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cai_rw's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
october528's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
crescentin's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this book but I can't stand the way this author writes
connkn29's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
njdarkish's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely stellar book that both serves as a biography of Milicent Patrick, a fascinating woman whose work in art and film (especially in her creation of a horror icon) is enlightening, as also partially serves as a memoir of the book's author, Mallory O'Meara, relative to the difficult journey of finding information about Milicent as well as the ways that her life and career reflected that of her hero.
There's a lot to love about this book-- not only is the subject matter compelling, but O'Meara's writing style is conversational, funny, and a delight to read. The social points the book makes are worthwhile and well-supported without being too heavy-handed. The approach to showing Milicent's life, including flaws and dark places, was done in a way that showed a real person, not just somebody who seemed larger than life. I particularly enjoyed that O'Meara directly acknowledges that sometimes she felt anger or frustration toward Milicent because of things she did or things she failed to do, and that working out those kinds of feelings helped her appreciate her in a more honest, human way.
I'm starting to ramble, so here's my main point: this book is worth your time.
P.S. - a podcast Mallory O'Meara co-hosts, Reading Glasses, is also worth your time. You're a reader if you're on Goodreads, so definitely check it out.
There's a lot to love about this book-- not only is the subject matter compelling, but O'Meara's writing style is conversational, funny, and a delight to read. The social points the book makes are worthwhile and well-supported without being too heavy-handed. The approach to showing Milicent's life, including flaws and dark places, was done in a way that showed a real person, not just somebody who seemed larger than life. I particularly enjoyed that O'Meara directly acknowledges that sometimes she felt anger or frustration toward Milicent because of things she did or things she failed to do, and that working out those kinds of feelings helped her appreciate her in a more honest, human way.
I'm starting to ramble, so here's my main point: this book is worth your time.
P.S. - a podcast Mallory O'Meara co-hosts, Reading Glasses, is also worth your time. You're a reader if you're on Goodreads, so definitely check it out.
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, rounding up to 4- I do like this and for a biography of someone so obscured Mallory does excellent digging (with notes when she's unable to verify things). However, I recognize the author asides in footnotes and casual conversational tone could be off-putting to readers and I almost feel like I should include the caveat that I do listen to Reading Glasses so I've heard Mallory speak before.
There are two narratives here: the framing is Mallory O'Meara's interest in Milicent Patrick as a fellow woman in the horror film industry and digging through research to find her, and then the story of Milicent's life from being raised at Hearst Castle while her father built it to being pioneer in many ways in the entertainment industry. Milicent changed names periodically which obfuscated the trail, and the credit for designing Gill Man was hidden by an egotistical department head. Despite decades separating us from Patrick's working years, the entertainment industry still has a long way to go in terms of equitable, safe working environments where the work of marginalized folx is respected.
I find Mallory personable, like this is another podcast episode and she's amiably telling me about how her research quest is going. i recognize that's not everyone's cup of tea! It makes for a breezy read though.
Additional caveat: I actually still haven't seen Creature from the Black Lagoon or its sequels, though I did watch The Shape of Water and Lindsay Ellis's vid on why we love monster boyfriend stories- suggest that next if you're interested in the topic.
There are two narratives here: the framing is Mallory O'Meara's interest in Milicent Patrick as a fellow woman in the horror film industry and digging through research to find her, and then the story of Milicent's life from being raised at Hearst Castle while her father built it to being pioneer in many ways in the entertainment industry. Milicent changed names periodically which obfuscated the trail, and the credit for designing Gill Man was hidden by an egotistical department head. Despite decades separating us from Patrick's working years, the entertainment industry still has a long way to go in terms of equitable, safe working environments where the work of marginalized folx is respected.
I find Mallory personable, like this is another podcast episode and she's amiably telling me about how her research quest is going. i recognize that's not everyone's cup of tea! It makes for a breezy read though.
Additional caveat: I actually still haven't seen Creature from the Black Lagoon or its sequels, though I did watch The Shape of Water and Lindsay Ellis's vid on why we love monster boyfriend stories- suggest that next if you're interested in the topic.
soupertrouper's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
roxymaybe's review against another edition
1.0
At the beginning of this book the author recalls indignation at the suggestion that Milicent Patrick's life isn't interesting enough to fill a whole book. Unfortunately, that person was right. This book is more diversion than content, with lots of personal anecdotes from the author (including fretting over what to wear to a visit to the Mormon archives) and deep dives into people on the peripheries of Milicent's life. When she does talk about Milicent, there's a LOT of focus on how glamorous she looked.
The most galling part, to me, was the constant confident descriptions of what Milicent and other long-dead figures thought and felt, explicitly influenced by the author's own relationships. A long section deriding Milicent's sister ends with a comparison to the behaviour of the author's own estranged mother. It's very clear that this wasn't written by a trained historian, but it also sucks as a memoir.
The most galling part, to me, was the constant confident descriptions of what Milicent and other long-dead figures thought and felt, explicitly influenced by the author's own relationships. A long section deriding Milicent's sister ends with a comparison to the behaviour of the author's own estranged mother. It's very clear that this wasn't written by a trained historian, but it also sucks as a memoir.
rawsfaze's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0