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Raven Smith's Men
Following on from his critical smash debut Raven Smith's Trivial Pursuits, Raven is back with a pin sharp, hilarious and incisive exploration of what it means to be a man in the modern day.
Part memoir, part commentary on masculinity, Raven Smith's Men isn't so much for men, as about them. Raven has been trying to distill what it is about men that has kept him intrigued his whole life. It boils down to three things. Firstly, he loves them. Secondly, he can see how endlessly problematic they are. Thirdly, both these things converge in his own sense of self and his own masculinity.
This book is about men because, in an annoying way, everything is. We live in a patriarchy, but Raven has no agenda or vendetta. This book is his noticing of particular dynamics, a cautious reverence of a life lived in parallel with other men, observing masculinity's odd amorphous boundaries. He's both curious and terrified of his own participation in the great male privilege and while this book will not shy away from difficult truths, it will also make you laugh an enormous amount!
Part memoir, part commentary on masculinity, Raven Smith's Men isn't so much for men, as about them. Raven has been trying to distill what it is about men that has kept him intrigued his whole life. It boils down to three things. Firstly, he loves them. Secondly, he can see how endlessly problematic they are. Thirdly, both these things converge in his own sense of self and his own masculinity.
This book is about men because, in an annoying way, everything is. We live in a patriarchy, but Raven has no agenda or vendetta. This book is his noticing of particular dynamics, a cautious reverence of a life lived in parallel with other men, observing masculinity's odd amorphous boundaries. He's both curious and terrified of his own participation in the great male privilege and while this book will not shy away from difficult truths, it will also make you laugh an enormous amount!
288 pages, Hardcover
Published April 28, 2022
48 people are currently reading
1393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
October 10, 2022
READING VLOG
Raven Smith is one of those friends you meet up for brunch who is especially tardy and creates a lot of theatrics out of it but you say, "It's fine, it's fine" while your idle iced americano waters down to mere bean water and he begins with last night and its antics with all the drinks and kisses and regrets and one story leaps to another and before the food arrives, you forget you haven't even ordered yet because you were too busy laughing and laughing so hard that your stomach cramps and it's painful but it's the good kind of hurt because the last time you laughed like this was when you were with him late one night long ago in your youth lost out of your goddamn existential mind but it was okay because Raven was your hypeman and talked you into kissing a boy you still think about to this day and call it romance and it 𝘸𝘢𝘴 romance because at 3 AM someone with the aux played The Strokes and you thought of suicide but you were in such good company that you actually 𝘥𝘰 feel romantic about it all even to this day and so the food is ordered and now you're on bottomless mimosas and it's like the old days, good times, live fast die young joy that reminds you that life isn't so bad and now how in the hell is it already 4 in the afternoon, too soon to go home and too late to take a nap or leave Raven and so you stay and stay, trying odd things in malls and eating ice cream when your blood pressure's too high and saying dumb things and when you're eventually at a pub, Raven notices you have your phone face down on the table and asks what you're hiding and you're actually hiding a lot, an ex, work, boredom, less friends, no plans, money trouble, family drama and you spill and spill and Raven is listening, really listening, until finally, when you're done trauma dumping, he sticks you with a one-liner that makes you forget everything you said and you laugh some more until there's a mic in your hand and you're up on the stage belting out a horrid rendition of 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘵𝘦 and people cheer and you go red in the face and go straight to bed, remembering
gee whiz
I'm not so alone. Life isn't so lonely. It's not so bad.
I'm fine. And I wish my younger self knew that he was fine too.
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦.
Raven Smith, I love you for this one. Thanks for making summer bearable.
Raven Smith is one of those friends you meet up for brunch who is especially tardy and creates a lot of theatrics out of it but you say, "It's fine, it's fine" while your idle iced americano waters down to mere bean water and he begins with last night and its antics with all the drinks and kisses and regrets and one story leaps to another and before the food arrives, you forget you haven't even ordered yet because you were too busy laughing and laughing so hard that your stomach cramps and it's painful but it's the good kind of hurt because the last time you laughed like this was when you were with him late one night long ago in your youth lost out of your goddamn existential mind but it was okay because Raven was your hypeman and talked you into kissing a boy you still think about to this day and call it romance and it 𝘸𝘢𝘴 romance because at 3 AM someone with the aux played The Strokes and you thought of suicide but you were in such good company that you actually 𝘥𝘰 feel romantic about it all even to this day and so the food is ordered and now you're on bottomless mimosas and it's like the old days, good times, live fast die young joy that reminds you that life isn't so bad and now how in the hell is it already 4 in the afternoon, too soon to go home and too late to take a nap or leave Raven and so you stay and stay, trying odd things in malls and eating ice cream when your blood pressure's too high and saying dumb things and when you're eventually at a pub, Raven notices you have your phone face down on the table and asks what you're hiding and you're actually hiding a lot, an ex, work, boredom, less friends, no plans, money trouble, family drama and you spill and spill and Raven is listening, really listening, until finally, when you're done trauma dumping, he sticks you with a one-liner that makes you forget everything you said and you laugh some more until there's a mic in your hand and you're up on the stage belting out a horrid rendition of 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘵𝘦 and people cheer and you go red in the face and go straight to bed, remembering
gee whiz
I'm not so alone. Life isn't so lonely. It's not so bad.
I'm fine. And I wish my younger self knew that he was fine too.
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦.
Raven Smith, I love you for this one. Thanks for making summer bearable.
November 15, 2024
reading this book is like getting trapped with the person who peaked in high school at a party and you can’t escape
October 16, 2025
DNF. Spent the first few chapters delightedly guzzling it down. Felt like meeting someone in the smokers at a club, you’re both high, you’re thinking and saying things like “I can’t believe we literally just met”, you’re making brunch plans for the next day. They’re the funniest coolest breath of fresh air. You think you’re kindred spirits, now with a wild and real origin story. Then you start coming down a bit and notice they don’t ask any questions, and they keep taking your ciggies, which would be fine, if they asked, and you kinda miss your friends and you’re wondering how the dance floor looks, and they talk about themselves exclusively and they laugh hard at their own anecdotes when it’s not that funny ……
It got exhausting. I wanted to love it but found myself counting the pages until the chapters ended.
It got exhausting. I wanted to love it but found myself counting the pages until the chapters ended.
November 25, 2025
It was fine?? 2.5. I’m neutral, didn’t mind it but wouldn’t recommend
October 14, 2023
Wow! Another book that was kind of a long time coming. After stumbling upon Smith as a chic, witty, and suave luminary on Instagram (go watch his outfit highlight and home reno highlight on instagram now) I was delighted to see that his way with his pen matched his way with his wardrobe. More overjoyed was I to see that he released a memoir!
This book —although it points out to its audience that it only mentions the pandemic twice— feels very borne out of the pandemic. This is in part I think because of the cultural references (Antoni Porowski as begrudging captivating force) and partly because many of the essays felt like a writer was blockaded indoors and forced to be with ones spiraling and sometimes inconclusive thoughts.
I’ll say the negative first to end on a good note. I’d say I have 3 gripes.
1. Smith’s own unsureness about the inclusion/meaning of some of his specific life experiences within the book.
2. Structural weirdness/redundancies
3. The way he often folded in women + the idea of patriarchy
His Uncertainty ~ Crucially, I do think Smith was digging deep across all the necessary areas of his life, interrogating his culpability within both patriarchal contexts and relational/personal contexts. There was a sincerity on the page that I needed there. AND I do commend Smith’s resistance to overly mythologize and narrativize his life and tie things in taut bows. I like this quote, “I want to say something serious like ‘I wasn’t able to absorb the Musician’s heaviness alongside my own….but actually I was just twenty-one on holiday and a bit of an idiot, keen to bypass anything too serious”, because it’s still introspective on two levels while fighting the aforementioned memoir-istic convention.
and YET Smith repeatedly and explicitly says things like, “I’m not sure what I learned about myself” re such and such experience. Many essays (save for the one about his husband) lacked a certain profundity that the author seemed to be reaching for. They felt a bit circular if well written and aptly reflective (most of an appropriate length), but ultimately failed to deliver a resounding ~ huh wow ~ that I’ve had with other essays of a similar ilk. Maybe it’s the subject matter? —> The one about his husband actually did feel like it broke into a new barrier of truth that leapt off the page and into my own life. Which speaks to better chosen subject matter eliciting a further penetrating essay.
Smith being a self professed anecdotal master draws upon specific life experiences but doesn’t always connect them all meaningfully. He doesn’t always underscore a lesson derived or post a singular ringing salient question (as one is wont to do in a memoir). Maybe I don’t want a taut or pretty bow, but some sturdy twine can’t hurt?
In a way it feels he’s returning to this practice of dazzling with a wild story at a party. But where at a party people can laugh and move on, we the reader are left with an experience plopped onto our plate without sharp or fully formed enough teeth to chew and digest. At least part of the time.
Structural Weirdness ~ Simply put, while reading, I found myself confused why certain themes/ideas were popping up again (with no twist or new layer) 3 essays after I felt they were resolved. Passages a couple essays in felt in tone and substance like they belonged in the foreword etc.
Women + Patriarchy ~ Here, I’m confident that these issues are more me than Raven. But I rly chafed against many of his ruminations on misogyny, women, and patriarchy. This goes back to the pandemic comment of things reading in October of ’23 at least as a little dated. Reading “I have work to do as a man of the system”, and, “I wonder how many of the women I worked with were allowed those qualities in the same quantities” re women in the workplace. “I was with one of my most feminist friends, and by that I mean most vocal, and by that i mean normal”. “Could I hear his misogyny or her feminism in the lightest of interactions?” It just feels a bit “railing against misogyny and mansplainer men” ala buzzfeed ca. 2016. Which isn’t like an explicit flaw ofc, but these comments read as flat/hollow. He says at one point, “…Needless to say, he wouldn’t have been my first choice to invite for ostentatious chicken drumsticks with an outward feminist.”
I’m so not PC police person but even this fixation on the words misogyny and feminist feels stuck somewhere between second and third wave somehow.
one more quote bc lol, “Part of me wanted to coast as unbumpily through this dinner and out the other side to the safe space of my feminist life and talk of Hillary Clinton”. There’s this cursory quality to it despite the good intention.
THE GOOD
- Raven is also a wonder at writing odes to people (re his step dad + husband) He is able to fling lovingly and at full force his poeticism and wit without having the occupation/responsibility of having an overarching/ underscoring message/ epiphany/ resolve.
- The general froth of the thing delivered vis a vis wordplay, and delectable one-liners are truly unrivaled. Borderline worth reading the book solely to ingest those.
- Earnest, genuine introspection + vulnerability anyone could want from a memoir.
- Many examples of how writing ultra-specifically about your experiences actually makes things accessible to a wider audience/more relatable.
The length I wrote about the aforementioned gripes isn’t actually reflective of their weight/bearing on my view of the book. I moreso had fun in the exercise of trying to articulate my critical thoughts. Was largely a fun time !!! So saucy and sharp. He successfully let me into that life/noggin of his, I didn’t feel kept at a distance. Thanks for the read Raven!
This book —although it points out to its audience that it only mentions the pandemic twice— feels very borne out of the pandemic. This is in part I think because of the cultural references (Antoni Porowski as begrudging captivating force) and partly because many of the essays felt like a writer was blockaded indoors and forced to be with ones spiraling and sometimes inconclusive thoughts.
I’ll say the negative first to end on a good note. I’d say I have 3 gripes.
1. Smith’s own unsureness about the inclusion/meaning of some of his specific life experiences within the book.
2. Structural weirdness/redundancies
3. The way he often folded in women + the idea of patriarchy
His Uncertainty ~ Crucially, I do think Smith was digging deep across all the necessary areas of his life, interrogating his culpability within both patriarchal contexts and relational/personal contexts. There was a sincerity on the page that I needed there. AND I do commend Smith’s resistance to overly mythologize and narrativize his life and tie things in taut bows. I like this quote, “I want to say something serious like ‘I wasn’t able to absorb the Musician’s heaviness alongside my own….but actually I was just twenty-one on holiday and a bit of an idiot, keen to bypass anything too serious”, because it’s still introspective on two levels while fighting the aforementioned memoir-istic convention.
and YET Smith repeatedly and explicitly says things like, “I’m not sure what I learned about myself” re such and such experience. Many essays (save for the one about his husband) lacked a certain profundity that the author seemed to be reaching for. They felt a bit circular if well written and aptly reflective (most of an appropriate length), but ultimately failed to deliver a resounding ~ huh wow ~ that I’ve had with other essays of a similar ilk. Maybe it’s the subject matter? —> The one about his husband actually did feel like it broke into a new barrier of truth that leapt off the page and into my own life. Which speaks to better chosen subject matter eliciting a further penetrating essay.
Smith being a self professed anecdotal master draws upon specific life experiences but doesn’t always connect them all meaningfully. He doesn’t always underscore a lesson derived or post a singular ringing salient question (as one is wont to do in a memoir). Maybe I don’t want a taut or pretty bow, but some sturdy twine can’t hurt?
In a way it feels he’s returning to this practice of dazzling with a wild story at a party. But where at a party people can laugh and move on, we the reader are left with an experience plopped onto our plate without sharp or fully formed enough teeth to chew and digest. At least part of the time.
Structural Weirdness ~ Simply put, while reading, I found myself confused why certain themes/ideas were popping up again (with no twist or new layer) 3 essays after I felt they were resolved. Passages a couple essays in felt in tone and substance like they belonged in the foreword etc.
Women + Patriarchy ~ Here, I’m confident that these issues are more me than Raven. But I rly chafed against many of his ruminations on misogyny, women, and patriarchy. This goes back to the pandemic comment of things reading in October of ’23 at least as a little dated. Reading “I have work to do as a man of the system”, and, “I wonder how many of the women I worked with were allowed those qualities in the same quantities” re women in the workplace. “I was with one of my most feminist friends, and by that I mean most vocal, and by that i mean normal”. “Could I hear his misogyny or her feminism in the lightest of interactions?” It just feels a bit “railing against misogyny and mansplainer men” ala buzzfeed ca. 2016. Which isn’t like an explicit flaw ofc, but these comments read as flat/hollow. He says at one point, “…Needless to say, he wouldn’t have been my first choice to invite for ostentatious chicken drumsticks with an outward feminist.”
I’m so not PC police person but even this fixation on the words misogyny and feminist feels stuck somewhere between second and third wave somehow.
one more quote bc lol, “Part of me wanted to coast as unbumpily through this dinner and out the other side to the safe space of my feminist life and talk of Hillary Clinton”. There’s this cursory quality to it despite the good intention.
THE GOOD
- Raven is also a wonder at writing odes to people (re his step dad + husband) He is able to fling lovingly and at full force his poeticism and wit without having the occupation/responsibility of having an overarching/ underscoring message/ epiphany/ resolve.
- The general froth of the thing delivered vis a vis wordplay, and delectable one-liners are truly unrivaled. Borderline worth reading the book solely to ingest those.
- Earnest, genuine introspection + vulnerability anyone could want from a memoir.
- Many examples of how writing ultra-specifically about your experiences actually makes things accessible to a wider audience/more relatable.
The length I wrote about the aforementioned gripes isn’t actually reflective of their weight/bearing on my view of the book. I moreso had fun in the exercise of trying to articulate my critical thoughts. Was largely a fun time !!! So saucy and sharp. He successfully let me into that life/noggin of his, I didn’t feel kept at a distance. Thanks for the read Raven!
July 8, 2024
I picked up this book on a whim, drawn by its cover and my recent fascination with the culture of masculinity. Unfamiliar with Smith’s work and somewhat misled by the cover's blurb, I was initially disappointed. The book is a series of essays about the men in Smith’s life and offers less insight into modern masculinity than I had anticipated. It is ultimately about Smith’s own masculinity as a gay, Black, British man. The essays are often amusing, filled with chaotic antics and humorous anecdotes.
While the book did not meet my expectations regarding contemporary masculinity, it provided an entertaining and unique perspective on Smith’s personal experiences. For those interested in a candid and humorous exploration of one man’s journey with masculinity, this book is worth a (beach) read.
While the book did not meet my expectations regarding contemporary masculinity, it provided an entertaining and unique perspective on Smith’s personal experiences. For those interested in a candid and humorous exploration of one man’s journey with masculinity, this book is worth a (beach) read.
April 21, 2023
never thought i'd enjoy a book about men written by a man this much, but I guess life is full of surprises
May 2, 2024
This was a good palate cleanser. Pretty entertaining read. Quick and dirty, but also makes you pause, think reflect. Would recommend
October 30, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ A narration of how Raven relates to the tragic, unexpected, and humorous moments life brings.
It was a great first-ever audiobook experience; it helped that Raven has a pleasant voice to listen to!
It was a great first-ever audiobook experience; it helped that Raven has a pleasant voice to listen to!
June 15, 2024
I smiled a lot
January 8, 2024
Really enjoyed this (was originally not too sure as a memoir by a man called men!)
Incredibly witty, at times thought provoking and overall a good easy read with a few solid takeaways.
Incredibly witty, at times thought provoking and overall a good easy read with a few solid takeaways.
April 6, 2023
This is a deeply fun book, which I was expecting given Smith's other work, but it had a deeper note than most of his other writing (or maybe just had the space to allow him to really reflect). I laughed out loud at points and then on the next page would be having a revelation at his honest analysis of his party-hard twenties. The book's concept of looking at life through his relationships with men felt more like a guiding principle than a strict central theme. Men glided in and out of the story in a way that felt very normal for any memoir. So maybe I'm not entirely sure if the book's concept worked but I did love the end result.
Smith's writing style is certainly an acquired taste - it's jam-packed with a kaleidoscope of pop culture, puns, internet slang and literary references. Most of the time this is charmingly refreshing but at times it does feel like its getting in the way of his point and some phrases did slightly jar but on the whole it made for a engaging and funny reading experience. Sometimes I felt like I wanted slightly less froth and more substance in the book but then maybe it would lose all its charm if Smith had less fun with the writing of it. The book is deeply charming (and not just because of the gorgeous gold cover) and hits that perfect convergence spot of funny and touching which leaves you happy but also a little bit reflective.
Smith's writing style is certainly an acquired taste - it's jam-packed with a kaleidoscope of pop culture, puns, internet slang and literary references. Most of the time this is charmingly refreshing but at times it does feel like its getting in the way of his point and some phrases did slightly jar but on the whole it made for a engaging and funny reading experience. Sometimes I felt like I wanted slightly less froth and more substance in the book but then maybe it would lose all its charm if Smith had less fun with the writing of it. The book is deeply charming (and not just because of the gorgeous gold cover) and hits that perfect convergence spot of funny and touching which leaves you happy but also a little bit reflective.
January 18, 2023
Listened to the abridged version on BBC Sounds. This was so good I plan to listen to the full version also.
After listening to Raven’s audiobook for Trivial Pursuits, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to listen to this as read by the author. Raven’s story comes to life through his own narration.
After listening to Raven’s audiobook for Trivial Pursuits, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to listen to this as read by the author. Raven’s story comes to life through his own narration.
May 15, 2022
An absolute joy to read from the wordsmith that is Raven Smith. In my dreams, Raven Smith is my best friend 😊😊
Read
January 11, 2026I don’t rate memoir/biog books as I always find it odd to rate someone’s life (or part of).
This book felt like I was included in an inner circle friendship with the way Raven chose to write. It was informal and personal, funny yet vulnerable and also delves into important topics in a digestible way and not a ‘preachy’ way. I felt like he knew his readers would be on the same page sociopolitically and if you weren’t? Well, you may have come away with some things to reflect on.
I sometimes struggle with memoirs that are theme focused as the stories were non linear and the way it was written (chatty and witty) added to my slight whiplash as we tended to deviate a little BUT that is what real conversations do, so I wasn’t mad at it but I couldn’t fully shake the feeling of ‘where is this going?’
But that is on me not the book as nothing was confusing and I didn’t get lost in any of the chapters.
A book about men that delved into more than sexual partners. It felt well rounded in terms of the stories Raven decided to tell which allowed for variety and broke up the book well. It also meant I didn’t get any fatigue as sometimes reading the same thing but ‘different font’ can drag.
Overall, a fun reading experience.
This book felt like I was included in an inner circle friendship with the way Raven chose to write. It was informal and personal, funny yet vulnerable and also delves into important topics in a digestible way and not a ‘preachy’ way. I felt like he knew his readers would be on the same page sociopolitically and if you weren’t? Well, you may have come away with some things to reflect on.
I sometimes struggle with memoirs that are theme focused as the stories were non linear and the way it was written (chatty and witty) added to my slight whiplash as we tended to deviate a little BUT that is what real conversations do, so I wasn’t mad at it but I couldn’t fully shake the feeling of ‘where is this going?’
But that is on me not the book as nothing was confusing and I didn’t get lost in any of the chapters.
A book about men that delved into more than sexual partners. It felt well rounded in terms of the stories Raven decided to tell which allowed for variety and broke up the book well. It also meant I didn’t get any fatigue as sometimes reading the same thing but ‘different font’ can drag.
Overall, a fun reading experience.
January 1, 2024
"In these pages you'll have watched me blossom from an unsure sapling into the most wonderful F*ggot."
I can only hope to make friend's with men who are similar to Raven Smith; witty, gay, and boisterous as i imagine him to be. Throughout the book, his obsession with men is of course the shining star, but what engaged me most, was Raven's shocking honesty about his personal habits. When he ponders about being a pervert, it made me laugh out loud and think "I can't believe he's admitting this." He's is the kind of man at a party that everyone stands around because fun oozes out of his skinny jeans. Such a wonderful and fun read to kick off the new year. I just love gay people.
I can only hope to make friend's with men who are similar to Raven Smith; witty, gay, and boisterous as i imagine him to be. Throughout the book, his obsession with men is of course the shining star, but what engaged me most, was Raven's shocking honesty about his personal habits. When he ponders about being a pervert, it made me laugh out loud and think "I can't believe he's admitting this." He's is the kind of man at a party that everyone stands around because fun oozes out of his skinny jeans. Such a wonderful and fun read to kick off the new year. I just love gay people.
August 23, 2024
Raven is a brilliant writer, witty and irreverent, he really has his finger on the pulse of culture. However, I think you can tell that he started writing this as a kind of memoir and then it morphed into the thematic arch of men/masculinity at a later stage; there are a few chapters which feel like outliers, they’re not so tight on the overall theme of the book. I loved Trivial Pursuits and this book feels like it’s lacking in the way that wasn’t, almost as if it tries to go deeper and a bit more reflective but doesn’t quite make it. For that reason I felt a bit underwhelmed by this, even if the experience of reading it was enjoyable!
October 5, 2022
Raven Smith is the perfect observer. His one sentence Instagram captions, his to the point Vogue columns – always topical and relevant, and his long form books capture people and our times with forensic accuracy. He is always entertaining, and always honest and revealing. I am a fan and love everything he writes, so for me this book was a treat to read from start to finish. If you have not yet encountered Raven Smith, give him a go. You will certainly learn something about the modern world, and be thoroughly entertained at the same time.
November 16, 2022
An absolute romp of a book, I enjoyed every perfectly constructed, beautifully filthy, hilarious sentence of this. It tempted me one to many times to have a glass of wine in hand whilst reading (so much so I had to go back and reread essays because I got carried away). If there is anything you read ANYTHING this year, read this completely compelling and more-ish book. PS I had never heard of Raven Smith before seeing this book in a store in Islington (having recently moved from Sydney) - I am now obsessed with him and want him to be my friend.
January 23, 2023
I love Raven Smith as a person, I think that his character is fabulous and these essays made me love him even more. The description of his childhood and numerous dodgy experiences intertwined with some serious situations where we wonder what Raven is actually like when he is not creating the funniest memes on Instagram. Super quick and easy to read as well as laugh out loud funny at times- this being said there are moments where you can feel the tension and how carefully Raven is choosing his words to depict the sincerity in his writing.
February 24, 2024
Found this so jokes and v touching in parts. Raven Smiths references are so spot on and I really enjoyed his descriptions of London and New York in the noughties. Listened to the audio book and it was great entertainment for my commute!
Only 3 stars (3.5 really!) as i felt like some of the stuff about women and the patriarchy felt a bit forced, and I did find the book a bit repetitive in the second half. Deffo worth a read especially if you have a love hate relationship with men and with London.
Only 3 stars (3.5 really!) as i felt like some of the stuff about women and the patriarchy felt a bit forced, and I did find the book a bit repetitive in the second half. Deffo worth a read especially if you have a love hate relationship with men and with London.
May 13, 2024
wasn’t sure what i was getting into but this one, but glad that i found it.
despite regular occurrences of my physically smirking at sections (the reading equivalent of laughing so hard you throw up), it covered a lot of meaningful turf re relationships/mental health/growing up and finding oneself in this world
major props to the line “it was like bringing heroin to a child’s tea party; not unfun, per se, but wholly inappropriate”
despite regular occurrences of my physically smirking at sections (the reading equivalent of laughing so hard you throw up), it covered a lot of meaningful turf re relationships/mental health/growing up and finding oneself in this world
major props to the line “it was like bringing heroin to a child’s tea party; not unfun, per se, but wholly inappropriate”
February 10, 2025
This was such a fun memoir with a lot of interesting anecdotes and reflections on masculinity, homosexuality and misogyny. The audio book was great with the author bringing just the right emotions to the chapters. I still remember his aggravation at having been ghosted by someone. The stories of his childhood and young adulthood were fascinating. I'm always interested in reading about someone who lived life to the fullest, including drugs, alcohol and men.
January 18, 2023
I personally really enjoyed this book. Raven says in on of his chapters that he feels that he does not enough words, but it was his way of writing, his language, that fascinated me. His rich selection of words, his nailed jokes and vivid descriptions, made it hard for me to put the book down. I find admirable that he decided to share with the public so much of himself.
August 4, 2024
2.5 rounded up, some humourous writing amongst the naval gazing and mass generalising, but it does say a lot for the content of the book when one of the most memorable moments comes when Smith laments an Amazon review that compares his writing to the incessant ramblings of a drunk at the bus stop 🙃
November 2, 2022
Really enjoyed this book, the writing is so precise, every word counts. Raven has a razor sharp style, his the mark every time! Really thought provoking, funny, extremely honest and personal. Would definitely recommend
December 26, 2022
I’ve been reading this for about a week now and I didn’t want it to end. Endlessly funny, painfully precise in its takedowns of absolutely anything and everything under the sun, while maintaining a quiet compassion and understanding that never veers into twee.
July 17, 2023
You know what, I love Raven, love the way he thinks, love the way he writes. That said, I enjoyed parts of this book - the ones where it actually gets personal. But, something in it is not enough for me and some chapters seem like trying to beat his own jokes and doesn't succeed in it.
May 10, 2022
Introducing my favourite book of 2022 so far, wish I’d had more time to sit and binge this with wine. Raven Smith is a lyrical genius and my imaginary best friend
May 14, 2022
Raven is a joy to read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews