Keeping Calm and Carrying On since before it was cool

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Book Reviews

 This was great, an imagined account of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's life and career. I enjoyed the insight and it read very well - especially as the whole novel is in first person, something I normally find fairly tedious after a while.


 This was fantastic! I love Anthony Bourdain's travel show 'No Reservations' and really enjoy his narration and this is written in exactly the same wise cracking, arrogant style. It is excellent and makes the kitchens of restaurants seem like war zones and the ultimate playgrounds all rolled into one.

I was dubious about reading this as my initial reaction was that it was a 'misery memoir' packaged in a cleverer way. However, I saw Margaux Fragoso interviewed and I gave it a go. My initial reaction was right- this seemed to serve no purpose- it was not a survivors story in any meaningful way, nor was it fully believable. Parts of it were very graphic but it felt like it was trying to be deliberately provocative. Despite the fact that we follow Margaux from the age of 7 to 22, the book ended and I felt I still did not know her, and that I would be more discerning in my choices in future.

No comments:

Post a Comment