry. Still, recommendign beta-blockers as an anxiety medication is pretty short sighted and potentially harmful given that they are known to only treat the symptoms of anxiety and not the cause. I know it’s a trend right now, I can offer some sympathy as somebody who also suffers from anxiety and would have done anything in the moment to get it to go away but recommending them so casually as if they aren’t heart medication with side effects is pretty crazy. It’s also crazy to think about in conjunction with their last podcast episode that talked about pharmaceuticals and them coming off as weirdly anti-western medicine. It was giving Trumpy/RFK misinformation campaign and I didn’t like what I heard. I wish these girls would seak out experts or ever try to learn from their knowledge gaps instead of just perpetuating whatever they hear on the internet (once ironically what caused Paige’s first panic attack in the first place.)
Structurally this novel did the thing many celebrity memoir reality television novels do and called to certain magazine formats and viral listicles to create diversity in the way the text and more expository elements were laid on the page. I think this was interesting, but also evidence the content didn’t much stand on its own. I was hoping or expecting to at least learn some gossip/tea from this work but alas I was left disappointed. On the positive, it was a very easy read and I do think they are quite funny and have good bits. Even the capitalism wins again bit is entertaining to me, given my introduction to this review; I just wish they would push themselves a little harder to take risks in the right way. They say uncomfortable things to people in stand-up and hosting gigs and yet can’t take a stand where it matters; it’s so annoying. I will give them credit that at the very least this book was better than many of their reality star counterparts as a fun pulpy adventure in their brand- and at least they had a better ghostwriter than Stassi Schroeder.
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I enjoyed reading this collection but it did really cement that I prefer Didion's fiction: I think she can speak so eloquently on very specific topics and kind of grandstands on some things she doesn't know that much about. Still, her voice, and her diction is incredible and even the way this is organized was fantastic in the journey it takes you through California and different parts of the world- but was also in a lot of ways a very contrary text to the last thing si read by her (Play It As It Lays.) I think unfortunately this text occasionally taps into the shortcomings of her worldview, and her conservatism. Also to mention, that this piece was written in the 60s and therefore uses language occasionally that we wouldn't use today even if it does so to express modern ideas.
Still, I think her voice is so unique and observational. Her essay Goodbye To All That was in fact really indicative that I did not have any desire to leave New York ( and could not much relate to her reasons for leaving) but really resonated with her section on why some transplants find it so special and beautiful. I liked her exposes on the seedier sides of the counterculture surrounding the Haight and really appreciated her take on Newport as I've often felt similarly about New England.
Still, I think her voice is so unique and observational. Her essay Goodbye To All That was in fact really indicative that I did not have any desire to leave New York ( and could not much relate to her reasons for leaving) but really resonated with her section on why some transplants find it so special and beautiful. I liked her exposes on the seedier sides of the counterculture surrounding the Haight and really appreciated her take on Newport as I've often felt similarly about New England.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Water moon was such an interesting fantasy novel. It really broke through the typical fairies and vampires imagery to give an interesting mythical narrative based on a lot of Japanese folk tales and spiritual beliefs. The world building felt expansive but specific, and the characters really leaped off the page. Certain aspects of the romance felt forced and some of the more repetitive plot points did lose me in boredom for a few moments here or there- but overall it still felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the usual releases in fantasy. It also despite being fantasy was still very grounded in the real world which kept my interest.
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An interesting book that brought up some long-standing academic interpretations text and reimagined them through a new and interesting narrative. I thought the author had some really interesting ideas for ways to reimagine the tone but ultimately I did actually find the end a little too climactic for what is ultimately a somber tale. I would’ve liked to have read the source material more recently. It was hard to remember what was an interpretation vs. a reimagining. Writing wise this book was very easy to read, which was interestingly contrasted with its subject matter.
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book just really didn't resonate with me unfortunately. I picked it up while I was in London thinking it would be a cute fun read to be on theme, but instead it was very not cute and in fact very heavy in the way where you feel like you're trudging through shallow water for miles. The protagonist is self-destructive but not in an entertaining way, maybe it starts to say something interesting about not dealing with grief occasionally but then its weighed down by all it's extra plot baggage. Worst of all, the romance felt weird and inorganic, like the whole time I became so distrustful of the protagonist I was expecting the triggering event to be some kind of miscommunication and instead was actually so intense I sort of felt like yeah, actually maybe you should not be with this guy? All our character's relationships felt difficult and she was so ineffective of a communicator this book became such a chore to read, I found myself wishing it would be over soon but I had read to far to justify a dnf.
On the bright side, from a technical standpoint I didn't think it was written terribly, and there were even some poignant lines- I felt like she attempted to have a traditional story structure and plot and that was somewhat effective, just ended up topic wise both underwhelming and overdramatic.
On the bright side, from a technical standpoint I didn't think it was written terribly, and there were even some poignant lines- I felt like she attempted to have a traditional story structure and plot and that was somewhat effective, just ended up topic wise both underwhelming and overdramatic.
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
A really comprehensive history of the inception and history of reality television (and its cultural media implications.)
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a really imperfect book so I’m kind of annoyed at myself for liking it so much. The pacing was effective until the midpoint when it flies off the rails, The melodrama was keyed up to almost parodying levels and the speed of the romance aspect was so dubious- still, this novel really managed to craft a very interesting and broken family dynamic surrounding trauma and addiction that was almost too realistic. The characters were so compelling they were impossible to ignore and the constantly shifting dynamics at play with the southern culture worked so well.