5 comments about The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Love, Race, and War in the Nineteenth Century.

1. A wonderful book that will leave you longing for more! Eunice is a real heroine struggling as many women have to raise a family in desperate times and looking for a haven for her children. Not only an engaging story about one woman's search for her place in the world but the times in which she resides. Food for the brain and soul. Well written by a noted historian.



2. I tremendously enjoyed this telescopic view of a "slice of life" 150+ years ago-- and during the civil war-- of a young woman, her children, and her extended family. I found myself interested and emotionally moved by the heavy labor that she performed daily just to maintain a near-below subsistence level of living.
   
   She made some momentous and courageous decisions to pull herself up from abject poverty, choosing directions that went against society's norms and finally, against even what she had thought were her own beliefs. It was so inspiring to read that the happiest days of her life followed as a result of her own earlier choices.
   
   The true life of this young woman is such an inspiration for us here today. A fascinating, inspiring read that has left its' mark upon me long after I have put down the book.



3. I do agree with most of the stellar reviews of the book. The thing that somewhat disappointed me was the following: Through more than half the book we follow the story of somebody's life that was not unusual at all in the 19th century, namely the life of a poor New England woman who is struggling to support herself and her two children.
   
   The Sea Captain appears for the first time once you are more than halfway through the book. In an obvious effort to somehow "insert" him into Eunice's life at an earlier stage, the author embarks upon a completely unfounded speculation about the paternity of Eunice's younger child.
   
   The main problem that the author naturally can't overcome, is that we know virtually nothing about Eunice's life as the sea captain's wife. Only a few letters have survived on which the author builds her account of Eunice's life once she had left for the Cayman Islands. Not surprisingly, the theme of the book does not come alive.



4. The story has the potential to be fascinating - the book is anything but. Though the author's fellow historians may appreciate it, it contains little to appeal to the general reader. A novel based on this family's history may have been worthy of all the praise and attention this book has garnered. As written, it is tedious, unsatisfying, and falls far short of the expectations engendered by the title.



5. Eunice was an ordinary white woman who had financial difficulties. She married hoping to improve her financial status, but her husband wasn't a good earner and he died, to boot. So she had to work, and she worked really hard. Then she married again; this time a black man who owned a fishing boat. They moved to the Cayman Islands, where he'd made his home.
   
   So, what's to learn here? That 19th century women had little earning power. That race relations were not good. That the Civil War had a major impact on American families. Don't we already know all that? Of course we do.
   
   What's interesting in this book is getting to read Eunice's mail. Her family story is pretty interesting, sibling rivalry and all that stuff. Eunice is not boring either. She moves from north to south to north to the Caribbean. Read it for Eunice's story; otherwise, it's not worth reading.

2 comments about Nella Last's War: The Second World War Diaries of Housewife, 49.

1. Nella Last was a participant in the Mass Observation project. Her diary of the life of an "ordinary" British housewife during the war was open, honest, and reflective. I loved watching her grow from a submissive housewife to an independent, confident woman who found she could remain loving and caring without being a doormat. I found many of the mundane details of dealing with rationing, running a canteen, preparing for bombing, etc. on the homefront to be fascinating. I would have like to have known her, but at least I had the opportunity through this book.



2. I had been wanting to read this book for two years, having seen Lynne Hymers reading it in "The 1940s House." It was definitely worth the wait--I devoured this book like a good meal. Nella Last was a very resourceful, imaginative woman. I very much enjoyed her candid honesty, and the way she kept her sense of humor, even while missing her boys and dealing with her husband. I'm very much looking forward to the second volume of her diary.

5 comments about Detour : My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D.

1. Lizzie is courageous & heroic! Her memoir of a young woman struggling with bipolar disorder is not only brilliantly & creatively written, but it's incredibly inspiring!!!



2. This is not a scientific book. It is simply one woman's attempt to help us understand what goes on in the mind of a bi-polar person. It helped me better understand but most importantly, sympathize with any one who has the disease. I recommend it if you want a personal account of bi-polar.



3. I absolutely love this book! When one reads about bipolar, it is usually medical information describing the characteristics and treatments of and for this illness. This raw engaging view from a wise young woman gives the reader a first hand view of the interior landscape of bipolar illness. We go on a journey of discovery with Lizzie. And an amazing journey it is. There is so much misinformation and stigma on mental illness. This book helps to bring forth the reality of the illness and gives one hope. There is still much to unfold in the arena of mental illness, but it is like any other illness, it is an illness! It's so stigmatized because there are so many unknowns. Do we stigmatize cancer, epilepsy, diabetes?! I have a friend who is bipolar and have always struggled to understand it and now the door has opened. I am also currently in the wake of standing by another individual struggling with this illness and have gained greater compassion and coping skills from this book. My own family has a lineage of mental illness, though no one ever truly "coped" with it. I grew up in fear and misunderstanding. Thank you Lizzie for bringing forth truth, understanding and demystifying as best as possible the land of bipolar! This is truly a must read!



4. As someone who also suffers from bipolar disorder, this book hit very close to home. Lizzie Simon gave us a nice break from the typical scientific terminology, and replaced it with the emotional and mental hardships and experiences that people diagnosed with bipolar disorder know all too well. Her bipolar roadtrip provided comfort and understanding to all of us. Thanks Lizzie



5. book was well written, easy for lay person to follow, insightfull and for the most part inspiring

5 comments about Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Marriages.

1. This book is a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of seven relationships. Not just what happened but what motivated. If you're a feminist you'll need to put that aside and read as an objective bystander. It's hard to do!
   
   The author does a brilliant job of making the people and their stories come to life. I felt like I got to know these fascinating characters. I found it very difficult to put the book down. I appreciate that the author doesn't judge her characters - this relationship or action was 'good' and this was 'bad - but tries to understand and relate to the reader why the characters did what they did.
   
   We are often led to believe that previous eras were more honest, true, chaste. This book shows that that just isn't true. Each generation has to find its own way in the world.



2. This book is written in short chapters that describe the atypical marriage relationships of wealthy, well-known writers and their friends in post-Victorian England. There is a great deal of overlap in the stories about the various couples, so one person's spouse will show up as the friend, lover, or confidant in another story about a different marriage. It's all rather incestuous, and the resultant homogeneity of the milieu studied by the author paradoxically makes more mundane the seeming differences she wishes to stress.
   
   It's well to keep in mind that the time and place under study was one characterized by very rigid social roles, especially for women; still, one wonders whether a study across cultures might not have proven more meaningful. As it is, the book seems almost the story of an extended family, rather than a review of disparate marriage arrangements.



3. "Some of the hand-wringing about marriage in the twenties remains eerily relevant to today's marriages." So says Katie Roiphe, the author of this most intriguing literary biography. She explores the marriages of seven of the most luminous writers and artists of the twenties -- including H.G. Wells, Katherine Mansfield and Elizabeth Von Arnim (who penned "Enchanted April".) Each vignette is centered around a moment of crisis that creates a need for a creative and unorthodox solution.
   
   Katherine Manfield develops a "child-love" with her husband, who is not able to rise to challenge of helping her through the tuberculosis that kills her at age 34. H.G. Wells "creates" his wife Jane -- even giving her a new name -- and then indulges in no-responsibility affairs with Rebecca West, among others. Ottoline Morrell gives herself over totally to nurturing rising artistes, only to be stabbed in the back by those she most befriended. And then there's Radclyffe Hall -- otherwise known as John -- who is surprisingly Victorian, despite her long-time relationship with her "wife" Una Trobridge and her lover, Evguenia Souline.
   
   As the author says: "One cannot fall into 'meagre repetitions', one cannot live automatically, one cannot simply live the way everyone else is living: one has to have the constant energy, the constant imagination, the constant refueling affection, because one is making up a life as one goes along."
   
   This book is highly recommended for everyone who is navigating a marriage and who is curious about how others handled their own, and how they confronted domesticity and long-term emotional involvement. It's particularly recommended for anyone with a literary bend; it's downright fascinating to see how those famous literary individuals from 1910 to World War II lived their lives. And, as an extra plus, it's compulsively readable and "dishy."



4. I am not sure how I became aware of this book in the first place or why I ended up buying it, but I am so glad I did. I hated for it to end and I savored every page.
   
   It's so well written that you almost feel like you know these subjects better than their spouses did - and maybe you do.
   
   In short, it's an insightful and well-researched look into the private worlds, thoughts, and marriages of some very interesting people - and also proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same.



5. This is a beautifully written book, refreshingly and surprisingly free of cliches.Roiphe has an uncanny sensitivity for the intimate lives of others.

5 comments about Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love.

1. This is with a doubt, one of the coolest Coffee Table books out there.
   It's a pick-up Guilty Pleasure type of book. The notes/poems in her hand writing is very cool. To see her personal thoughts through her eyes is a Bonus! Allot of pics most fan's never seen. Just a all-around awesome book that isn't super long and drawn out. You walk away with a sense you've seen the Brilliance and the madness of this Under-Rated Talent!
   
   I Highly recommend this book to all Rock fans.
   10/10



2. Is there any celebrity who provokes such polarizing reactions as Courtney Love? I, for one, am a fan, of both her work (as a musician and an actress) and of her persona. She's an enigma ... constantly defying expectations, contradicting herself, self-destructing and then rising from the ashes.
   
   As for this book ... as the Amazon review says, it's not really a diary as much as it is a scrapbook. And although the (excellent) graphic design of the book makes it look as if its content were pieced together with tape and scissors and glue, it's really a meticulously gathered collection of carefully chosen mementos that chronicle Courtney's life.
   
   After reading the book, my opinion of Courtney really hasn't changed so much. I've always thought of her as a sensitive, wounded, intelligent, ambitious, needy and occasionally vicious woman, and all that is evident here. As is her inability to decide whether or not she wants to be a frightening outcast or a high-society fashionista.
   
   If you're a fan, this book is probably worth buying. But instead of offering many answers, it only really contributes to Courtney's mystique.



3. The book is absolutely great and I received it with no problem.
   Courtney Love is a rock goddess and with this book you can follow her life from a young age to the Hole era.
   You can really get inside Courtney's head and looks at life through her eyes. The poems and songs are beautiful.



4. This book is absolutely amazing. Very good design, editing....You don't get tired of reading it , watching it, stare at it. Very entertaining. The book is pretty big, I though it was smaller. Love the pictures, notes, poems, songs, letters, documents...
   
   Amazing. ***** 5 stars



5. I've always been a Courtney Love/ Kurt Cobain fan and looked forward to this book. I was VERY disappointed with it. It's supposed to be made like a "scrapbook" and there are handwritten notes, etc. throughout the book which would be nice if Courtney's handwriting were legible. It's terribly messy and the book is put together badly too. Everything is scattered, nothing is in order, pictures and notes are upside down, sideways, etc. having to turn the book every which way just to see things. Nothing makes sense in this book and she even says she didn't see the reason for doing the book at all. A BIG disappointment! :-(

5 comments about Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933.

1. This nonsensical bio is written entirely from a blind feminist perspective. The research is suspect. The prose amateurish. The details gossipy and contrived. If Eleanor Roosevelt was truly a woman of thought and progressivism, then Cook has done her an unforgivable disservice. If you're looking to understand Roosevelt's honest-to-goodness place in history, you will not find it is this intellectually offensive work.



2. I found both volumes of Ms. Cook's books fascinating. I could not wait to return to them. I learned a lot about Eleanor and the time in which she lived. I will buy copies of both for all my children and suggest that my grands read them as well.



3. Readers disappointed with the lack of analysis in this book are looking for another animal -- a more supple, lovelier, livlier, or more analytic one. This is a narrative mammoth, wherein Cook revives ER through dense documentary detail. I especially enjoyed the detail about her upbringing, her families, and influential relatives. With all of the details woven into this chronicle, it'd just get convoluted to add more flourish, conjecture, and analysis. I would not like to see details cut for the sake of these.
   
   The notable exception is Cook's willingness to speculate about the amorous nature of ER's friendships. Even here, she cites documentation, and chronicles what has been destroyed, gone missing, and where interview questions were refused. Cook is forthright about her motivation to venture out further here in order to counter popular conjecture about ER as sexually frigid.
   
   Cook has provided groundwork for any number of less academic biographies.
   I too would love to see other kinds of biographies of ER, other than narrative: a philosophic biography analyzing the significance of her actions in her time; a descriptive biography of her character or biopic film.
   
   For a lovelier portrait of her perspective and character, read her own works or The Wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt. For broader context and significance, there really isn't enough, but try Kearns-Goodwin.
   
   For details, chronology, and narrative, read both volumes of this. I'd love to see a biopic made out of it.



4. For many Americans, Eleanor Roosevelt is more a myth than an actual person. In the Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. there is a whole floor devoted to American presidents, but just a small wing devoted to our First Ladies, or more specifically their inaugural gowns. While visiting the museum, I picked up a poster of Eleanor Roosevelt, with a nice quote that reads something like, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." Other than my poster, the only thing I knew about Eleanor Roosevelt was what my grandmother, who grew up during the Depression and Roosevelt years, had told me: "She sure was ugly." When Eleanor Roosevelt's letters to Lorena Hickok were revealed to the public in 1978, and questions about the true nature of their relationship arose, author Blanche Wiesen Cook, a historian and women's studies professor, was intrigued to answer the challenge of determining who Eleanor Roosevelt really was. In her book, "Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One, 1884-1933," Cook promises to give readers a fuller view of Eleanor Roosevelt - not just the mythic character, but the actual story behind the woman, an independent power in her own right.
   
   "Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One, 1884-1933" is, in essence, a feminist reading of the life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt, telling her story chronologically up to 1933, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt becomes President of the United States. Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood, as would be expected, is crucial to understanding her identity. Although she grows up in a privileged family in New York - her uncle Theodore is President of the United States - her childhood is "filled with disappointment, alcoholism, and betrayal." Eleanor Roosevelt's mother casts Eleanor aside as ugly and too serious. Although her father is an alcoholic, Eleanor adores him, as he encourages her to be courageous and bold and wants her to be self-reliant and self-fulfilled. Both of her parents die before she turns 11, leaving Eleanor to be raised by relatives who mostly conform to the ideals in place during the 1890s. It is not until she is sent to Marie Souvestre's school in Europe that she is first "given permission to be herself." Marie Souvestre is an unconventional feminist and her school is unusual in that it encourages girls to be independent at a time when education is considered to be dangerous to a woman's mental health. Marie Souvestre's role in Eleanor's life is second only to her father's, as Marie Souvestre appreciates Eleanor's talents and encourages her to discover and develop her capabilities.
   
   Upon graduation, though, Eleanor Roosevelt faces the realities of her time, as she is torn between the new self-sufficient world she has discovered through her schooling in Europe and the traditions of her mothers and relatives in New York. Ultimately, Eleanor Roosevelt accepts her prescribed role as a woman, goes courting, and secretly becomes engaged to her cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to the chagrin of his possessive mother Sara. Eleanor becomes increasingly dependent on Franklin, feeling "absolutely lost" when he is away. After they are married, Eleanor is forced to move in to his family home with his mother; as a result, she is never able to have her own home and instead relies on her mother-in-law for everything, as she essentially runs their lives and is the loudest voice in raising their children, leaving Eleanor without a role in her own family and without "self-confidence and ability to look after [herself]." Whereas, to be loved by Marie Souvestre had "meant to display an independent spirit with individual flavor, and a playful imagination," to be loved by Sara "meant to become fully like Sara." It is here that Eleanor loses her identity, mimicking Sara's views, including "flip, class-bound arrogance and egregious racism."
   
   It is not until 1918, when the "bottom drops out" of Eleanor Roosevelt's world, that she reflects on her life and determines what she wants of it. While previously Eleanor has had a romantic view of her marriage, upon discovering Franklin's letters from his mistress, Lucy Mercer, Eleanor Roosevelt becomes dejected and depressed and develops what the author characterizes as anorexia. After a period of reflection and introspection, ultimately she resolves to design herself an "independent life" that serves to meet her own needs and reclaim her separate identity. After 1923, Eleanor and Franklin live essentially separate lives, as Eleanor accepts Missy LeHand's role as his "second wife" and develops her own separate circle of friends separate from his. While Franklin works toward rehabilitating his legs after developing polio, Eleanor works on her own career and becomes a national figure in her own right, including an important role as an educator, owning and teaching at a progressive school called Todhouse, and encouraging a new generation of female students just as she had been encouraged by Marie Souvestre. Finally, Eleanor seems to complete her personal journey as a woman through her romantic relationships with Earl Miller, her bodyguard, and Lorena Hickok, an esteemed reporter from the Associated Press, who both champion Eleanor Roosevelt and promote her best interests, giving her personal fulfillment. Through these relationships, she is no longer alone, but has the support system she will need to face her next big challenge - the White House.
   
   In telling the arc of Eleanor Roosevelt's journey to becoming an independent woman, "Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1" is what it claims to be - a life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt through 1933. Although the writing style is dry and the book starts off slowly, it ultimately succeeds in explaining who Eleanor Roosevelt was - her struggles to find her own identify and to put herself in a position of power where she doesn't need her husband to define her own self-worth. But because the book ends at 1933, we learn more about who Eleanor Roosevelt is and less about why she is such an important historical figure. Also, because this book is necessarily about Eleanor as an independent person, she emerges as a fully-fleshed three-dimensional figure, while Franklin comes off as a flat, ordinary, two-dimensional character. As a result, the book sparks even more questions than it answers. Why did Eleanor marry Franklin? What was the true nature of their partnership? What were her greatest accomplishments? And why should we care about Eleanor Roosevelt? While I had not originally planned to, I now intend to read "Eleanor Roosevelt: The Defining Years, Volume 2" by the same author, as well as "F.D.R." by Jean Edward Smith and "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Goodwin to help answer these additional questions and learn not just about who Eleanor Roosevelt was, but why she mattered.



5. I happened across Vol. 2 of this biography and procrastinated on actually reading it for several months--it is a LARGE volume and I was kind of put off at the seemingly enormous task of reading the tome. Once I started reading, I stayed with it. The book is well written and I found Eleanor to be a most intriguing figure. Something that kept me interested was the similarity between the issues in the United States in Eleanor's day and the issues currently. I found myself wishing everyone would read the biography, as a kind of refresher course in history. Maybe our country's leaders could be more effective in leading our nation away from economic disaster and loss of a middle class if they were reminded of what happened in the first half of the 20th century. Volume 2 of the biography made such an impact on my thinking, I felt compelled to locate Volume 1. I have not finished reading it yet, but so far, it has not disappointed. Blanche Wiesen Cook is a thorough and skilled researcher and an excellent writer. One should not be put off at the size of the two volumes--Reading these two volumes of Eleanor Roosevelt's life is very much worth the effort!

5 comments about The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War.

1. It's hard to know how to start writing about Gioconda Belli's autobiography, The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War, since it reached and touched me in so many ways.
   
   This is the story of a woman, a mother, a revolutionary fighter, now living in Santa Monica, who used to wear a machine gun as a part of her JOB!
   
   
   To read the life story of a contemporary, of my generation, who has done so much, lived with such vivacity and courage and passion is truly an inspiration. To see the USA through the eyes of someone who fought against a cruel, murderous, ugly dictator, only to have a right wing American president, Ronald Reagan, use all the power within his reach to destroy the fruits of her people's struggle for democracy-- is eye-opening.
   
   Gioconda Belli weaves a story of intrigue, power, politics and sensuality that had me turning the pages like, usually, only the best potboiler fiction novel can do. It is a testimony to women's rights the way she functioned as a Sandinista revolutionary while bearing three children, raising a family and taking down the Somoza dictatorship, becoming an award winning writer-poet and traveling the world as a diplomat-representative of the revolutionary government she played a major role of bringing into power.
   
   As an activist writer, publisher in the USA, (of the website opednews) this book came to me as an amazing wake-up call, demonstrating the many ways a people who are fighting a corrupt, malignant government and its leaders can tackle the challenge of taking control of the nation.
   
   We in the USA who are fighting against those who are unraveling the constitution and democracy would do well to read and learn from Gioconda Belli. The steps she took as she became more politicized, more involved in the fight against the rich and powerful who would strip the rights and freedoms from her people are steps many of us have just begun to take. The courage and sacrifice she describes in her own life and the lives of her "companeros" is inspiring.
   
   Reading about her experiences meeting with other revolutionaries, how different nations actually celebrate them and their fights for freedom, was a real eye-opener. Why doesn't the US honor the heroic men and women with the courage to take on the worst dictators? Because, too often, we are supporting and funding them? This must end. It is time that we invite the leaders of revolutions from all over the world to the US. Of course, for that reality to happen, there must be a revolution of some sort in the US-- one that rejects corporatism and the run-amuck out of control capitalism that the USA's lamestream media have sold us over the years.
   
   
   While this is a book, that for me, was inspiring at many levels, one should not forget that Belli is an award winning poet and writer with many international awards for her work. The book is a pleasure to read. It will make you laugh and bring you tears of joy and sadness. It did for me.
   
   The book was not one I'd have ever picked up on my own. It was recommended to me... strongly. I pass that recommendation forward to you. Give it a try. You won't be able to put it down.



2. i savored this book for months before i finally allowed myself to read the final chapters. she writes so lyrically and with such passion and imagery, yet without an abundance of superflous words. i read this while traveling through nicaragua and enjoyed every word of it.



3. Our book club enjoyed the discussion on politics which this feminist autobiography evoked, but shared no empathy with the author whose justification for being a member of the Sandanistas was unconvincing, allowing her to be judged as a promiscous, star-struck, thrill seeker motivated by the desire to shock and gain attention from her family by causing scandal within the upper echelons of Nicaraguan society. Honesty is the best quality of the writing style which used a journalistic approach rather than any poetic language.



4. In preparation for a trip to Nicaragua, I picked up this book as my introduction to the country and let me tell you: it got under my skin, too. If you are interested in getting a flavor for what Nicaragua is like and where it his been in recent history, I highly recommend The Country Under My Skin. As mentioned in other reviews, this is a story of a woman, not a nation, and that is what, for me, kept the book interesting. Whenever the love stories lingered too long, she would always give the reader a socio-political context to the public events that were so intertwined with her private life.
   
   I am not suggesting, however, that this is anything resembling a definitive history of the Sandinista struggle. Belli's love for Nicaragua and it's poor is infectious and easily transferred through her lyrical prose. Read this book. Fall in love. You can learn more later.



5. Its a passionating history of a country and the impressing story of a woman's life. I like it. Its so real.

5 comments about The Sexual Life of Catherine M..

1. ...I made a decision to make myself available at all times, because it made me feel free." Catherine Millet
   
   One of my amazon.com friends whose opinion I value a lot, says in his review on Catherine Millet's memoir that if it "is truly as bad as others suggest in their negative reviews below, why then did it sell over 300,000 copies when it was first published in France?" Well, I have a counter question, how many of 300,000 returned it back? I first learned about "The Sexual Life of Catherine M." from a review in "Entertainment Weekly" back in 2002 and I instantly became very interested in reading Millet's book. It was written by obviously intelligent educated woman, editor of the French art magazine Art Press by day and insatiable Messalina who doesn't make any secret of her 30 years history of orgy-loving by night. I was not afraid of the multiple (I just could not guess how multiple) explicit sexual encounters and their shocking descriptions. I am an adult and I can accept and appreciate any honest, open, no matter how shocking and controversial book (or movie) as long as it is well written, interesting to me, touches me deeply, even makes me angry but certainly makes me feel, makes me to identify with its author, to understand at least their motivations...Well, I felt nothing of these when I began reading my copy of English translation of the memoir that I bought from my local book store. I became bored very soon. The endless line of faceless men having sex with the strangely passive author, or rather her alter ego, Catherine M. in all possible and impossible Paris locations for hours and hours; one all-night party after another and another and yet another simply could not hold my interest for 209 pages of the rather short book and I never finished it. I returned it to the store and received the full refund. I would not say that "The Sexual Life of Catherine M." is the worst book ever written and I am sure it's got the loyal fans and admirers but I did not enjoy it and at some point I realized that I was wasting my time. I expect from a memoir something more than monotonous descriptions of endless anonymous sex acts with every man who happened just pass by Mlle. M. The book has been compared often to "The Story of O" by Pauline Reage and I disagree with it. "The Story of O" which was written by a French mistress for her married lover is the love letter and the statement on how far a woman in love was ready to go for her beloved. "The Story of O" is sad and beautiful, erotic and strangely innocent, cruel and elegiac. It is a fine work of literature which "The Sexual Life of Catherine M." in my opinion is not.



2. this book is divided into 4 sections. the first section, entitled numbers,describes the numerous, numberless, men with whom catherine has sexual activities in groups, small groups at first, later orgies, the largest about 150 participants.
   
   the aggregates done with she moves on to her second section, space, sexual activities outdoors, often while positioned to scan bucolic landscapes. millet writes of pictorial works and how they are 'said to inhabit the cusp between imaginary space and the space we live in, be they barnett newman's vast colored expanses (newman himself said: i declare space), the radiant blues in the work of yves klein (who called himself the 'painter of space') or even alain jacquet's topological surfaces and objects which juxtapose paradoxical abysses. what characterizes these works is not the fact that they open space up, but that they both open and seal it again'.
   
   from her inner and outer open space, she proceeds to her third section, confined space. confined space isn't just a room or an elevator or a place, confined space, for millet, is having sexual activities while ill, sexual activities in dirty places, with unclean persons, and acts considered taboo, a few of them, but not many, she would not do.
   
   in confined space, jacques, catherine's husband, makes his entrance with his camera, and it's back to open spaces where he frames her in the confined space framed by the camera.
   
   in the concluding section, details, millet reflects on forms of objectivism, with observations of her shyness, rigidity after orgasm, her body as willing surface as represented in memory and filmed by a video camera.
   
   so there it is, her sexual life through number to canvas to camera to video camera. these days her sexual experiences are reflected by a steady stream of women attracted, for whatever reasons, to act in porn, and women who use online chatrooms. with objectification there is no voice. that's the difference with millet, she voices her interior world, her mental activity, as well as describing in detail, sexual acts and the female orgasm.
   
   a good book, a very good book.



3. Catherine Millet's sexual development autobiography is a must-read for all women in the United States who've ever had "dirty thoughts" but failed to act on them for fear of society's labels. This is Millet's true life account of her self discovery, pains and many pleasures that may not ring kosher with US audiences, but should be read by all women as an honest account of a woman's sexual desires and dreams. Tp hell with chopra and "venus and mars" books! This is the real deal! Vive La France!!!



4. 
   Book-length accounts of one's real-life sexual exploits always run the risk of being insipid, monotonous, and just plain boring. After all, how many times can you describe the act circumscribed by the limitations of a non-fictional human body, especially when you confine yourself primarily to describing yourself as the focal point of the action.
   
   For the most part, Catherine Millet avoids the peril of this sort of writing not so much by the variety of her sexual proclivities--aside from a stupendous and indiscriminate promiscuity bordering, if not altogether crossing over into nymphomania, she's pretty vanilla--as by the super-lucid intellectual precision with which she analyses the physical, mental, and emotional ramifications of her sexuality.
   
   Despite its subject, this is not a titillating read; the matter-of-fact nature of the writing matches what strikes me as the author's straightforward, almost typically "masculine" approach to getting it on. ((Millet is, by her own admission, relatively uninterested in seduction and prefers to move straight to the main event.)) That being so, one might suppose that, if not erotic, the primary value of this book would reside in how it illuminates some general truths about human sexuality--in this case, female sexuality. But how much can a woman--or a human being, for that matter--who lays on a car hood in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night and allows herself to be taken by ten, twenty, thirty, she loses track of the number, of guys have in common with even the most uncommon of common women? As a work of human sexual archaeology, *The Sexual Life of Catherine M.* thus fails to enlighten us very much about human sexuality in general; it becomes, instead, a sort of believe-it-or-not account of what might reasonably be called one particular woman's sexual pathology.
   
   And yet, one might still, and easily, find something of oneself in these pages for Millet is so brutally, clinically honest and so unsparing of detail that she doesn't flinch from even the most hushed-over aspects of monkeying around. There are also passages and reflections of a philosophical depth and subtlety, such as when Millet writes of wishing she could wake in a strange bed every morning to revel in the novelty of a new perspective on life. Behind Millet's compulsive and voracious carnal appetite, there is a drive to experience everything--and everyone--a desire as admirable as it is unfulfillable given the limitations of our mortal flesh.
   
   Reflections such as these raise *The Sexual Life of Catherine M.* above the level of the merely lurid into the realm of soul-searching mediation on life in general and our finitude in the face of infinity.
   
   While many will no doubt file this book under "Way Too Much Information," Millet is actually talking about a good deal more than what she seems to be at first glance--she is using sexuality the way the artists she chronicles as an art critic use art: as a means to understand self and world. We don't complain, but rather admire, an artist who takes risks and their art to extremes: perhaps we should likewise admire a woman like Millet.
   
   *The Sexual Life of Catherine M.* is probably one of those books that someone had to write. If nothing else, Millet has done us this service.



5. I thought this was an interesting read, though it gets a little dry and to be honest I read it in parts. The narrative structure is loose and that makes it a little bit difficult to read, as she just tends to skip around and some of the wording is hard to wade through, but I think that has a lot to do with the translation and not how she writes. I hope. I took a star off for the poor editing.
   
   I liked her cool impersonal style. She doesn't proselytize and pretty much tells it like it is giving a rundown on the men she was with and some of the ways. I don't believe she was trying to be titillating and that shows. I also think that's what a lot of people expected and are put off by the book cause it runs a little too sterile for their tastes.
   
   I do think she gave a pretty good explanation for her philosophical approach to sex, contrary to what other reviewers here stated. I just think they are used to the typical angst towards sex and sexuality that you find a lot in American books. None of that here and how refreshing it is!
   
   There is a lot of repetition though and I have to warn you that it does get a little boring reading about one orgy after another done in such a detached style. But again I loved the unapologetic, free approach to men and her sexuality that she had and her philosophy towards sex was interesting in and of itself.

5 comments about Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion.

1. While this was one of the most poorly written books I have read in a while (typos, spelling errors, grammatical issues, diction choices that made my jaw drop, they were so wrong!), I enjoyed this glimpse into a world I know little about. The story's setting promises interesting and frequent glimpses into a world filled with sex, fashion, and drugs -- and it definitely delivers! If you are looking for a light read that is sinfully pleasurable but nothing to write home about, enjoy.
   
   Finally, you can tell that while Saginor is not an excellent writer (and her editor -- was there even an editor?!? -- was not an excellent one) this book must have been extremely cathartic for her. Kudos to her for being able to put to paper the stories of a childhood that obviously had (and seem to still have) such a harsh effect on her. I do hope that writing this memoir served as an emotional release for her.



2. Interesting premise, but this book is written so poorly. Repetitious events, streams of unimportant characters, unlikable and underdeveloped characterizations. Who cares what song was playing at any given moment? Bits like that remind me of what would be written in a junior high schoolers private diary.
   
   I think Jennifer wants you to feel sorry for her, but as she spends thousands of daddy's dollars on clothes, steals boatloads of drugs from him & crashes her car while drunk, I can hardly feel anything but contempt for her. The book is fairly predictable. On one page she is spewing "Ew" about Hugh Hefner's bi-sexual girlfriend and then next she is aching to be with her because she is one of the few people that pays any attention to her.
   
   As her father continues to mentally deteriorate from drug addiction, the quality of writing slightly improves but the book soon comes to an end. I grew tired of Jennifer's ceaseless name-dropping and couldn't wait for this book to end. Two stars awarded for effort only.



3. Hmm.. .For a book whose title speaks of the Playboy mansion, you'd think it'd play a bigger role but it really doesn't.. Its mostly about her choosing her dad's carefree and drug induced lifestyle rather than having to abide by her mothers rules.. I think this book could have easily been written in 3 or 4 chapters.. In every chapter theres endless counts of what music was playing and what it changed to and what designer every piece of her wardrobe was made by and all her friends.. It was pretty irritating though i'm into that stuff myself.. Its a book not a fashion magazine.. So it was pretty poorly written and is basically about her making a million bad decisions but never making right with anything, just grinning and baring it so she can keep her little Mercedes and black card and not have to go to mom's "poverty stricken" lifestyle of still few boundaries...



4. I feel sorry for this poor girl having to grow up in that environment. I can really tell that it has had a very big impact on her outlook she has on relationships in her life. I was lucky to have the chance to go to playboy mansion back in July, 1983 and went into the grotto and there were a couple of people in the grotto with us and after reading this book and now know that her father was one of the people in attendance that Friday evening. My experience at the mansion was one that I will never forget.



5. One of the books I could not put down. Took me back to spending time at the Mansion...........but I had a whole different view.

4 comments about Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina.

1. i watched and followed the whole katrina storm, have family and friends who dealt with it and the whole aftermath, but when you read this book you getr a up close and direct day by day account of just what went down and the many obstacles faced during and after it's devasting effect on all people involved.Phyllis Montana Leblanc pulls no punches and speaks on her and Her Husbands situation through this brutal and unfair storm. it forever changed lives. this is a powerful must read Book ASAP and a reminder of natural disasters and how to be prepared for and what to do. very detailed and a strong,strong book.



2. This is how author closes the last chapter of her story. It made me laugh. It is one of the few things to laugh about in this book.
   
   If you have ever wanted to sit down and have a one-on-one conversation with a survivor of the Katrina disaster, then this is the book for you. The author and her husband did what they felt they needed to do in order to prepare for the storm. They had their cell phones fully charged; filled their tubs with water; cooked plenty of food which they sealed in ziplock bags; set aside water, and secured the windows. But when the roof started to fall in, and they had to make an emergency evacuation, they were forced to leave these things behind and become what the television pundits called "refugees". What happened next makes for a gripping first hand account of their struggle to survive not just during the storm but during the aftermath.
   
   Something she says in her book sums it up: "To say that Hurricane Katrina traumatized me would be a flat-out lie. I was traumatized by being left behind for so long without my family. We were left to die."
   
   This was a hard book to rate. While the author's story is worthy of 5 stars, the presentation, as the Newsweek reviewer noted, is raw. It is unpolished, tends to ramble and could have used better editing. I'd rate it 3 stars. So I averaged the two out and gave it 4 stars.
   
   At times a painful story to read, I learned a lot by doing so. I wish the author and her family the best, as I wish the best for others who also suffered through Katrina.



3. Here is a true American hero. She survived one of the biggest tragedies of the modern age and carried herself forward through the aftermath to dazzle us all with her wit, her charm, her intelligence - and the beautiful, selfless example of her spirit of forgiveness.
   
   The example Montana-LeBlanc sets is gift to all of us. Would that I could live up to her example in the face of adversity... She is a model of positive and constructive energy that every parent can hold up to their children as a lesson in resilience and good.



4. NOLA has a special place in my heart and I swear to this day I won't go back because of how Katrina all went down. When I saw Phyllis Montana Leblanc on Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" I knew there was something about this woman. She spoke with power and the pain of someone who survived a great ordeal. And she didn't mind expressing herself with a curse word or two, which reinforces the BS the survivors went through.
   
   I heard about the book when she was being interviewed on the Tom Joyner show. I rushed out and got it. Let me tell you, this book takes you where the TV did not. I can't imagine how they did made it. Sticking around vs. leaving town. Taking the chance to go out beyond their "safe haven" through murky waters. Going from place to place until they ended up in San Antonio. Going for a week in the clothes on their backs and no baths.
   
   Phyllis Montana Leblanc is no seasoned writer, nor did the editor correct every pargraph or sentence. I don't think that is what this book is about or meant to be presented as. Keep in mind this is her personal account, just as if you were reading her journal or sitting out on the porch listening to her tell it to you - minute by minute. I finished the book on a lazy afternoon, it's only a couple hundred pages but makes you feel like you endured the entire week.