Delightful and entertaining. Funny, humorous, wry and nice to look at. Really grabs attention and I loved that I stumbled across this beautifully done book.

I never saw the viral tweets of Tersigni, so I went in with an open mind. I looked forward to this one, as it is a combination of things I enjoy a lot (or are interested in): art and feminism. The artwork on the cover is appealing, and so is the description of it.

I commend all books that make people look at art, as I believe more people should do so in the first place. The title sounded intriguing, and I couldn't wait to get started.

However, it just wasn't for me. Maybe it was because of my background in art history that I couldn't put my mind off the idea a lot of the as quotes presented texts felt misplaced. During my studies, I might have been ruined to read books like this, because I was always encouraged to find the story behind the paintings. In this case, it felt the quotes didn't have any link with the paintings, and they often left me kind of confused.

If the paintings and quotes would have been matched better, I would have loved it. The same goes for adding the paintings information at the page where it was shown, so I wouldn't have to go back and forth to the list in the back. Also, the foreword made the lighthearted book much more heavy to start with, and got me up to the point I actually wasn't interested anymore in reading any further. It read like an ongoing attack to men in general and myself as a reader, and the tone just didn't do it for me.

If you don't think that much about the backstory of the paintings and want a fun, light read; go ahead, this one is for you. If you are ruined by your schooling just like I was, maybe pick up another book.

- Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review -

Men to avoid in Art and Life is a hilarious and a fun take on what a woman has to go through everyday.
The constant mansplaining which gets the better of men in most situations is discussed in here with a jolly and exciting to read writing style!
I especially loved the title of the book which made me pick it up in the first place! It's funny and totally someone would go over atleast if they saw it in a bookstore.
The language of the book was easy to understand and the words flowed creating a relatable image in the reader's head.
I loved that important issues were discussed with such a hilarious point of view.
All in all, it was a great book that I'd read on my sad days with music on in the background!

This was nothing special but entertaining for a few minutes. The author added some snarky comments to old paintings - men talking down to or mansplaining to women and a few retorts. It gave me a few laughs. I know these men exist, but I'm fortunate to rarely encounter them. Tips & tricks on spotting them, dealing with them, & avoiding them or personal anecdotes might have made this book feel like a fuller, more complete book.

This takes classic art and puts a hilarious spin on it. Each piece of art has a man splaining quote and all of the sudden you look at that piece of art different.

I LOVED this!
Since I am an Art History student I enjoyed seeing the art, but what I enjoyed, even more, is the way the author managed to find a fitting and very true caption to put next to the painting!
I recommend this one to everyone! To those who will get the joke and to those who won't (in the hope this will open their eyes even a little bit).

I might buy this when I get the chance...

I remember when the Twitter thread this is based on was going around; I thought it was super sharp and amusing. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of those "less is more" things, or a lesson in why not all Twitter threads need to be books. The joke simply gets old, because Tersigni doesn't push the concept or evolve it in any way. And with so many more examples of the original gimmick -- classic art featuring images of men saying classic nonsense to women who seem to barely be able to contain their irritation, but of course must -- the ratio of perfectly paired images and captions ends up reduced, until one feels like too many of the ones included should have been consigned to the also-ran pile.

While the original thread felt like a fresh take on well-known tropes, the book just ends up feeling slight -- or worse, like a case of feminism bowing to capitalism.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.</i>

This was funny and I liked how the paintings matched the text. It was a very quick read since there isn't
much text on the pages, it's short and quick but it does gets its point across.

Nicole Tersigni has created this little delight, based upon her well-known Twitter thread of the same name. For readers unfamilar with the latter, Tersigni cleverly pairs examples from the last 500 years of European art with appropriately illustrative statements attributed to the male characters. Examples are grouped into the categories "The Mansplainer", "The Concern Troll", "The Comedian", "The Sexpert" and "The Patronizer". Any woman who has lived in the modern world (and by the look of the facial expressions, many in times past, also) will be all-too familiar with the situations and sentiments depicted.
The artistic examples Tersigni has chosen are absolutely perfect for her material - the reader can't fail to sympathise (and empathise) with the recipients of all this masculine "insight".
Hilarious, and will prove a lovely addition to the collection of art lovers and feminists alike. Also a great gift idea.
Thanks to the author, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advance copy.
#MentoAvoidinArtandLife #NetGalley

Mansplainers, concern trolls, "comedians", sexperts, and patronizers, beware. Those aren't just the dregs of the male society; they're also the names of the chapters in this funny short read. Classical art combined with the wit of a modern woman and captioned with those chapter names, what more could I have asked of this book?

The preface is a hoot. There's also a glossary at the end that identifies the paintings reproduced in this book.

Do you ever wonder what the women are thinking, in the classic paintings. Nicole has come up with some funny thoughts on the subject, as the Men explain, and patronize, and generally annoy.

It take on new life, when you see them set with paintings you are both familiar and unfamiliar with. What is really funny is the paintings are not altered, at all, and yet the women really do look as though they are thinking what the caption says they are thinking.

Good book to have around, on the coffee table.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While personally I don't think that being on the other end of a mansplainer is really a gender specific thing. I've been privy to a few conversations between male friends where one launches into a mansplain of the century, the difference is that they tend to verbally swat the other to avoid that territory. Women, sadly, aren't so lucky just like the women in these classic works of art paired with a funny mansplanation, if you would.

The art was lovely and the accompanying text elicited anything from an eye-roll to a giggle. I'm pretty sure I saw Jesus mansplaining to a woman by a well. The background of the pages are black and the text is black with a white background. Fairly simple layout, the paintings are skewed a little so at times they are off to the side and others they fill up the page.

There is a glossary in the back crediting the artwork and the artists along with the location of the piece, but I think it would have been better to add those tidbits of information under the manplaination so you don't have to go back and forth when you find a piece that you like.

Any criticisms aside, it was funny and I really enjoyed the selection of paintings. My favorite quote was something along the line of, "I didn't know you read real literature. I thought it was all romance novels."

Funny captions along with even funnier faces of women in paintings. There were some chuckles to be had in this book and it will definitely be relatable to any woman. I do not feel this content needed to exist in book format. It is really just a collection of internet memes / instagram posts, meant to be digested quickly then forgotten immediately.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this funny look at mansplaining. I love those internet memes where people caption classical paintings and this book delivered much of the same humor. It has me rolling my eyes and busting out laughing in equal measure. A fun, quick look at one of the most annoying issues women have faced throughout history.

This book was so great! It was really funny. Combining the classic artwork with could-be current quotes was brilliant! This would be a great gift. I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book!

Buy it for your coffee table, your guest bathroom, your work wife, the person in your contacts that you're always exchanging memes with. Men to Avoid in Art and Life is perfect for them ALL. This book is chock full of the hilarious, cringe inducing, relatable memes that made Nicole Tersigni Twitter-famous - ones that take classic art and pair them with mansplain-y captions that will make you laugh and sigh, because, well...all know that guy, don't we?

A mini art course that will make you laugh out loud. Includes a few super famous works but in general the paintings are lesser known. I rate that a plus as it was fun to discover something new. I wish the footnotes naming the title and artist had been on the same page. Hilarious all the same.

When I tried to post my review on amazon it said "this item is not eligible for review"

Thanks to Netgalley, for providing a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of beautifully and amazing trend of taking classical art pieces and adding contemporany texts, I enjoyed reading this book. A bit too short in my opinion, makes for a fast read to get some laughs and good meme material. I wish it had had more written content, as the introduction was quite well writen, and made me laugh, but alas, it’s not that kind of book. Nonetheless, Nicole Tersigni managed to represent through photographs, in very few words, those delightless moments in which you are bothered by the men represented in this book.

If you want a quick laugh and a not-so-in-deep reflection of feminism, this is a very good companion, that may also work as an introduction to some concepts before digging in the world of feminism, if you feel so inclined.

“Men to Avoid in Art and Life” will be published on August 11th, by Chronicle Books.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, for which I promised to give an honest opinion.

I know I"m the outlier here, but I just didn't enjoy this book. The art was great, so that's why I gave it an extra star. I didn't find the "punch lines" all that funny. They just seemed so strident, like the author has a chip on her shoulder. Yes, I've run into some of this as a woman, but I just didn't find it funny, except for a few pages.

I wish the name of the painting and the artist was on the bottom of the page. I read this on an iPad which makes it difficult to flip back and forth.

Interesting concept. The author takes real paintings and provides quotes as subtitles for what she imagines the men are saying in the book. I found it incredibly infuriating (though that is the point). Its a commentary of the horrific things that have been said by men to women that reflect society's archaic gender roles.
Its good for a one time read, though I'm not sure it's a title I would want to purchase or own. It's kind of a book you flip through at Barnes & Noble when you're killing time. It's not bad, just (unfortunately) nothing too special. I would have liked it if the author had included references for feminist organizations or some kind of reference to anti misogyny websites.