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froggoz13's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
2.75
This book disappointed me because I've heard so many great things about it. The writer just keeps complaining about how heartbroken she is and the aspects of how depression feels and it's so dragged out. Sometimes I feel like the writing is unnecessarily edgy as well. There are some good bits but even with 99 pages the book felt too long.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, and Cursing
Minor: Car accident
romeri's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
thalia16's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
dearbhlanoonan's review
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
stephen_reads's review against another edition
fast-paced
2.0
Unpleasantly vulgar, unexpectedly racist, and randomly (suddenly) ableist.
Why has everyone been recommending this book as the pinnacle of creative non-fiction?
It even reminded me that I could be reading a much better book that aimed to accomplish a similar goal (Derek Jarman’s ‘Chroma’).
Not a 1 star simply because the language was gripping enough to keep me reading, but otherwise this was such a miss.
Why has everyone been recommending this book as the pinnacle of creative non-fiction?
It even reminded me that I could be reading a much better book that aimed to accomplish a similar goal (Derek Jarman’s ‘Chroma’).
Not a 1 star simply because the language was gripping enough to keep me reading, but otherwise this was such a miss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Grief
Minor: Ableism
sirhe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
This is an interesting collection of mini essays that take a poetic shape. Not only is Maggie Nelson talking about blue objects and blue things in American pop culture, but she is also inserting herself into these reflection as someone who is experiencing blues and needs help overcoming them.
Unfortunately, all of the references make the reading tideous for people who weren't born in the 70's or are not as familiar with Americana. Prepare to do a lot of Googling and maybe a second read to absorb all of the information.
Mostly, Nelson makes connections between herself and Joni Mitchell. There is also mention of Leonard Cohen, but no references to any blues artists or legends. Nelson also depends on a lot of quotes from other writers, mostly from Goethe and Ralph Waldo Emerson. These are usually enjambed into the essays or are presented as fragment, without any connective tissue.
As a person that hates blue, this book did not convert me, but I do appreciate the color a bit more now. Some of the most beautiful passages highlight how blue is a representation of the divine darkness and the ones about the Blue Satin Bowerbird show that the appreciation of blue extends into the the animal kingdom.
For Nelson, Blue is hope, isolation, wonder, introspection, death, desire, heartbreak, healing, strength, power, and an aphrodisiac. It is as part of her life like a tattoo, she wears it on her soul.
Overall, this book is not blue enough for me, literally, the publisher missed the opportunity to make the text blue.
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ This book might give you the blues and possibly Werther Fever.
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ Don't read this if your favorite color is green, Nelson despises green and spends a few pages ranting about it...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
stuffinmybrainhole's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
lrl06's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I find this book to be captivating and a five-star read for many people, however for me it was too intelligent. One who is knowledgeable on art and pop culture would be more intrigued but as someone who read this book in the hopes that it being under one hundred pages and therefore lightweight, it was the wrong choice on my part.
It is a read that will make you question many things about your life, my favourite being that the comedown of crack can be related to a heartbreak of a great lover and ergo, do you reject that love or accept the consequence that one day it might leave you? It is also filled with quotes like "why bother with a diagnoses at all, if a diagnosis is but a restatement of the problem" which really do leave you thinking.
Wold have been a higher rating if I read in a different context and, like I stated, if I was more educated on the topics discussed.
It is a read that will make you question many things about your life, my favourite being that the comedown of crack can be related to a heartbreak of a great lover and ergo, do you reject that love or accept the consequence that one day it might leave you? It is also filled with quotes like "why bother with a diagnoses at all, if a diagnosis is but a restatement of the problem" which really do leave you thinking.
Wold have been a higher rating if I read in a different context and, like I stated, if I was more educated on the topics discussed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Ableism and Fatphobia
margozaldivar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
jeslis's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Notes:
- Non-fiction; no rating.
- Really loved this though! The exploration of loss resonated with me so wonderfully and the exploration of pain through Nelson's friend was so emotive.
- Prose was super lovely and read much like fiction which was super up my alley.
- Non-fiction; no rating.
- Really loved this though! The exploration of loss resonated with me so wonderfully and the exploration of pain through Nelson's friend was so emotive.
- Prose was super lovely and read much like fiction which was super up my alley.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts