Scan barcode
A review by carroq
Emotional Rescue: Essays on Love, Loss, and Life—With a Soundtrack by Ben Greenman
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
As the title indicates, this book is centered around music and how it relates to aspects of our lives. I like the setup for the chapters. Each one starts with a heading page introducing the topic(s), the next page lists music selections the writer associates with the topic, and then there is an essay about it. Sometimes the topics seemed loosely connected to the music selected, although I was not familiar with many of the songs. That didn't stop me from enjoying the writing because the pertinent details of the music are discussed.
I ended up reading this book on my phone, which is the first time I've used it in that capacity. This book lent itself really well to doing so. Each chapter is relatively short, taking about 5 or 6 minutes to read. So it was pretty easy to open it up and read a small chunk when I had an opportunity without dropping out in the middle of a chapter. I could digest it in smaller chunks rather than trying to sit down and read the whole thing in one go. This gave me some time to reflect back on what Greenman was trying to say at times, which may have made it more enjoyable for me.
His writing reminds me a bit of Chuck Klosterman without being quite so cynical. There are times where his stories put me off, but the honesty behind them kept me reading. He talks quite a bit about how he relates to music. It really is about relationships though. Whether it is something that he experienced directly, or just something he noticed through song or from watching others, there is insight here that should resonate with readers. It is a very personal journey and I'm glad to have had a chance to tag along.
As the title indicates, this book is centered around music and how it relates to aspects of our lives. I like the setup for the chapters. Each one starts with a heading page introducing the topic(s), the next page lists music selections the writer associates with the topic, and then there is an essay about it. Sometimes the topics seemed loosely connected to the music selected, although I was not familiar with many of the songs. That didn't stop me from enjoying the writing because the pertinent details of the music are discussed.
I ended up reading this book on my phone, which is the first time I've used it in that capacity. This book lent itself really well to doing so. Each chapter is relatively short, taking about 5 or 6 minutes to read. So it was pretty easy to open it up and read a small chunk when I had an opportunity without dropping out in the middle of a chapter. I could digest it in smaller chunks rather than trying to sit down and read the whole thing in one go. This gave me some time to reflect back on what Greenman was trying to say at times, which may have made it more enjoyable for me.
His writing reminds me a bit of Chuck Klosterman without being quite so cynical. There are times where his stories put me off, but the honesty behind them kept me reading. He talks quite a bit about how he relates to music. It really is about relationships though. Whether it is something that he experienced directly, or just something he noticed through song or from watching others, there is insight here that should resonate with readers. It is a very personal journey and I'm glad to have had a chance to tag along.