UK Literary Luvvies #3 Logistical reasons mean the only recommendations I have are Greek cleaning products

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I have really mixed feelings about Caroline. She's a really great writer, she has a turn of phrase and ways of putting things that is really smart. Her writing is often very insightful too.

On the podcasts, there is an awful lot to be admired. It was a very smart idea to have a podcast that examines all the "uncool" things that women often like and are maybe derided for. She has a really incisive knack of being able to nail how a certain film book or trend sits within the culture of that time. For example her podcast on skinny jeans is a really interesting and entertaining discussion about how skinny jeans were a product of a certain societal thing, and how they had a stranglehold on fashion (literally) for so long.

But but but

At times, the podcast descends into the most tiresome annoying circle jerk that can be heard anywhere. Her "cool girl" persona is extremely grating. Oh I wore a blue wedding dress, aren't I so cool and different. I boast about smoking fags, aren't I so cool and different. I'm not afraid to laugh soooo loudly and unselfconsciously at me and my friend's jokes, aren't we all just the best craic.

Another thing that annoys me is her attitude to class. She will often comment on the class structures within her adopted home, and she likes to trumpet how down to earth she is, and of course (like all of the luvvies) she has that story about having borrow money to make rent one time.

What she doesn't bleat about is the fact that she comes from a very comfortable background herself, some would say very privileged. Cork has just one fee paying girls' school, and she went there.
 
Goujon said:
I have really mixed feelings about Caroline. She's a really great writer, she has a turn of phrase and ways of putting things that is really smart. Her writing is often very insightful too.

On the podcasts, there is an awful lot to be admired. It was a very smart idea to have a podcast that examines all the "uncool" things that women often like and are maybe derided for. She has a really incisive knack of being able to nail how a certain film book or trend sits within the culture of that time. For example her podcast on skinny jeans is a really interesting and entertaining discussion about how skinny jeans were a product of a certain societal thing, and how they had a stranglehold on fashion (literally) for so long.

But but but

At times, the podcast descends into the most tiresome annoying circle jerk that can be heard anywhere. Her "cool girl" persona is extremely grating. Oh I wore a blue wedding dress, aren't I so cool and different. I boast about smoking fags, aren't I so cool and different. I'm not afraid to laugh soooo loudly and unselfconsciously at me and my friend's jokes, aren't we all just the best craic.

Another thing that annoys me is her attitude to class. She will often comment on the class structures within her adopted home, and she likes to trumpet how down to earth she is, and of course (like all of the luvvies) she has that story about having borrow money to make rent one time.

What she doesn't bleat about is the fact that she comes from a very comfortable background herself, some would say very privileged. Cork has just one fee paying girls' school, and she went there.
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The class thing is always so interesting to me, she talks about it like she’s some wise impartial observer of an alien species. Ireland absolutely has a class system, even if it’s less nuanced or historic than in England/the UK.

I’m not Irish but I have family who are and to my ears there is a very definite concept of ‘having notions’ if you do things that are above where your social standing is considered to be…
 
Goujon said:
I have really mixed feelings about Caroline. She's a really great writer, she has a turn of phrase and ways of putting things that is really smart. Her writing is often very insightful too.

On the podcasts, there is an awful lot to be admired. It was a very smart idea to have a podcast that examines all the "uncool" things that women often like and are maybe derided for. She has a really incisive knack of being able to nail how a certain film book or trend sits within the culture of that time. For example her podcast on skinny jeans is a really interesting and entertaining discussion about how skinny jeans were a product of a certain societal thing, and how they had a stranglehold on fashion (literally) for so long.

But but but

At times, the podcast descends into the most tiresome annoying circle jerk that can be heard anywhere. Her "cool girl" persona is extremely grating. Oh I wore a blue wedding dress, aren't I so cool and different. I boast about smoking fags, aren't I so cool and different. I'm not afraid to laugh soooo loudly and unselfconsciously at me and my friend's jokes, aren't we all just the best craic.

Another thing that annoys me is her attitude to class. She will often comment on the class structures within her adopted home, and she likes to trumpet how down to earth she is, and of course (like all of the luvvies) she has that story about having borrow money to make rent one time.

What she doesn't bleat about is the fact that she comes from a very comfortable background herself, some would say very privileged. Cork has just one fee paying girls' school, and she went there.
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I find it so triggering listening to her talk about clothes because everything she slates is everything I wear 😂😂
 
queenamber said:
I find it so triggering listening to her talk about clothes because everything she slates is everything I wear 😂😂
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You take no notice and keep striding around in your skinny jeans and v necked t shirt.

I do find it slightly cringe that they are all so very desperate not to be left behind in fashion and to be cool and young, cool and young, cool and young rather than have their own developed style that mostly evades trends.

I say this all bitterly from my pile of skinny jeans.
 
Love_hate_small_town said:
You take no notice and keep striding around in your skinny jeans and v necked t shirt.

I do find it slightly cringe that they are all so very desperate not to be left behind in fashion and to be cool and young, cool and young, cool and young rather than have their own developed style that mostly evades trends.

I say this all bitterly from my pile of skinny jeans.
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Elizabeth Day dresses 20 yrs younger than she is
 
…insufferable?
 

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Long time lurker here. I find it quite interesting that when great authors die (as has happened recently with Paul Auster and Alice Munro), that Elizabeth Day, Dolly, Caroline, Daisy etc don't acknowledge their death on social media. It seems as if a writer doesn't exist within their social milieu, they actually don't exist. As a caveat, I really enjoyed Dolly's last novel and Caroline's also. But Alice Munro really was one of the greatest writers of our time. And as her work is so female based (as in it really reflects the hidden aspects and all stages of women's lives), I would have thought they would have acknowledged her work and her influence . As I say she was an incredible writer.
 
Goujon said:
The only writer from the previous generation that the latest pack recognise is Marian Keyes. They all have to go kiss the ring of that hag so that they get a nice testimonial from her to put on the back of the book

"Writer X is a talent to watch - I loved every word" - Marian Keyes
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I am also a fan of Marian Keyes. She is very much in the Maeve Binchy tradition. You could argue that if it weren't for writers like Maeve or Alice Munro, Sally Rooney would never have been published. I admire Rooney greatly. Marian Keyes is in their social milieu. So I guess that proves my original point. And indeed as many people have pointed out in this thread, it just a mutual backslapping group.
 
I'm not having a dig at her writing, it's just that Marian Keyes crowned herself the queen of Twitter, so now any wannabe luvvie has to worship at her altar.

There is a slightly comparable crop of young female irish writers , of which Sally Rooney is the undisputed queen. Rooney and the others who are in her slipstream (Megan Nolan, Louise Nealon et al) seem to keep a pretty low profile.

Who is a total insufferable LL is that dose Sophie White
 
Goujon said:
I'm not having a dig at her writing, it's just that Marian Keyes crowned herself the queen of Twitter, so now any wannabe luvvie has to worship at her altar.

There is a slightly comparable crop of young female irish writers , of which Sally Rooney is the undisputed queen. Rooney and the others who are in her slipstream (Megan Nolan, Louise Nealon et al) seem to keep a pretty low profile.

Who is a total insufferable LL is that dose Sophie White
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Oh yes I really agree with you. Love Megan Nolan. And if anybody wants to read an amazing book by a non literary luvie, whom also happens to be Irish, I would direct you to Trespasses by Louise Kennedy.
 
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