Susan > Recent Status Updates

Examples of annoyingly complicated writing: p. 186 “The imperial fracas over cleopatra is adduced…the footnote to this sentence cruelly fingers the toothless old father.” It’s both too complicated and too vague. Say what you mean!

I also really don’t appreciate being slow walked to philosophical concepts like Colonel Sanders will say something to Hoshino and then the author has Hoshino. ask all these stupid questions like we’re wondering them.

I keep saying to myself where is this going? And you think that the story is going to take you somewhere, but I’m doubting whether it will or not. Kafka’s theory about his mother is gross to me. I don’t find it fascinating at all like I feel like he wants you to. This is like the third time that they’ve had sex and it’s like all philosophical and I just am not interested in it. I keep putting it down.

I’m toward the end and he’s doing this thing where he’s switching chapters pretty often switching back-and-forth between the different characters’ stories and it’s kind of driving me insane. I was tempted to skip over and just read Faye’s and then the next one’s, etc..

I love the description pwange gives about going to the health food store lol

This book is incredibly helpful and things are brought up that I didn’t see in the text. I have to go back. An entire storyline. But sometimes I feel like he’s overly wordy. For example, page 168 “at the beginning of life, we view the generative act with amazed dread; at the end, we look back at it with fond longing.” Like just say sex! This book is so hard to read. Don’t also make your writing hard to read

He’s complained (so far, I’m on page…25??) about this old man who is dead that was his parents neighbor, the vacations he’d take with his family, fat people, the New York Times, postcards, small towns, small town people, small town people with John Deere hats, like is this all this is going to be, thinking he’s funny negative commentary? Ok the peeing himself was hilarious and taking apart the back door lol

All the blurbs on the back recommending the book are from people who seem to know the author personally. Why don’t more books have that?

Amazon history of a former nail salon worker and American legend were interesting

I think this should be two volumes: fiction and non fiction. There are stories in here that are pure art, and then there are the autobiography/newspaper/asylum related accounts, and I think it should be two separate anthologies.

Dude. So good. I have chills. These stories are so cool. Hyrum and Levi wells?? Blue skin, and the two before this one were great too

I don’t get anything she’s saying. The things are too disjointed within a poem or even a line and I don’t see the thing she’s pointing to. I think maybe she’s not for me cause it was more frustrating than anything.

Putting it down. Unnecessarily judgey about odd things, trying to be charming clever funny and relatable, not resonating with me at all.

I put it down. I’m halfway. Too long, don’t care what happens.

This story makes me feel so…good, warm and happy all over. I once

I like how I feel I’m on this adventure with them. He ends the chapter with obvious, odd sentences that describe the present situation, rather than, the next? Idk but there’s something feels off about the last sentences.

I feel like this whole book is like the Circe episode and I sorta want to pull my eyelashes out 😁😂🤣😂🤣 will I ever be able to click that button at the bottom that says “I’ve finished this book!”?? Unlikely. but it’s ok. And reading this everyday is freeing up my own writing which has gotten a lot less organized and much more……spazzy and random. Onward!

I also think this world of l’engel is unrealistic in ways that puzzle me. Who wakes up all their kids to look at the snow? And go out stargazing? Why does she name Albania, Estonia and Argentina but make up the other countries?

Vicky Austin kinda ageist: the women wear full faces of makeup, they say it protects their skin. ?? And her and her oatmeal, holier than thou? She is a lack, guys kiss her, she says nothing in response to things. It’s hard to get behind this character. We’ll see if I miss the book when I’m done like the others. I think I liked the family charm and Dolphins more than Vicky.

I can be judgy about a lot in l’engle, but the family dynamic is comforting, someone dies and the mom takes the two oldest out to stargaze and talk. It’s considerate and interesting.

I just came on here to look for encouragement in reviews and there are zero?? Am I looking under the wrong entry?

In books like this that discuss psychology I feel overwhelmed, it’s not straightforward. In the recording she found of the father and daughter having a session with dr. Han, the father said “I feel love toward her and I just wanna do whatever she wants me to do” sounds the same as her own father telling her to make a list of things that he could do that would make her feel loved.