The Hardest Review I've Had To Write.
2.5 stars
Dolly Alderton, takes us through her teens and twenties, focusing mainly on her friendships and love interests. There is a mixed format, using poetry, recipes, and lists among other things to break up the narrative.
I am so torn about this book, I recommended it to a few friends out of pure curiosity. I wanted to see how much their interpretation varied from my own. I listened to the audiobook and I think this may have affected how I received it. I really expected it to love it, as much as I loved her book Ghosts. However, it left me a little underwhelmed.
I was expecting to hear a funny, profound and thought-provoking account of her life and the lessons she learned along the way.
This is an exciting prospect from an accomplished woman with a charismatic voice. Her writing style is both accessible and humourous. I’m left with the feeling that the reader’s responses to this book will be polar opposites, some will find it relatable and honest and others will feel like they've wasted time on a self-indulgent and underdeveloped memoir.
I had moments where I was totally enamoured by her but more often than not, I felt disengaged and unsatisfied.
The satirical emails went a little overboard for me, although I got the joke and the text message chains about bins felt like pointless overkill. Some of the recipes seemed superfluous too, although I love the idea that food and love are interconnected and will definitely try the apple tart.
In the last few chapters, where she summarizes what she knows about love aged 28 and 30. She makes some interesting and valid points. Learning to prioritise authenticity over people-pleasing. Realising that love takes many forms and that platonic friendships are just as important as romantic love. This is not a social commentary, her closing statements are not in any way revolutionary but they made the whole book seem a little less futile.
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