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A review by ekyoder
Milostné pletky Nathaniela P. by Adelle Waldman
4.0
Adelle Waldman nails the Brooklyn bro-gressive perfectly. You know the type; he can spend hours expounding on the waves of feminism, but hasn't read a book written by a woman in years. Equal measures of feeling bad about his privilege and having no idea just how much he benefits from it. Plays devil's advocate on misogynistic and classist ideas "for fun." Recognizes the overarching social problem of the objectification of women, but only dates the conventionally beautiful.
At its best, "Nathaniel P." felt like a rollicking, fun hate-read, like secretly discovering a blog of an ex and having your worst suspicions about him come true. At its worst, it just felt like trodging through a few hundred pages of terrible dates with these guys; trying to pick out a movie at his apartment and discovering that none of his collection passes the Bechdel test as you listen to him mansplain the news from the other room.
So, definitely mixed feelings, but because Waldman was so effective. "Nathaniel P." is a realistic, vivid skewer, which somehow manages to never ventures into caricature. It came at a much-needed time; I've read that some women have begun using "Nathaniel P." as shorthand for this type of man, which I fully endorse.
At its best, "Nathaniel P." felt like a rollicking, fun hate-read, like secretly discovering a blog of an ex and having your worst suspicions about him come true. At its worst, it just felt like trodging through a few hundred pages of terrible dates with these guys; trying to pick out a movie at his apartment and discovering that none of his collection passes the Bechdel test as you listen to him mansplain the news from the other room.
So, definitely mixed feelings, but because Waldman was so effective. "Nathaniel P." is a realistic, vivid skewer, which somehow manages to never ventures into caricature. It came at a much-needed time; I've read that some women have begun using "Nathaniel P." as shorthand for this type of man, which I fully endorse.