a collection of writings from didion through out her life.

my first didion! favourite chapter was “on being unchosen” 💌

I'm not sure how I even came across this audiobook, but I added it to my hold list, and listened to in two days. It's not something I would normally read, as it was short stories the author previously published. I wasn't a fan, and didn't enjoy it.

3.5 or 4 (?) cos I just didn’t care or know about American icons like Martha Stewart, but the more personal essays are really good. Most of her more well known essays can be quite chilly but this gives you a glimpse into her life a bit more.

i look forward to reading more of her work! my tentative favorites are Getting Serenity, Why I Write, Telling Stories, and Last Words.

I enjoyed and found interesting some of these essays, especially the ones on Hemingway and getting rejected from the college of your choice. The Hemingway one brought up some interesting ideas about what we should publish in regards to an authors unfinished works, especially if he may be unhappy with what he would consider the unfinished quality. The other, on getting rejected from the college of your choice mentions ideas that we seem to think of as new, the pressures of getting into good schools at a young age which then determines your future. This was written in the late sixties! Ultimately Didion writes about some interesting subjects but nothing to inspire the emotion of her best books.

First experience with Joan Didion and a great one. Her writing made me feel like I was in the same room where the story was taking place and, as a nosy queen, I loved that.

why i write made me cry? sometimes i feel like she’s managed to see into my brain Joan Didion you were magic

couldn't put it down, not even for a sec. this was great. so true, so honest, so intimate. love how she talks about her process on writing, the way she was vulnerable brings you closer to her, living with her, learning with her. my fave was the 'why i write'. and also, the way she praises hemingway like a fangirl makes me pick up something by him. truly amazing. second book i read by her, second win. she did no wrong in this one, in my opinion of course.

The collection lacks a theme beyond Joan Didion. But that is all you need for a collection of wonderful essays. The ones on Hemingway and Martha Stewart are fantastic