Louisa
Didion is so successfully unsentimental. A sharp observer of humans and culture, precise and terrifying in her insight. Play it as it Lays is a book in the mind of a depressed, listless woman aimlessly floating in what Didion observes as the Californian decadence of the 60s, though the book never gives any such clear cut terms as clues. It's a bored but functioning nihilistic crowd that thinks it's seen everything and has money and nothing else to do. It's striking how she captures what it's like to live without meaning, maybe due to too much freedom of choice. It also feels like a lot of her personal fears jump out of the pages. A very dark, pessimistic mind without hope, so perfectly captured. But which still often feels the melancholia of being barely alive. “I know what nothing means, and I keep on playing.” The tiny 1.5 to 2 page chapters' format makes it irresistible and hard to put down.
Acclaimed biographer Claire Tomalin has lived a meaningful life with no shortage of experiences, some unfortunately tragic. I really enjoyed following her in the oftentimes exciting bohemian London life of arts and culture and reading through all her literary pursuits. Overall I would describe the account as a bit insipid. This however does not take away from her admirable strength and personality in leading a “life of her own”, even when faced with adversity.
I believe one should read this very short book before proceeding with any pre-20th century women's fiction. Virginia Woolf describes in a captivating manner how it was significantly different to be able to sit and write as a woman of those older centuries, than it was as a man. Even the “greats” like George Elliot, Charlotte or Emily Bronte, did not write unimpeded, the way Shakespeare or Tolstoy did -her comparisons, not mine-
“...the overflow of George Elliot's capacious mind should have spread itself, when the creative impulse was spent, upon history or biography. They (Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte and George Elliot) wrote novels however.”
Because even having a room of one's own to use as writing ground, was inconceivable. And even when a written work was completed, by Emily, George, or Charlotte, a big if given all the daily interruptions a woman would encounter, the amount of times she would hide her manuscripts from the eyes of others so as not to be judged or prevented from continuing her work, even then, she could not openly publish it and earn what she rightly deserved. Instead of praise she would expect public shaming and judgement, if the audience found out the work was penned by a “she”.
All this is general knowledge to us now, but it does sit comfortably and permanently in the mind when read through the words of Virginia Woolf. Virginia a woman who, as she herself acknowledges in ‘A Room of One's Own', was also helped by fortunate circumstances to be able to write unimpeded in her lifetime – even if she was simultaneously hindered other factors not discussed in this essay. It is important to have this backdrop in mind when reading women's fiction, because according to her it is not a mere contextual detail, but a central and pervasive aspect of their works. Not that knowing it should alter our appreciation of them, or of any venerated work written by men.
I find the concept of these “Very Short Introductions” both useful and exciting. This has been a very readable but most importantly accurate and up to date account that does not compromise the complexity of the subject. It gives a clear overview of a very interesting but still underdeveloped area of research, additionally providing guidance for various kinds of further reading. Overall, a satisfying introduction that encourages the curious to look more into the subject.
Though I am definitely not an expert in the field, I would describe this as a great introduction for beginners. It outlines the foundational aspects of photography in a succint, engaging, and aesthetically pleasing format. It obviously isnt meant to be an in-depth exploration of the subject, but rather a starting point, a sort of hollistic view of a camera's potential. After reading it the realm of photography feels more familiar: though you might not be able to actually take “great” photographs, you have a clear idea of different things to learn about and try yourself. Most importantly, this book convinces you to take photographs. Isn't that what owning a camera is all about?
I don't even know how to review this book without undermining its brilliance and/or dissuading any potential reader.
Also, this is a popular science/history/all-of-the-humanities-combined book. I do not know enough about the subject to write a detailed and objective review (there is nothing I dislike more than people misleading/misinforming others by making bold and unfounded claims on subjects they are not knowledgeable in).
It's hard to remember on a day to day basis that current life on planet earth is part of a much larger picture. Sapiens constantly expands the reader's perspective in a riveting account. Like a voice whispering “nothing is absolute” at the end of every page. His ability to explain how we (homo sapiens) have found ourselves living in the world we do now, through an open minded, multifaceted approach and in well written prose blew me away. It was no surprise to me that it won a prize for its creativity and originality.
I don't want to refer to common criticisms I encountered while reading other goodreads reviews, partially because I am not an expert in the field (just as many of those people aren't, by the way) and also because no book is perfect. This one addresses huge themes, many of which are controversial (e.g. religion), thus tackling a large and difficult task. Opinions can and should be debated. Maybe I mostly loved this book because I constantly look at the world/life/everything through as openminded a perspective as possible. If you're not feeling openminded, you might want to leave it for later. In my view it's an incredibly intelligent effort to expand the minds of readers, and there is no way for me to convey the effect the book has. You just have to read it.
(P.S. I was finally convinced to read Sapiens after accidentally stumbling across SimonOxfPhys reviewing it on YouTube. More detailed, very enthusiastic).
Μετά από 7 χρόνια περίπου που ψάχνω να βρω ποιο ήταν αυτό το βιβλίο που διάβαζα ξανά και ξανά όταν ήμουν 10, ΕΠΙΤΕΛΟΥΣ ΤΑ ΚΑΤΑΦΕΡΑ ΤΟ ΒΡΗΚΑ ΜΠΡΑΒΟ ΜΟΥ.
I love how Korean fiction seems to have gotten me out of my last two stress/anger-induced reading slumps ! Also I for once can say I literally read this book in one afternoon, probably my lowest time to page ratio ever