estellegodard's reviews
285 reviews

super disappointed by this. I was expecting something profound and fleshed out, but it was an accumulation of saltz’s reviews/essays which read as vignettes about various movements, artists, and shows. 
I was looking for something more comprehensive, informative, and linear. the issue with this book is that it assumes all readers are well versed in modern and contemporary art. thus, there is little context which can be hard to follow.
of course, there were some interesting passages, but I found myself interested only when I knew what was being discussed. 

I have been intrigued by this book for many years & I’m glad to have gotten around to it so I can take part in the discourse. 
this was a tough book for me. the prose is very flowery and difficult to read. the plot is also very abstract which does not help the reading process. these are things that historically can break a book for me. for at least the first 50 pages I was very thoroughly confused. yet, eventually things click into place & I began to understand the format of the book, the rules of the world, and overall what was going on. 
there were portions I really enjoyed, especially towards the middle. there are some well chosen lines and the language is very deliberate. 
all in all, I thought this was a decent read but there were too many aspects that don’t gel with my preferences, which outweighed the high points. I really wish we had more world building; I think this is the main thing that would have elevated the novel to a higher rating/enjoyment level. 

an epic family drama that was worth every slow burn moment. I loved the ending & it’s ambiguity.  each character was so fleshed out and multi dimensional. they are all hard to love but one can’t help but sympathize with them as their lives spin more and more out of control. everything felt very realistic & like a plausible outcome to each choice that was made. what I enjoyed most was seeing how every decision will alter the course of everyone’s lives, little by little. 
I appreciated the conversation around climate change but found it a little redundant at times, especially the portions in the woods when dickie and pj are building the well/bunker. 
overall this is a book I’ll keep thinking about and represents the modern epoch very well. 

I started off liking this but overall there were more stories I disliked than truly liked. 
I don’t often read fantasy so there were several stories that felt unique to me & brought me back to the fairytales I liked as a kid. but overall there was a lot of repetitiveness among stories and tropiness. 
the author writes beautifully which is the saving grace of several stories. 

I really liked the concept of this and overall there were many portions that were very interesting. I wish there had been more a bit of a wider range of food represented per culture. I thought that the author chose interesting areas of the world to focus on and she captures how important food is for the identity of a country/people. 

I respect and admire this true story but it didn’t emotionally impact me in the way I thought it would. however, I think there is a lot of strength in telling this story & i appreciated several of the very candid reflections the author had 

what a stupendous collection of essays ! very well written, interesting, and informative. the author does a great job of investigating all perspectives and sides when making her argument. her feminist content builds on plenty of historical feminist theories while giving it modern perspective. all the essays were fantastic but I didn’t enjoy the last 2 as much as the others. 

each case study revolving around a specific book store was truly informative and a pleasure to listen to. this book is wide reaching and terrifically incorporates all forms of book selling. 
this is really aimed at book lovers, bookstore enthusiasts, and people interested in history. I am all of these things so it was a perfect fit! as a new yorker it was also very cool to recognize certain bookstores or to learn about the independent stores that I never got to know. 

taking into consideration how hyped this book is, this book didn’t at all meet my expectations. it was still an interesting concept and I thought the author did a great job of balancing the horror of the world with the gentle excitement the narrator feels exploring the new world. but, while this novel made me ponder the bigger picture (metaphors etc) , I didn’t feel emotionally touched or connected to the story or its characters. 

I devoured this book and had real moments of laughter. i think it is very cool to see a breakup tale told from the mans perspective. the narrators voice is so strong and there are so many amazing and universal passages about heartbreak that struck a chord. 
I enjoyed the final section when we get a glimpse into jen’s perspective. the dialogue in this book is so realistic and the way dolly alderton wrote children was wonderfully funny and charming. 
my only wish is that we had seen andy’s evolution as a comedian a bit more progressively.