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zoethydear1850's review against another edition
5.0
So vulnerable and stunning. The perfect to read into the night.
whats_margaret_reading's review against another edition
4.0
The short semi-autobrographical essays in Legs Get Led Astray vary from minimalistic to complex, from stories of past relationships to stories of her apartment building collapsing. These essays are at times not for the faint of heart, but the raw emotions portrayed in Caldwell's work are authentic. In other words, this is what Lena Dunham wants to be but what Caldwell manages to pull off without pretension.
(One issue I have with this collection is that the narrator states that these are autobiographical, but I'm not 100% sure that there is not a distinction between Chloe the author and Chloe the narrator. For now I will assume that they one essentially the same.)
Chloe Caldwell lives in a highly literary world, with her brother and his friends working at the Strand and the keeping of a typewriter in the bathroom for use thoughts. Caldwell's essays reflect her tumultuous teenage years as well as her relationships and interactions with others as she gets older. She writes about snooping in her mothers diaries, her time in Berlin, and her early twenties bouncing between New York City and the Pacific Northwest.
While airing frequently on the grittier side, Caldwell's prose is complete with the emotions of someone who is finding (and quite spectacularly found) her voice in her early twenties.
(One issue I have with this collection is that the narrator states that these are autobiographical, but I'm not 100% sure that there is not a distinction between Chloe the author and Chloe the narrator. For now I will assume that they one essentially the same.)
Chloe Caldwell lives in a highly literary world, with her brother and his friends working at the Strand and the keeping of a typewriter in the bathroom for use thoughts. Caldwell's essays reflect her tumultuous teenage years as well as her relationships and interactions with others as she gets older. She writes about snooping in her mothers diaries, her time in Berlin, and her early twenties bouncing between New York City and the Pacific Northwest.
While airing frequently on the grittier side, Caldwell's prose is complete with the emotions of someone who is finding (and quite spectacularly found) her voice in her early twenties.
booksellingandbagels's review against another edition
5.0
I think my favorite parts were the lack of pronouns used to refer to Caldwell's lovers and friends and the essays on her interactions with children. A fast, engaging read. Not what I expected. Some poetic sentences for certain. Extremely honest. I can't wait to see what Caldwell writes next.
starnosedmole's review against another edition
3.0
Caldwell's collection of personal essays read like intimate prose poems, raw and vulnerable. Although her tales of a twentysomething woman in Brooklyn (and other cities) are often predictable, her writing feels fresh and maybe too honest, like conversation a few drinks in at a bar. I'd love to see Caldwell tackle a novel or a script.
jillrisberg's review against another edition
4.0
not as clean as i’ll tell you in person but still tasty
chidseyca's review against another edition
3.0
I am very conflicted about this book. Part of me thinks this is raw and honest and part of me just wants her to mature faster. I think? I don't think her book is immature though...I enjoyed reading it, but I think her writing will be much better in five years when she's developed more as a person. But I realize this is unfair because whose writing is really "developed" or really "self-aware" in their twenties? I think she just needs to have more experiences that aren't typical drugs/sex/drinking/displaced middle class white girl in the City, etc. Of course that's who she is and she's writing about the present, so I can't fault her for that. She also was 22 when she published her first book (not this one) so what do I know?
shanz77's review against another edition
4.0
This collection is really beautiful. I am really glad I read this. Chloe's work makes me very happy.