UK Literary Luvvies #2 Vital reading

Status
Thread locked. We start a new thread when they have over 1000 posts, click the blue button to see all threads for this topic and find the latest open thread.
1 Sort by date Sort by reaction score 2
maytoseptember said:
I think women like ED who have grown up with massive privilege: wealth, private education, Oxbridge, told that they can achieve absolutely anything they want in life and then go on to do exactly that (also, unsurprisingly, aren’t usually able to acknowledge that their privilege and connections are the things that open doors for them, not necessarily sheer hard work and talent) find it incredibly difficult to accept that, for the first time in their lives, there is something that they can’t achieve and there’s nothing they can do about it. I say “achieve” rather than “have” because there’s a certain subset of highly educated woman who views motherhood as one more thing they can absolutely excel at.

Although infertility is desperately hard for any woman, it must be such a kick in the teeth for ED because she’s never really had to confront a closed door of this scale before. I suspect that’s the reason why she can’t appreciate what she does have over what she doesn’t, and why “failure” has become her personal brand.
Click to expand...

I have to say this the best summary of the whole thing. I’ve thought so much about it. I have empathy of the suffering but it’s the achievement/entitlement thing that nails this.
 
So a hectic work schedule then 😂
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7669.jpeg
    IMG_7669.jpeg
    24.1 KB · Views: 83
Sideboard Bob said:
The people we discuss on this thread have blurbs of glowing praise all over each other’s books, but I wonder if this kind of thing ever happens with them too?


www.independent.co.uk

Critics angry at ‘gross misrepresentation’ of reviews on Jordan Peterson book cover

Writers have pointed out the creative use of their words on the paperback cover of YouTube professor’s book
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
Click to expand...
I often wonder if the LLs who quote each other’s books actually read them :) Dolly’s not interested in anything but herself and no way Pandora reads like 10 books a month she’s put a quote on
 
Sideboard Bob said:
That’s a good point, it’s a whole other issue with their quotes! They’re often conveniently vague too.
Click to expand...
Yes re vagueness! I bet they haven't read them - these women are all super competitive and it would annoy them.

A really good friend of mine wrote a book and gave me a copy and I was genuinely thrilled for him (he's now written loads) but I started it and it was a bit of a 'boy' genre (I know this is an unfashionable way to describe it, but the sort of thing blokes read and very few women would want to read, YES I know I'm generalising) and I just couldn't get on with it so in the end I gave up and was honest with him. If I were famous and he'd asked me for a cover quote, of COURSE I'd have flicked through it and done a glowing one, having emailed him a suggestion or two first for him to okay.
 
soph30 said:
I often wonder if the LLs who quote each other’s books actually read them :) Dolly’s not interested in anything but herself and no way Pandora reads like 10 books a month she’s put a quote on
Click to expand...

Alan Carr briefly touched on this in his podcast a couple of years ago. He said he provided an endorsement quote for Tom Allen’s book based on just the first three chapters (that’s all the publisher sent him) so I think many quotes are based on excerpts or a quick skim through the book.
 
soph30 said:
I often wonder if the LLs who quote each other’s books actually read them :) Dolly’s not interested in anything but herself and no way Pandora reads like 10 books a month she’s put a quote on
Click to expand...

I actually think Pandora probably does read 10 books per month, it's easy to do when you have a full-time nanny and production team. But there's no way she would ever give a non-glowing review.
 
I read something years ago about the BS surrounding book and film reviews and how authors from the same publishing house will be pressured into providing luvvie quotes. Can see how if you’re pandora and don’t actually deserve a book deal based on merit, you might feel obliged to do whatever they ask.
 
garfield123 said:
I’m quite tempted by Stacey Duguid’s book - she’s a funny, honest writer
Click to expand...
Me too. I like her style. I was comparing her to Liz Fraser as both are newish single mums with two homes in nice places who complain about a lack of cash.
And yet Stacey is much more likeable and honest and interesting. I’m definitely interested in her book.
 
Status
Thread locked. We start a new thread when they have over 1000 posts, click the blue button to see all threads for this topic and find the latest open thread.
Back
Top