I think this book wasn't for me. I wasn't familiar with most of the subjects Gornick writes about here and ended up DNF'ing. This was 100% my problem, as this is just as well-written as any Gornick I've read. I think I'm just less inclined to read this kind of cultural critique than I have been in the past. This book would be a great resource for anyone who had previous knowledge of the individuals and works Gornick writes about here

This is a bit of a mixed bag, spanning eras and topics; there’s a cohesive line of consciousness running through it, and the same eye for things, with a splinter of ice in it, but the result is somewhat uneven. The literary criticism feels the most jumbled to me: I enjoyed her takedown of Salter, but yearned for more, for the case study to lead to a takedown of the postwar male writers of ‘heroic sex’ she thought he ought to have been born earlier into. On Beauvoir and Primo Levi she was excellent; on Melville, again, almost there, but not far enough. Go deeper into that vein of homoeroticism/male-subjectivity as the only subjectivity you see in both him and Lawrence!

Towards the end, there’s a turn towards the personal and the feminist, and this is where the book is most flavoursome and highly coloured, albeit in the colours of another time. It’s both interesting and difficult to imagine the 60s and 70s, the era of her ‘New York stories’ or of the later essays, when it was truly shocking when a man did the dishes for the first time in his life! I feel for Gornick’s voice and passion here, but many of the arguments seem like dead letters, to be read as artifacts only. But then - she turns again, and puts a knife in Norman Mailer and Henry Miller. That’s literary criticism still of its moment, because all the decades and feminist readings since haven’t been sufficient to knock them off their pedestals. I could read Gornick skewering them all day, fixing them with her icy eye.

This is, I think, a collection for those who already appreciate her body of work (as I do), and who don’t mind dipping into the back catalogue. There are jewels in it.

I would read Vivian Gornick on any subject, but this collection really hits the spot as she talks about writers I admire (and those I don't) and finishes with some excellent explicit takes on feminism. Gornick has a way of illustrating a point that has never quite been articulated that way. I often felt some of the criticisms could have been longer, but they do what good criticism should do and make me want to read the author in question to make up my own mind. A section that transcribes a feminist group is so fascinating and ageless and I would have loved to have read more.

Thanks to NetGalley, Verso Books and Vivian Gornick for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In her new book, Vivian Gornick looks back at books and characters she has previously encountered and re-examines their motives, discussions, and implied themes. It is an intriguing premise and previous fans of Gornick will eat this up.

You will certainly enjoy the book more being familiar with the books and authors Gornick discusses, but I think most readers are going to gravitate towards this for the radical takes and theoretical discussion. It definitely has Gornick's sharp wit and focused writing, but I didn't find this title to be particularly revolutionary in the way I think it wants to be. It follows the typical feminist discussion of failed women in books but does stand out in its controlled reflection and memoir-esque narrative. 3/5

Reading Vivian Gornick's thoughts inspired me to read and re-read the subjects of her essay collection. Previously, I'd managed to avoid any consideration of Herman Melville. Gornick's insightful essay had me thinking about this classic author for the first time. I found her comments on consciousness raising groups particularly insightful and relevant to the present day, as we are forced to confront systemic issues in order to move forward in our personal lives.

I liked this book for many reasons. One was the author of whom I have on a digital shelf Fierce Attachment and the book on Emma Goldman. I still haven't read them but this collection of essays made me pick at least one of them for my-next-to-read-books.
Concerning this book, I found it fresh and provocative and also having a style of its own. When you read one of the essays you're struck by how distinctive it is. Reading Gornick you can't say that it's a voice like everyone writing online these days. And maybe this is one reason of loving the book. Another is the good flow. You want to read more even if you're not interested in the topic per se. The writing is contemporary in the best way. Also the writing isn't forced like some contemporary writers tend to do ("a few hundred words and I have my 1500 words"). You start a piece and read and read and almost suddenly you're at its end.

Taking a long Look - Vivian Gornick

Vivian Gornick has mastered the art of reflection and rediscovering new things in the familiar.

In her new book (due out in March next year) Gornick treads familiar territory with rereading and re-experiencing books and content she has previously read. The essays are gentle and flow so smoothly.

The real skill in Gornick is making the reader either want to reread or read the works she’s discussing. Reading this was vaguely annoying as I had to keep jumping up and grabbing copies of things that she discusses. Her essay on De Beauvoir reflecting on 50 years of second sex in particular made me want to jump back in to that book and search for things she mentions.

Her essay on Mary McCarthy is about a book I haven’t even read, but I still had to grab the only McCarthy in my house to flick through and consider!

Whilst I find Miller, Roth et al a real struggle due to their misogyny, her essay and analysis brought new perspectives for me to consider. Her books are always a breath of fresh air and each sentence is worth pausing over. The sum of the parts really does make the whole to me.

One thing I need to mention is that Gornick refers to herself as a Radical Feminist throughout the book. I haven’t been able to find this out to confirm, but there is an absence of Trans discussions in this book. That’s not surprising as the texts are classic first and second wave feminist discussion pieces. However, when a second wave feminist describes themselves as a RadFem I am concerned that I may be promoting the work of a trans exclusionary author. I wished to include that to make sure that I am not potentially misleading anyone. The absence concerns me and if I receive more info about Gornick I will update my review accordingly.

Thanks to Verso Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review

Typical recap showing us all the shortcomings in history for where we have failed women and instead elevated men. Was well written but honestly a drag - let’s do something about it and stop just writing about it. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a wonderful collection of Gornick’s writing over the years. Grouped by subject, the book shows the evolution of the author’s thinking on a number of subjects from literature to feminism. I particularly enjoyed the essays on Uncle Tom’s Cabin and on the conscious-raising movement. I do wish that each essay had been accompanied by notes about when they were written, however.