Patty Tomsky > Recent Status Updates

DNF not my speed

This book was like getting your favorite writer all to yourself for a weekend. I’m a huge fan of McCracken and if you write, you need this book. My favorite part was listening to the audiobook and her wry, droll voice. She explodes so many MFA myths and makes it so fun— tells us all we wished we knew from her decades of teaching, reading, writing, even living.

I love her. Her books surprise you. I enjoy how her heroines aren’t one dimensional but feel like real women. And have agency beyond what their time might dictate. There are sad missed opportunities that leafy me with a feminist hopefulness and also a compassionate heart. What else could you ask? Plus the spell recipes the connection to animals and nature and the beautiful plot about love and liberty engrossed me.

Awesome book holds your interest fabulous worldbuilding.

DNF — takes forever to pick up the pace with so many cliched moments. The heroine has two dreams — and I have zero f—s. The first dream is a complete Charlotte Perkins Gilman Yellow Wallpaper rip off. Also — how many books do I have to read with the “young woman is too sassy to make a good marriage the little minx” ? The Mexico City/mountains setting were the only thing I liked. The writing was clunky.

Booooo. Wooden writing. I love this person but good golly did she ever get an editor?

I was rereading this. I saw it on a cool girls coffee table when I was 14. Her beautiful hippie brother was reading it. I ordered it from the hopelessly bougie Waldenbooks at my town mall. Mind blown. It cheers me up immensely no matter where my head is at. The illustrations my good gosh!

I returned it. Too many smilies. Interesting premise fun descriptions but needed an editor-- badly. I applaud the imagination of it and the world building. I felt it strained for its metaphors.