Author: Joanna Biggs
Narrator: Hannah Curtis
Playback: 9hrs 20m
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: NonFiction
First published: May 16, 2023
Book description: Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by the New York Times , The Week , Vulture, Elle, and The Millions A piercing blend of memoir, criticism, and biography examining how women writers across the centuries carved out intellectual freedom for themselves—and how others might do the same I took off my wedding ring for the last time—a gold band with half a line of “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath etched inside—and for weeks afterwards, my thumb would involuntarily reach across my palm for the warm bright circle that had gone. I didn’t fling the ring into the long grass, like women do in the movies, but a feeling began bubbling up nevertheless, from my stomach to my it could fling my arms out. I was free. . . . A few years into her marriage and feeling societal pressure to surrender to domesticity, Joanna Biggs found herself longing for a different kind of existence. Was this all there was? She divorced without knowing what would come next. Newly untethered, Joanna returned to the free-spirited writers of her youth and was soon reading in a fever—desperately searching for evidence of lives that looked more like her own, for the messiness and freedom, for a possible blueprint for intellectual fulfillment.
Review:
I recently finished reading a book that I absolutely enjoyed! It gave me a deep understanding of the lives of women through the works of iconic authors. I feel like I learned so much and want to revisit so many of the books I haven't read before. The author did an amazing job of weaving her own story throughout the text, which made it even more enjoyable to read. I thought it was such a powerful message, showing that divorce or leaving a man does not mean the end for a woman. She still can have a successful career and her success is not only linked to a marriage or children. You are not a failure or too old to decide to leave a marriage. I also appreciated the author's exploration of what a marriage or relationship looks like that supports writers, as well as her examination of mother/daughter relationships and friendships among women. There were so many connections to be made within the text!
The audiobook was a good option but I would probably have enjoyed it more if I had the physical copy so I could annotate it and make it easier to make a list of the amazing works referenced here that I feel like adding to my TBR. If a book induces you to look for more books and feel passionate about an author's life - I could it as a success. I'll admit that I just found this story to drag, it felt very interesting but then it went on for so long and I had to force myself to get back to it. I feel the miss is due to the format more than the theme.
This was used for the challenge:
Published 2023
NonFiction
Feminist or main topic of woman empowerment
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