kristianawithak's reviews
1598 reviews

Yes, that Steve Martin. I had no idea he knew so much about art.

It is interesting to read about the financial crisis in a novel that also frames 9/11 in its discussion of the art world.

I want to read more and see how the story ends. The end seemed a little rushed, like she ran out of time.

The book grew on me and by the end I was quite fond of it, but starting out I didn't really relate. This may be caused by just finishing Bossypants, which was amazing and hilarious. Ephron is funny, but in an entirely different way.

Ms. Ephron, if you're reading this, I love your movies.

The books are very short, so it was easy to finish both of them. (It's the end of the year and I'm in a mad dash to read more under the 2011 banner.)

While I do not relate to Ms. Ephron's discussions on aging, I know I one day will and find her thoughts hilarious. I quite enjoyed her essays on her youth. I love stories of people starting out and following their dreams.

It was a good quick read.

I really liked the double bind, and I had heard midwives was great. So of course that means I was slightly disappointed with midwives. I waited until I was done with the home birth experience before reading this title, which was the right choice. Here are some thoughts:
I dislike books that end with the narrator explaining that they were writing a book. It's awkward to me and a weird way to end a book in my opinion, see also Mockingjay.
I kept waiting for a big reveal, because of the double bind
I didn't understand the point of having the daughter narrate from an adult perspective, until the end. It had an ominous tone, which was leading you astray, and it ruled out the book being a coming of age story. I guess it was a story about family and the choices we make.

I enjoyed reading it, I couldn't wait to find time to keep reading, the above are merely the reservations I had toward it.

This was the first book I've physically read in a long time, courtesy of the kindle and the public library, and it was good.

I've been trying to write this review for over a week now.

I didn't think I liked Blue Nights as much as I have been drawn into Didion's previous works. I was captivated by Year of Magical Thinking, and in college I read Play It As It Lays and was beyond depressed from it. I read a lot of depressing books, but this one took the cake, and for that I had an immense amount of respect for Joan Didion. I cried and cried when I read the play Year of Magical Thinking. But Blue Nights did not have the same affect on me. It's not because it is not as good, the writing is still amazing. I think it is more personal than Magical Thinking. I think it is heartbreaking how devastated she was after the losses she suffered. But listening to this book at work, while training for a new position, I do not feel like I gave it the right amount of time. I might start it over or download the kindle edition to give it more time.


This is one of those books, for me, which soaks in after I finished it. The more I think about it, the more I talk about it, the more I realize that indeed I liked it very much and that it is powerful and quiet at the same time.


The language is unbelievable. Didion writes in the rhythmic cadence I became familiar with in her previous works. Her ability to write personally without sounding self obsessed is natural and beautiful. If Magically Thinking was about processing the loss of her husband it makes sense that there would be a second book where she could fully discuss the loss of her daughter. Ms Didion also speaks at length about aging in a way that confronts the fear we all may have about what the end of life may bring.

So I liked it immensely, I just didn't emotionally respond to it the way I have done with the previous works I've read. Which is good for me emotionally.