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jwells's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
Uncommon Women and Others is extra fun since I went to Mount Holyoke. Can confirm that in the 1990s we still sang the drinking song, ate M&Cs, and had elves and big sisters. LOL. Thankfully we didn't have house mothers (!) nor did anyone try to make us wear skirts to afternoon tea. (There were still teas, yes.)
On a more serious note, I also remember a lot of conversations back then about whether, or rather how, a woman could "have it all," a recurring theme in these plays. I wish I could go back in time and tell my 1990s self that it is okay to just want what you want, even if that's not someone else's idea of "it all."
On a more serious note, I also remember a lot of conversations back then about whether, or rather how, a woman could "have it all," a recurring theme in these plays. I wish I could go back in time and tell my 1990s self that it is okay to just want what you want, even if that's not someone else's idea of "it all."
ravenph's review
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
samanthadoolittle's review against another edition
4.0
Easily my favorite Wasserstein play by a mile. Heidi is a beautifully realized, nuanced character. There are some serious issues with white feminism and a lack of intersectionality that is unfortunately usual of the time (late 80s), and many of the secondary characters are one-dimensional, but the latter is likely intentional (heightens our attachment to and empathy for Heidi), and despite the former, the play nevertheless makes bold claims about female autonomy and the complexity of life-altering choices.
beemini's review against another edition
4.0
[Disclosure: My positive reviews of these plays is helped by the fact that I found a SIGNED copy of this book at the library book sale for fifty cents. 𝕊𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕖!]
One of the things I like about these plays is that they are firmly realistic. They deal with real issues and choices of women from a particular moment in history. Wasserstein’s ear for dialogue is outstanding, even when slang changes with the times.
Uncommon Women gets brownie points from me because I attended the eventually coeducated college near Mt. Holyoke, so I was familiar with some references that shockingly haven’t changed in forty years (and befuddled by the idea of formal teas). It’s not the most focused play in terms of plot, but it does a great job showing the range of young women attending a prestigious college who struggle with the inevitable “what next?”-ness of college that still exists today.
Isn’t It Romantic I actually want to see performed, because it seems really damn funny.
I struggled the most with the Heidi Chronicles, even though it is the most tightly written and character-driven work. I think this is an example of when a work of art that’s groundbreaking at the time of its creation doesn’t seem unusual later because it causes a shift in the wider cultural landscape. (I did howl with laughter when WW basically predicted Sex and the City.) In many ways, women are still facing the questions of how to live their lives in the ways that they faced in the 80s, and by now we’ve seen many introspective works by women on these issues. How much work, how much love, how much motherhood can one actually have at the same time? Again, I think it probably comes to life when performed, and I’d happily attend.
One of the things I like about these plays is that they are firmly realistic. They deal with real issues and choices of women from a particular moment in history. Wasserstein’s ear for dialogue is outstanding, even when slang changes with the times.
Uncommon Women gets brownie points from me because I attended the eventually coeducated college near Mt. Holyoke, so I was familiar with some references that shockingly haven’t changed in forty years (and befuddled by the idea of formal teas). It’s not the most focused play in terms of plot, but it does a great job showing the range of young women attending a prestigious college who struggle with the inevitable “what next?”-ness of college that still exists today.
Isn’t It Romantic I actually want to see performed, because it seems really damn funny.
I struggled the most with the Heidi Chronicles, even though it is the most tightly written and character-driven work. I think this is an example of when a work of art that’s groundbreaking at the time of its creation doesn’t seem unusual later because it causes a shift in the wider cultural landscape. (I did howl with laughter when WW basically predicted Sex and the City.) In many ways, women are still facing the questions of how to live their lives in the ways that they faced in the 80s, and by now we’ve seen many introspective works by women on these issues. How much work, how much love, how much motherhood can one actually have at the same time? Again, I think it probably comes to life when performed, and I’d happily attend.
twivea's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i was cast in this play for my university and also had to read it for several of my classes. i really liked the different characters, it was funny and at the same time the second act is very moving.
iamtaylorhope's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
loquitacass's review against another edition
4.0
I felt a lot of the emotions that Heidi did as I was reading this play. But the final image made it worth it.
ostrowk's review against another edition
4.0
"I hope our daughters never feel like us. I hope all our daughters feel so fucking worthwhile" (182).
"No more master penises!" (185).
"'I'm just not happy. I'm afraid I haven't been happy for some time.' I don't blame the ladies in the locker room for how I feel. I don't blame any of us. We're all concerned, intelligent, good women. It's just that I feel stranded. And I thought the whole point was that we wouldn't feel stranded. I thought the point was that we were all in this together" (232).
I really liked reading HEIDI CHRONICLES, even if some of the plays' politics felt dated and some of the comedy felt off-the-mark to me. Like, are we meant to laugh at the radical lesbian or with her? The plays are really sharp, really funny, and persistently relevant. I appreciated the specificity of the characters and the settings: Seven Sisters and Ivy League (soon-to-be) graduates, navigating their lives as "uncommon women" in New York. Yes, it's a 9-5 kind of white (Jewish) feminism, with insufficient class critique, but those are the stories Wasserstein knows, not to mention ones that feel most familiar to me, and I'm grateful she told them.
"No more master penises!" (185).
"'I'm just not happy. I'm afraid I haven't been happy for some time.' I don't blame the ladies in the locker room for how I feel. I don't blame any of us. We're all concerned, intelligent, good women. It's just that I feel stranded. And I thought the whole point was that we wouldn't feel stranded. I thought the point was that we were all in this together" (232).
I really liked reading HEIDI CHRONICLES, even if some of the plays' politics felt dated and some of the comedy felt off-the-mark to me. Like, are we meant to laugh at the radical lesbian or with her? The plays are really sharp, really funny, and persistently relevant. I appreciated the specificity of the characters and the settings: Seven Sisters and Ivy League (soon-to-be) graduates, navigating their lives as "uncommon women" in New York. Yes, it's a 9-5 kind of white (Jewish) feminism, with insufficient class critique, but those are the stories Wasserstein knows, not to mention ones that feel most familiar to me, and I'm grateful she told them.
annexelizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pretty good <3 my fave of the plays was uncommon women and others