Put me in the camp of Katie Roiphe fans. In particular, I love what she has to say about the state of modern child-rearing (and she makes me very glad I don't live in New York City, where parenting sounds like even more of an earnest, exhausting and unnecessary competition than it is elsewhere).

I also agree with the idea of there being merit in what she calls a messy life. While my idea of a healthy "mess" is never going to be all-night parties, adultery and/or alcoholism (Roiphe comes across as somewhat wistful for that sort of thing), I gladly embrace the "mess" of enjoying sweets and cheese and even (gasp) the occasional trip through a fast-food drive-through. Roiphe is spot-on when she says the current preoccupation with health is, well, often BORING. She would probably disagree with me that part of the problem is also that this cultural obsession with physical health has detracted from a needed focus on spiritual virtue--but just stating that the zealous health nuts need to lighten up was good to hear from someone with Roiphe's platform.

That said, I see where her detractors are coming from in other ways. Anyone who is a fan of the sort of prose that John Updike and his generation of writers use to describe sex isn't someone I'd probably do well having coffee with (in fact, she makes me ready to finally tackle David Foster Wallace, whom she sets up in opposition to the Updike tribes). And her essay reflecting on how she stole a college friend's boyfriend reinforced that impression. But when writing about modern pop and literary culture she's smart and provocative in what I think are all the right ways. I definitely plan to read more of her work.