Court

First half great, then it fizzled into what felt like someone showing off, but what they were showing off was: boring, annoying, pointless, and time consuming.

Cute ideas and I loved learning some Japanese words/concepts. Such as the ‘rule of 5' for bento boxes, color & flavor, etc. and osusowake, the sharing of inexpensive items with friends. Read on an iPad, and screen shot the ideas that appealed to me.

I was not expecting to like this. I love these characters; they are my childhood heroines.
However, somewhere along the way, I changed my expectations and I thought of this as expensive/mainstream fanfic, which made it more bearable. There were things I thought were well done (Alice being immune to the poppies in Oz, Dorthy's silver slippers), and there were things I disliked (what about Wendy's brothers? Alice's sister?).
Some of the characters were handled well and good moments of humor.

read as a preschool circle time

More note-to-self/journal entry than review

Things I love: self love, self acceptance, expression and identity, choices, pretty ladies, body positivity, representation, shrugging off stigma, and a well put together outfit.

Plus+ has the things above, but it's a small and personal introduction set before what feels like a choppy Instagram feed.

So good!
I enjoyed the interview at the end that provided some context and backstory, which enriches the experience of the story. Love the insight that the characters represent pillars of different aspects of society, and how they should be rebuffed/resisted. The governess Miss Prism represents education, the reverend Frederick Chasuble is the church, and Aunt Agusta is the aristocracy.

I loved the facts and information, however I did not care for the author making it about her. Maybe I have a hard time with reading journalists, because I'm also having a hard time with the style of ‘How Children Succeed'. (I did enjoy Brain on Fire, but it's supposed to be a memoir.)

At times she comes off as overly pretentious, or trying too hard to present herself. I would say ‘I don't care' many times because she'd describe her trips or what she was wearing. Occasionally these descriptions would be contextual, such as in relating how isolated a place might be or wearing traditional Indian clothing, but other times it was about what she wore to an interview or how she arrived late to a hotel in sweatpants. I also got frustrated with her when she used the word ‘sissy'.

The story was disjointed, but I feel that way because my expectations were off. I had remembered that it had many artists, however this felt at some points more of a ‘collection' of stories rather than a collaboration.

Still lovely art and curious to see what happens next.

Read like an episode: gets one back to the status quo and you Jack gets to be awesome.

The best part of the book was Polly the plant

I really wanted to like this book. I seem to have a hard time identifying with this kind of character as well as to what the tone was. I didn't like her, she wasn't believable and I struggled to sympathize with her. She wasn't that interesting, only her alluded to past was and I felt awful as I powered through seemingly only for the salacious details, like some sort of high brow tabloid; it's not trashy it's ‘art'.
She was boring and repetitive, which I get are symptoms of how broken she's supposed to be, but that doesn't make it interesting. She's also an unreliable narrator. Eleanor is portrayed as victim rather than survivor and it makes me sad, and there are moments where her autonomy and personhood continue to be restricted. The therapist, even taking into account that it's entirely from Eleanor's perspective, is harsher than necessary; warn a person that that type of recover memory therapy hurts and don't push them to go at your pace.

Who gives someone a cat with out asking first?!

Clichés abound, the most annoying of which would be Raymond would fumble or sputter each time Eleanor brought up having an interest in someone else.

Why is she receiving therapy 20 years after the traumatic event? Yet it's assumed that she's had a social worker for all that time. ‘Assumed' because I don't know how social work functions in Scotland, because if she had a continuous case worker how come she was with the abusive guy for an extended period of time? How is it the therapist and social worker never connected?

So many things.
_________

First I read the paperback, and then about four years later I listened to the audiobook version.

Memory is a strange thing; I could have sworn that there were some differences, but the audiobook said that it was unabridged.

When I read the book it felt more sharp and extreme, but when I listened to it, it felt flattened. For example when I read the book her behavior regarding Johnnie Lomond seemed much more stalker-like and indicative of psychosis, but when I listened to it was more like “oh she's just quirky and due to her trauma she's just experiencing a teen crush but at 30”.
The giving of the cat also seem less extreme, less forceful, but I stand by feeling indignant about bringing a stray cat into someone's house. I get that giving her a cat is something to help counter possible suicide ideation, particularly since Polly the plant has died, but it still feels like an invasion especially given how fastidious Eleanor is. I also understand that the cat is a representation of Eleanor, it survived a fire, it's somewhat anti-social, it's health improves, etc.

Another aspect of the book that bothers me was the how and why Eleanor changes. In the beginning of the book she gets a bikini wax; she's changing in order to get a man which will also get her the approval of her mother. I understand that people are vain, but I was also saddened by how after Eleanor wears makeup to cover her scars she's treated better. I suppose that one could say that she might be more confident and that's why people respond better to her, but I don't think that Eleanor was bothered by her face. The clothes change too, this was an area that seemed a little more tempered by what she actually wanted, or at least she initially states some boundaries such as no heels. Eleanor changes in many ways in the book, but Raymond does not. I would have appreciated for Raymond to stop smoking, or at least to cut back. The book leaves it as an “open” ending as to whether or not they get together, but who goes to a classical music concert, one-on-one, with just a friend? So Eleanor goes through all this change both in appearance as well as starts therapy and Raymond can't even chew with his mouth closed?Also the foster parents that expected Eleanor to clean out the fireplace were idiots. I know that throughout the book that Eleanor refers to her marks as scars, but burns leave specific scars, you can tell the difference between a scar left by a burn vs one made by a cut. Listening to the book I enjoyed it more than the first time, but I also went into it knowing her background. I also appreciated the descriptions of the seasons. It's closer to a three this time, but not quite there for me. I hate how this is described as “feel good”, was her abuser jailed or did he face any real consequences? Besides Raymond, who it's hinted at is more of a romantic interest, does Eleanor make or have any friends? I am happy that Eleanor experiences radical change – I view her “ending her connection with her mother” as her breaking up with depression and choosing to be happy and live life. That is an uplifting thing, but before she is uplifted she's put through so much.

I loved this.

Sometimes it helped me better conceptualize her ideas when I modified certain words to regret or resentment.

I have difficulty believing/accepting that he remembers things from such a young age (such as experiences from when he was one and a half years old). I already have his brother's book on my to-read list, but now have additional reason in that I'm curious as to how much their memories and experiences differ.

My mother and her sister recount their childhoods so differently from each other, as does my father's eldest sister from his own experiences.

I was expecting there to be more overlap with his other memoirs. I was not expecting it to be an enhanced audiobook with sound effects. I'm sorry to say I wasn't appreciative of the songs 😅

The writing was well crafted. I'm glad that there was coping and can conceptualize the authentic love/hate relationship that is only natural when a parent falls far from giving unconditional love, as well as the introspective fear of ‘am I like him?'
There are relatives that I fear being like.

I admire that he connected to animals, and despite the poor example from his father was kind to his pets. And my heart broke when they were lost to him.

Very different than Hygge.

So good, lifted my mood and was informative.

Interesting. Things I hadn't thought about came up.

I was familiar with 30 of the 35 films that were graphically represented. I loved the concept, and was delighted as some of my favorite films were in the stack. Some of the movies covered I skipped as I didn't want the spoilers, such as Fargo, other times I just didn't want to read about Star Wars.

Really liked: Eastman Johnson's ‘The Girl I Left Behind', Benjamin West's ‘Helen Brought to Paris', Albert Bierstadt's ‘Among the Sierra Nevada, California', James Peale's ‘Mrs. John McCluney', Frank Blackwell Mayer's ‘Independence (Squire Jack Porter)', Daniel Chester French's ‘Spirit of Life', Maria Oakley Dewing ‘Garden in May', Robert Reid's ‘The Mirror', Everett Shinn ‘The White Ballet', Frank Harmon Myers ‘Sunny Jim', Norman Rockwell ‘Save Freedom of Speech', Gene Davis ‘Wall Stripes No. 3', and Max Weber ‘Foundry in Baltimore'.

Might use this as a jumping off point to find and (re)discover others.

Will read the sparknotes of this as I definitely missed most of it. Very much on the nose, everyone is what their name is.

I enjoyed the second section more than the first. “But, being an artist, she knew obsession when she saw it.”

Vess' artwork is gorgeous. The subject is highly niche and like most collaborative work it was at times not of my interest and at other times wonderfully engaging.

I identified with Andrea. I feel that I also have a big nose, and shortly after high school my friend whom I felt like we were the same size/body shape had altered herself and I had my own struggles with that. I struggle with this concept because I am a proponent of self acceptance, body positivity, and character over appearance, however I also strongly believe in body autonomy and choice.

It's dark, moreso than Tim Burton or Edward Gorey, but it's Amanda Palmer.

I love how Neil Gaiman describes her at the end, “plays the piano as a percussion instrument.”

I will consider looking up a more recent version, I believe that there was a 7th edition in 2013, not sure if/when there will be a subsequent edition.

The story was a four, but my enjoyment only a three due to my own funk or that I had to pause and pick it up again.

I didn't realize I had already read this as part of one of the larger series book. As I was reading I was hoping for a second story, as I was under the impression (for whatever reason) that this was a collection of short stories.

The story is better when it has more context to the larger series, and I prefer novel/first exposure. I rarely reread things due to this, and caught my self skimming. I was disappointed as the ‘surprises' rang less true and my predictions were based more on memory rather than my knowledge of the world and putting together the foreshadowing.

Such as it is when one tries to complete a sereies from their childhood.

Gorgeous writing...I just missed something? It really felt like the story was going somewhere, then it ended. Mystery and intrigue were cultivated, but not harvested.