Our Shared Shelf discussion
MAR/APR-Women Who Run... (2017)
>
Difficult to Read
I totally loved Women who run with wolves. I actually have bought a couple of copies just to give to friends. Pinkola Estes says something super valuable to me: Women fail to trust their instincts and to a certain extent that has lead them down a slippery path... I actually used to read to my students the Bluebeard story and it always stirred up an interesting debate.
For me it's very difficult to read because....well, I'm very tech person. I prefer logical thinking, I don't believe in some special purpose for women, in some inner wild woman, in any mistery, actually. So when I was reading the introduction and first chapter it was like "OK, if nothing changes in next ~10 pages, I quit. That doesn't worth my time and I disagree with every single word in it". The only reason I went further because I'm interested in being an active part of this book club (or at least to try) and I've just joined. So giving up the very first book didn't seem right. Currently I'm reading analysis of Bluebeard and it's getting better. It's less misterious and more psycological. I still disagree with some ideas (e.g. that these fairy tales had all these ideas from the very beginning) but now it looks like maybe I'll be able to finish it. I still can't say it would be useful but who knows:)
Anna wrote: "For me it's very difficult to read because....well, I'm very tech person. I prefer logical thinking, I don't believe in some special purpose for women, in some inner wild woman, in any mistery, act..." I'm really glad you said that, because I am also really struggling with this one. I am also super practical, and the idea that there is some mystical interconnectedness rooted in female instinct is anathema to me. I'm trying, though. It doesn't help if I only read the stuff I agree with, so, onward....
I am also struggling to read this book. I tried but I can't pass from the first chapter. I became weary, and couldn't continue.
I was a bit sceptical at the beginning, because I'm also not a big fan on mystical stories and stuff that is somehow not explainable. But now I've read through the first 60 pages or so and I can't stop reading it any more. I feel so drawn to this book, because in this few pages there were already so many moments in which I thought "oh my god, yes, that is so true!" It's getting more and more psycological and to me it starts to reveal a whole new view on femininity and the female instincts. I'm really excited about the other stories.
Ok. I reached half of the book and gave up. I was reading, trying to ignore all the spiritual, trying to pretend that I don't have anything against it and extracting the main ideas buried under it. But the thing is, these ideas were extremely repetitive and definitely not new to me. I was pushing myself to a reading which I didn't like (ad nauseam, seriously) so much and it literally gave me nothing!
So I followed one of the things this book advised: I listened to my intuition and closed the book to never open again.
And moved to the next one.
I'm sure it was a right choice. There are different people, there are different ways to receive the information. My way is far from spiritual and I....actually, I've always been proud of it.
So if you're like me and always feel a little bit embarrassed about giving up on the book -- know that you're not alone. But if you really feel that this book helps you, that this is what you need -- I wish you good luck. Absolutely sincerely. Because if it makes you stronger, wiser and happier then nothing else matters:)
Just read the story of The Four Rabbinim. Don't quite understand what does this story mean. What does it want to tell us? Need to keep reading.
I was just reading that Elvin. Having been taken to the Seventh heaven they all reacted differently. The first lost his mind, the second didn't believe the third betrayed his faith and the fourth being a poet before wrote song after song. To my interpretation it symbolises what we do when given a "gift" in life - a success, a big accomplishment. Will we lose our mind, lose our true self, betray our strongest beliefs or be open enough to allow that gift to help us create something more beautiful. It is a powerful story and I was almost drawn to the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter) in comparison if that helps.
I have to agree that this is a pretty tough read. Like many people have said, it's rambling and repetitive and seems pretty unsubstaniated and hokey at times.For example, this sentence from Chapter 2: 'Because women have a soul-need to express them-selves in their own soulful ways, they must develop and blossom in ways that are sensible to them and without molestation from others.
There are a lot of sentences like this, which are wooly and unhelpful. What is a soul-need? What is your own soulful way? What's the difference between developing and blossoming so that both needed to be specified here? Why 'sensible'? Why 'molestation' rather than interference or censorship? What does this actually mean?
Keith wrote: " I have actually lined up another one on female psychology, just to see if it is the author’s style that is causing the problem rather than her philosophy."Out of interest, what's the other book you've lined up?
Keith wrote: "Goddesses in Everywoman."Thanks, it looks quite similar, so it may have similar problems. I hope it goes well.
OK, here's a paragraph which is a perfect example of what I'm finding difficult about this book:As women we call upon our intuition and instincts to sniff things out. We use all our senses to wring the truth from things, to extract nourishment from our own ideas, to see what there is to see, to know what there is to know, to be the keepers of our own creative fires, and to have intimate knowledge of the Life/Death/Life cycles of all nature - this is an initiated woman. (p. 76)
I don't understand what it means to use all our senses to wring nourishment from our own ideas? How do you wring nourishment from an idea? How does your sense of smell help with that task?
We use all our senses to see what there is to see? Surely by definition we only use one sense for that?
We use all our senses to have intimate knowledge of the life/death/life cycles of all nature? All nature? I barely understand the life cycle of mammals, nevermind all nature!
I'm finding this frustrating, and I wonder if there is some kind of Jungian symbolism or meaning in this that is just flying right over my head?
Nick wrote: "OK, here's a paragraph which is a perfect example of what I'm finding difficult about this book:As women we call upon our intuition and instincts to sniff things out. We use all our senses to wri..."
Nick, I can offer what this paragraph means to me in case it offers some insight that is helpful to you. This is very specific to my own experience and interpretation. I can't offer any guidance on Jungian symbolism, but I write as someone who does love this book. I do find it sometimes repetitive and dense, and the language has taken some getting used to, but I have found it deeply moving and transformative.
"Wringing nourishment from an idea". This speaks to me because I will have ideas that move or excite me in some way, but aren't actually constructive in my life. I think this happens because I come to feel jaded or disillusioned. And an idea for something I want to do will spring into mind while I'm daydreaming away my disillusionment (add it to the list of 50 different things I want to do with my life). I will be tempted to chase that idea down a rabbit hole, when actually, the truth behind that idea - why it popped into my head and why I want to chase it - is simply that I'm not happy and I'm trying to fill a gap in my life with anything to make the boredom or discomfort go away. Taking up painting in addition to yoga and swimming and cycling and photography and diving isn't going to change the fact that sitting in an office during the day makes me unhappy. And researching painting and artists instead of working while I'm in the office isn't going to help either, even if it excites me in that moment. Nor is going out and spending the money I made on art supplies and cluttering my house with more things I won't end up using. The truth behind that initial idea, if I could stop and listen to the truth, is that I need to make a fundamental change in my day-to-day life to find greater peace or fulfillment. And to act on that idea is only nourishing if I realise this and make that fundamental change. This is a very specific example as it relates to my own experience of her writing, because I'm trying to explain myself clearly by using an example, but I wouldn't pigeon-hole her meaning to something so specific. I suspect everyone's experience of this book is unique, and perhaps that is what makes her writing, which seems unclear to some, powerful. It provides room for interpretation as it relates to our own lives.
"We use all our senses to see what there is to see?" Would this have been more meaningful to you if she had said "we use all our senses to know what there is to know about an experience"? I think we (all genders) do use more than just our sight in any given moment, and I assume in this line that she is using the word 'see' more generally than to just refer to eyesight. I'm happy to give her creative license to use 'see' in that way. I accept it doesn't work for all readers.
"... the intimate life/death/life cycles of all nature". I think that this life/death/life cycle she constantly refers to encompasses all types of cycles that exist, not just life cycles or organisms. The life/death/life cycle simply means that things will come and go. All that happens, in everything that we know to exist, happens in cycles, like a sine wave. Whether it be an emotion (we have ups and downs), a life (we are all born and will pass, and someone/thing new will be born), the moon around the earth and sun (we see the phases of the sun as a waxing (growing) and waning (diminishing)). They are cycles. To have an intimate knowledge of the life/death/life cycle is to accept that all things come to pass, and that new things will come to be. In accepting that all things come to pass, we learn to live with and accept the various cycles that affect us individually, even if we don't want them. We learn to accept and recognise when there's a point in time that we need to let something go, rather than keep trying to cling to it or hold on. Or we learn how to find peace when someone or something dies. Or simply to be accepting and kind to ourselves when our own emotions fluctuate and we find ourselves in another depressive slump (for anyone that does suffer depression).
I can appreciate your frustration. I do find some passages hard to follow, and have found some ideas to be repetitive (truth is, I started this book in January, just by coincidence, and I'm still working on finishing it). Overall though, her words have made me feel supremely understood, and given me permission to be accepting of myself, and find greater balance and peace in my life. I hope her words can do this for more people. I hope my experience of her words provides something useful to you.
For the record, for other readers, I am from a scientific background, and I still love this book. So don't assume it's not for you if you're scientifically minded. Apologies for such a long reply.
Jenny, thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I appreciate you taking the time to go into the way that book speaks to you.I get the impression that perhaps it's better to approach her writing as a sort of poetry? It's very inspiring the way that you describe how the book makes you feel. You mention acceptance and feeling understood. I wonder if perhaps this prose is intended more as an impressionistic brushwork to help one feel the beautiful possibilities, rather than an objective roadmap to reaching them?
in my experience, our senses can be utilized in various ways that often are not linear. for example, when i speak to someone about a problem i'm having, it's like i'm hearing it through their ears. this often helps give me perspective, clarity, and realization that i wouldn't otherwise get from simply thinking about it on my own.i also believe this is what estes means by using all your senses, such as 'sniffing out' something. it may not be a literal smell that is being investigated, but something that resonates at a more animal level within us.
i remember reading that humans have had all the animal instincts through the ages, but technology, ways of living, and being forced to think and do what goes against those instincts (clean your plate! - even if you're no longer hungry. you don't know what you're talking about! - even when you sense something is amiss. you're crazy! - denying what you know in your heart or soul is a truth) have whittled those instincts down to nearly nothing.
i think part of what this book encourages us to do is get back in touch with those instincts, and to trust them. there is no scientific nor psychological 'evidence' that can be brought forth to explain instincts. they simply are, right down to our bones, embedded into our souls.
it takes great courage and determination to find and honor them. anyone looking for proofs in this book will, i think, be thwarted, frustrated, and may ultimately be turned off. men have instincts as well, and, while this book speaks to women, i think it has value for men in reclaiming their own wild man spirit.
Sandra wrote: "in my experience, our senses can be utilized in various ways that often are not linear. for example, when i speak to someone about a problem i'm having, it's like i'm hearing it through their ears...."Sandra, your comment is very interesting, and I think you have a very similar style to Clarissa Pinkola Estes, so I'm afraid I don't quite always understand you. What does it mean to use your senses in a linear or non-linear fashion? How could one taste or smell linearly?
I quite agree with your point that talking over our problems with others is very useful, and it's good to see their perspective! 'Hearing through their ears' is, of course, a metaphor. So I guess you're saying that we should interpret the book more as symbolic or poetic rather than analytic or instructive?
i think you're absolutely right that Estes is encouraging readers to get in touch with their instincts, and it's a very valuable message. I hope that some scientists will be able to bring forth evidence, but you are right that it's not to be found in this book!
to me, linear means straightforward. i see with my eyes, touch with my skin, hear with my ears, etc. non-linear is 'out of the box', if you will. have you ever tasted the night? smelled the sun? touched a rainbow? heard the silence? seen the magic? i have done all these things. it's extending our senses to be more than concrete, more than linear.hearing through others' ears is, to me, very real. when i say something and see a flash of recognition in another's eyes, a nod of a head, hear an agreement or otherwise, i am hearing what i said through the way they heard it - through their ears. it enhances my own perception of what i'm saying, what i want to convey, what i need to clarify or realize.
'see their perspective' rather than noting or understanding their perspective - that's non-linear. we can see it in our minds rather than with our eyes. what sound does the color blue make? red? yellow? they're all different, individual, personal.
i cannot sleep in a red room because i can feel the very strong vibes of that color and they are disturbing to me. i don't feel those vibes with my skin/hands/fingers, but with my essence. for others, that color may be invigorating or soothing. not to me.
i believe that interpreting this book is a visceral, gut-level adventure. the analysis comes from within rather than from the sentences. the instruction provided is 'known' the same way the wolf mother 'knows' how to train her cubs to survive. this book will be understood by those who are ready to turn inward for knowledge, rather than outward, in my opinion. that's how i understand it. i can't always explain it, though.
I wouldn't say I'm having trouble per se, but I hate this book so far. I'm 45 pages in and that doesn't bode well. I have read other works that I felt were dense, but still really liked. I just feel like it is plodding along. I feel like everything is repeated ad nauseum.
At this point, I feel like the only reason that I am still reading is because I feel like I'm supposed to be. I feel like I'm supposed to be reading it, because it's the book club book. I feel like I'm supposed to be reading it because I paid money for it (as opposed to a library book). I feel like I'm supposed to be reading it because it's supposed to be this great book.
But I just realized in writing this that I am making myself miserable. I do a lot of reading and a lot of sewing. I have no time to spend wasting my time reading a book I'm not enjoying or finding to be helpful, instructive, or valuable. It's one thing for me to say, I don't know if I like this book, I have said that before and sometimes ended up not finishing. I have hardly ever said, "I hate this book." I am starting to feel my hackles raise just looking at it. So, to me, this book needs to get moved to the DNF pile (Do Not Finish). Maybe in a few years, I'll try again. But right now, even if there is some wonderful nugget hidden in this book, I'm not going to find it, because I can't even focus on what I'm reading, I'm just feeling so much loathing when I pick it up. I think at this point I am going to find someone in this group that needs the book. I'd rather turn this bad experience into a positive. I want to send it to someone else and hopefully they will get something from this book.
I guess the point of this long post (besides helping me work out some things while writing) is to say,
hey, anyone else who isn't liking this book- that's okay. You can not like it. You can decide you don't like it and you don't want to finish. If you want to try longer, that's fine, too. But, maybe no matter how hard you try this won't be the right book for you right now, and that's okay.
Sandra wrote: "to me, linear means straightforward. i see with my eyes, touch with my skin, hear with my ears, etc. non-linear is 'out of the box', if you will. have you ever tasted the night? smelled the sun? to..."Sandra, that's so interesting. It's sounds like you have synaethesia! Lots of great composers have had synaethesia and would see colours when they were listening to music.
Sandra wrote: "'see their perspective' rather than noting or understanding their perspective - that's non-linear."
Thanks for making the effort to explain this. I honestly think there might be too big a chasm between how we understand the world. I don't understand what 'see their perspective' means here other than 'understand their perspective'. I do appreciate you attempts to explain the difference, but as far as I can experience, whenever I see a flash of recognition in anothers eyes, or a nod of their head, then we're understanding each other, not using each others senses. It's really cool that it's different for you, though!
Sandra wrote: "'i believe that interpreting this book is a visceral, gut-level adventure. the analysis comes from within rather than from the sentences."
I think you're absolutely right! For me analysis happens in the mind, not in the guts, so I'm maybe I'm not going to understand this book. :(
Danielle wrote: "I have hardly ever said, "I hate this book." I am starting to feel my hackles raise just looking at it."Yes, same! It's more that I keep reaching sentences that are just nonsense and think: 'What is this even supposed to mean!' and get really aggravated.
Nick wrote: "Jenny, thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I appreciate you taking the time to go into the way that book speaks to you.I get the impression that perhaps it's better to approach her writi..."
Thank you for your reply Nick! I like your thoughts on her work being poetic, and perhaps more of a piece of work to help people feel the possibilities rather than an objective roadmap to reaching them. I have felt at times that I want more guidance from her writing, and I'm looking for clearer steps that I can follow to the possibilities that she's made me believe are out there. Even without these steps explicitly laid out for me though, I realise now that just through reading her words and realising I'm not alone in my experiences that the book brings me peace because in a way it has given me permission, and therefore allowed me to give myself permission, to go through whatever I go through.
Sandra's comments are very interesting to me too, and perhaps not surprisingly, Sandra, the way you describe your experience of her writing resonates strongly with me too. It feels very much like how I experience reading Women Who Run With The Wolves. I strongly relate to the whittling away of instinct and intuition, and am on my journey of trying to claim them back.
This book is metaphorical. I enjoy the poetic nature of her descriptions, and I enjoy thinking in metaphors, so ultimately it works for me. But hearing how different people respond to Estés' writing and experience it is fascinating and educational for me. I love being able to have this discussion.
Nick wrote: "Jenny, thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I appreciate you taking the time to go into the way that book speaks to you.I get the impression that perhaps it's better to approach her writi..."
Keith, I'm so pleased there was something useful for you in my comment. Your comment got me wondering if going through some counseling and psychologist sessions (as I have) has opened my mind up to Estés' way of writing. I wonder too whether, if I had opened up this book 5 years ago before I started regularly attending yoga and tried speaking with a psychologist, it would have been completely inaccessible to me. I do think it's an aspect of personality that affects how people respond to this book, and the poetic metaphorical spiritual side of me loves Women Who Run With The Wolves, but I suspect too that yoga and sessions with a psychologist prepped my mind in a way to be able to make more sense of Estés' writing (maybe they just opened up that spiritual side of me more).
I'm very interested to look at the other writing you've been referencing when I have time.
Danielle wrote: "I wouldn't say I'm having trouble per se, but I hate this book so far. I'm 45 pages in and that doesn't bode well. I have read other works that I felt were dense, but still really liked. I just f..."
Should is a dangerous word. You shouldn't do anything that makes you feel horrible unless you really know that there is a greater good behind that action, i.e. it is going to serve you best in the long run. I respect your decision to pass the book on. xx
All I've been trying to do is take my time with WWRWTW. I'm finding a lot of it interesting but some of it a little indulgent. I think you have to approach this text with patience, and be open to what she's discussing. Not everyone will have the same response to it, but perhaps that's the beauty of it. I'm only JUST halfway through the main body of the book and I've already had a few profound moments. I take my time with the repetitive language and often pause and reflect on what I've read. I just wish I could take it in quicker! So many more books to get through...
i certainly understand how some people might not 'get' this book, and that it would be useless for them to try. no harm in that, no blame, no shame. there are many of the books here that i can't read because no matter the courage, determination, and ultimate triumph of women throughout the ages over horrendous circumstances, reading, picturing, and feeling what they went through is far too distressing for me.what is one person's nugget of gold certainly can be another's lump of coal. what a lovely discussion this has turned out to be.
Elaine wrote: "I struggled with the introduction. I'm on chapter 3 now and I've adjusted to the writing now. The stories and her interpretations are really interesting, though, she does repeat herself quite a bit."I agree with Elaine, I'm not someone to put down a book with little intention to pick it up again at a later time. But the introduction actually almost made me do this.... It also showed me that I'm not too interested into analytical psychology and couldn't really connect to some of the things the author explained nor (fully) accept some of her arguments. Maybe I'm not open enough for it? Or the phrasing of the author's analogies just irks me a bit, thus maintaining a (unconscious perhaps?) bias against some of it?
I guess it's not just the repetitiveness but also the idea that some of her arguments are contradicting to what I read just one or two chapters before. Which makes me doubt if I understood it correctly the first time or if I read it incorrectly just now.
I do actually really like as well how she connects the stories, fairytales and folklore to real life examples, though I feel I'm still missing what the 'Wild Woman' signifies for me. It is a slow read, but after a few chapters I was actually on a roll and read quite a bit. Though I also read other comments where people put down the book when they were halfway through. I'm about there now so I'm wondering what made others put it down and if this will happen to me in a few pages as well :p
Odette wrote: " I feel I'm still missing what the 'Wild Woman' signifies for me.."Yes, I had that problem too. I think it's because 'wild' in my mind has sort of savage or uncontrolled connotations, but I think Estes is using it more to mean natural. She talks a lot about intuition and instinct, which I think is related to her idea of 'wildness'.
Take the Manawee story where the two sisters represent wild woman, and they just live with their father. At first I couldn't see anything wild about that and the story seemed incongruous. But if we accept that your wild woman is your inner woman or true self or something like that then it works a bit better.
I like the myths but not the side comments, they go on too long. I think it's too hard to follow and I kind of just liked the idea of the myths, not so much the commentary.
Well I for one have already moved on to the next book. This one came due at the library, and I just felt zero incentive to renew it for these last couple days. Spoiler alert: the next book is better so far.
I also am having the hardest time trying to turn the pages of this book, I'm only halfway through La Loba. In addition to what Anna, Nick, Danielle, Keith said above, I find the following things hard to swallow:Every woman is derived from the "wild woman archetype".
"we" and "us" are used when addressing the reader, for instance something like "there is a wild woman within us" (not a sentence from the book, just for illustration. Did the author only intend women to read this book?
Ashwin wrote: "Did the author only intend women to read this book?"Hard to say. It's part of the problem, really. It's not clear if it's meant to be a self-help book or an analysis of fairytales or what?
This is so weird. When this book was first published, i devoured it. It so resonated deep within me. It sang to me! All the jungian self analysis and archetypical references energized me. I recommended it to everyone i knew. And now 20 some odd years later, i struggle with it. Only on pg 67. I've had it from the library through 2 renewals and still don't pick it up. I read everyday, usually average 5 books a week. I'm just not reading this one. So along with not all books being a good for everyone, i feel that the personal timing is important too. I find that i often revisit a book i've put aside, and really like it the second or third visit, really experience a literary moment. I probably won't persevere too much longer ( i think i'm out of renewals) and will maybe give it a glance in a little while.Re whether its a self help book i think the author is just sharing a different way to look at things, all inner connected through stories.
And i think it may have impacted differently depending on where you are in your self discovery journey and where on the continuum your feminism is being born and nurtured. The 70's and 80's were a different time.
I finished it, but I feel really mixed about it.
I am really curious to know whether Emma Watson finished reading the book and what her thoughts are. I think this is the first time a book on OSS is getting negative reactions to such an extent.
Ashwin wrote: "I am really curious to know whether Emma Watson finished reading the book and what her thoughts are. I think this is the first time a book on OSS is getting negative reactions to such an extent."I was asking myself the same thing. I would love for her to post a personal review of the book to see if she struggled as much as us in relating to the stories and the author's analysis of them.
I've only just started reading this book. I find it to be similarly laid out to several books I read in university, which were difficult for me to plow through! As a professor once explained, sometimes it's easier to read the book, and THEN go back to read the introduction. In this case, I've decided to do that. I was reading the introduction and was starting to feel like it might be giving so much information that the stories would begin to feel repetitive. So I jumped ahead to the first chapter and will come back to the introduction to tie it all together when I finish! Here's hoping that makes this an easier read to get through!
Congrats on reading the whole thing, Keith. I have rather shamefully given up!
Keith wrote: Thank you - it felt like climbing a mountain (or fording a stream...)
I can forget about it now; apart from Life/Death/Life...................."
I feel like those words are going to haunt my dreams for the rest of my life... O.o
Nick wrote: "Odette wrote: " I feel I'm still missing what the 'Wild Woman' signifies for me.."Yes, I had that problem too. I think it's because 'wild' in my mind has sort of savage or uncontrolled connotatio..."
Yeah, I think that's what she means as well, but it would have been nice, in my opinion at least, if she would at least have explained this. Or does it mean that I've got all other sorts of problems for not getting that the Wild Woman is my true self or I'm possibly in sync with my Wild Woman without knowing it? :p
Keith wrote: "Or, is it none of the above and have I missed the point all together?
As well as her writing style, which I find oddly prosaic for a story teller, she meanders around the subject matter within a chapter, constantly repeating herself (If I read “Life/Death/Life” one more time, I am going to run screaming... "
Hahaha, you voiced exactly what I felt! Why do academic papers and books have to be so long winded and difficult? And in this case it did almost feel like a never-ending story, but a less fun version for adults..... Luckily I'm almost done with this book!
Judy wrote: "This is so weird. When this book was first published, i devoured it. It so resonated deep within me. It sang to me! All the jungian self analysis and archetypical references energized me. I recomme..."This is amazing: I'm reading this book for the first time and it has the exact same effect to me. It really touches me and reveals feelings and thoughts I never thought I might have about myself. And I think you're absolutely right about the timing. I also think wether you can somehow relate to this book or even find it good or bad depends on everybody's own way of dealing with oneself. Actually, it touched me big time so far. I'm rethinking so much that's been going on in my life and I started a crazy and emotional journey. We'll see, where it takes me... But I am really thankful that this book club brought me and this book together.
Keith wrote: "I am not sure about the personal review idea. Yes, I would love to read Emma's reviews and, yes, I would love her to become a little more involved in OSS (I can understand why this is not the case), but I feel some would just hang on her every word and not give much thought about coming to their own understanding of a book's content and philosophy. To learn, you have to question and not just follow."I agree with you that people are quite likely to do just that, but in that case I do not really see the point of them reading the book in the first place - I'm not too concerned that it would affect the "serious" readers.
And yes, I would love for Emma to be more involved too, which is exactly why I think it'd be great if, after the two months of reading the book, she posted her review of it. I would really find it interesting to see what she thinks of the books she picked after reading them!
For me it's easy. It's an anthropological book, what do you want? Read more of these and you will get use to it.
Emma is involved seems to me she always provides a review through her description of the book and like for handmaiden asks questions to expand on the material. As I see it this is a feminist book club owned and operated by Emma yes, but she is also just one of the feminists here we the contributors are what it is about the far reaching questions; what feminist is and how it can bring equality for women.
Also She often contributes in other ways making comments about OSS and heforshe actually in interviews and of course she uses our questions in author interviews and book suggestion.
she selects different styles and view points for the books she selects giving different perspectives. That all takes time and consideration.
Much as I would personally love to chat to Emma this is not the forum for it. So In my opinion she has the balance right. If anyone has questions of a more specific type there are always the mods they will take DM, if it is relevant to a discussion.
Merveilleux d'avoir commentaires bilingues! :)Wonderful to have bilingual comments! :)
the beginning was full of descriptions but after it was qute fascinatingwrong book, i was talking about the handmaid's tale
Florence wrote: "Je suis fière de moi, j'ai fini de lire ce livre hier soir!Ce livre était dur à lire mais il m'a fait comprendre pas mal de choses sur moi, mes ressentis, mes craintes...
J'aime beaucoup ce livre ..."
I've finished the book a few days ago and, just like Florence, I'm proud of me. It was difficult in some ways, but also a deep, inspiring reading, and I liked a lot all the stories and the positivity of the messages from the author.
Florence wrote: "Ying Ying wrote: "Merveilleux d'avoir commentaires bilingues! :)Wonderful to have bilingual comments! :)"
Je trouve cela très intéressant de pouvoir discuter dans deux langues différentes :).
To..."
Cool thing is that I can understand what the comments mean mostly although I can't speak French. Italian, Latin and English, my tools to unlock French:)
This is completely random, and not to sound completely idiotic but does anyone know if there are two different versions of this book? or if they just re-issued it with a new cover in 2008? I'm seeing two different covers and don't know if they're two different stories or just covers
Tabitha wrote: "This is completely random, and not to sound completely idiotic but does anyone know if there are two different versions of this book? or if they just re-issued it with a new cover in 2008? I'm seei..."Same book, but different editions:)
I'm from Brazil too! I'm glad to see you girls here!
So, I just started this book yesterday and I think I will have some difficults in finish it :( but I will persist and finish it anyway!
What if we create a topic or something in Portuguese? Can we?
I'm writing here, but it is a big effort for me , so if we can write in portuguese maybe it can be an incentive for us keeping reading.