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hollyselph's review against another edition
5.0
Exquisite. This book is like reading an incantation and watching the spell take effect simultaneously. Or the spell is itself the incantation. It's hard to tell where the head ends and the tail begins. It's a trick and a maze and I will read it again and again.
laureenreads's review against another edition
4.0
Artful is an intriguing blend of fiction and non-fiction. It tells the story of a woman who is literally haunted by her deceased husband, a man who used to give talks on literature. While learning to cope with her grief and move on she reads a series of lectures that her husband had been working on.
The book is labelled as literary criticism, and it is that, but it's also a story about grief and love. It was not an easy book to read by any means. Most books I can pick up and finish before I put it down, but this one had to be read in chunks so it wouldn't overwhelm me.
When I received my copy I thought I would just skim the first page, but the prose and the lyrical quality to the writing drew me right in. In a way, I'm haunted by this book. Even after putting it down it would stay in my mind, nonsensical words that made me try to understand, or even just the thoughts on writing and literature. I read the first of four lectures that day, and afterwards I spent far too much time flailing over the diction. My favourite quote is actually a paragraph:
I've read this book again already and yet it still lingers. It's one of those books that just touches you in a simple way that holds so much meaning. I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone, of course. I think it needs to be read by someone who is of a literary mind, who enjoys books that are thought provoking, and by someone who doesn't mind breaking down in tears at the final lecture. Because I know I did.
The book is labelled as literary criticism, and it is that, but it's also a story about grief and love. It was not an easy book to read by any means. Most books I can pick up and finish before I put it down, but this one had to be read in chunks so it wouldn't overwhelm me.
When I received my copy I thought I would just skim the first page, but the prose and the lyrical quality to the writing drew me right in. In a way, I'm haunted by this book. Even after putting it down it would stay in my mind, nonsensical words that made me try to understand, or even just the thoughts on writing and literature. I read the first of four lectures that day, and afterwards I spent far too much time flailing over the diction. My favourite quote is actually a paragraph:
You are calling my bluff, of course. I call yours back. I take that book to the tattoo parlor down Mill Road and I come home, after several sessions, with exactly this tattoo. I choose to have it done in deep blue, the color of your eyes. It costs me a fortune. It hurts like irony.
I've read this book again already and yet it still lingers. It's one of those books that just touches you in a simple way that holds so much meaning. I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone, of course. I think it needs to be read by someone who is of a literary mind, who enjoys books that are thought provoking, and by someone who doesn't mind breaking down in tears at the final lecture. Because I know I did.
gareth_beniston's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Reread.
thorn_on_the_shore's review against another edition
4.0
it is a fantastic book with incredable messages underneath:)
andriawrites's review against another edition
This book is one of those rare gems that is simultaneously instructive and entertaining. Loaded with literary critique, sentimentality, insight and storytelling, Ali Smith brings multiple genres and forms of literature into one book that isn't quite fiction, and isn't quite an essay. Loved this!
thymiantea's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0