This book came to me entirely by chance when I saw it was up for grabs from the publisher Gallic Books on Twitter. I had heard of Helena Rubinstein at some point, not sure where, but my first memory of hearing her name was in an episode of Sex and the City when the girls… Continue reading Helena Rubinstein: The Woman Who Invented Beauty by Michele Fitoussi
Tag: Non Fiction
Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson
Deadlines are generally a good thing but when it comes to this book it's a good thing that I didn't have one. I bought it of my own volition and read it, and thought about it for a long time, and attended a Q&A with the author, and only now am I about ready to… Continue reading Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson
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Susannah Cahalan at Foyles
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness has been one of my favourite recents reads. It is enthralling, fascinating, and moving, as well as brilliantly written; so, of course, I jumped at the chance to see author and New York Post reporter Susannah Cahalan speak about her work and the life-changing experiences which the book… Continue reading Susannah Cahalan at Foyles
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Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan (2012)
This book is utterly, utterly fascinating. It came to my attention in an email from Karen Browning at Penguin Press. Most unsolicited emails are a bit random and not always worth paying attention to, but I am so glad I read Karen's email properly. This book is worth paying attention to. I read a lot… Continue reading Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan (2012)
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Moranthology by Caitlin Moran
ADDENDUM 30/06/2014: Please note that I was young and impressionable when I wrote this review. Now, older and wiser, my opinion of Caitlin Moran has changed somewhat. Since Moranthology was published and I have read more of her work as well as more of the things she has said in the press, I have come… Continue reading Moranthology by Caitlin Moran
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The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker by Janet Groth
I cannot remember how exactly I came across Janet Groth's memoir of her time at The New Yorker. All I remember is that as soon as I did hear about it, I wanted to read it; a lot. Being a Londoner I had no experience of reading The New Yorker but knew of its popularity… Continue reading The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker by Janet Groth
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More Lives Than One: A Biography of Hans Fallada by Jenny Williams
Last year (2011) I read Fallada's final novel Alone in Berlin, after reading about it in various magazines - it seemed to be unanimously praised, and thee subject matter seemed interesting, so I gave it a go. I wrote a review of it for a former (and frankly less good) incarnation of this blog, which… Continue reading More Lives Than One: A Biography of Hans Fallada by Jenny Williams
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Henry and June: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin
As those who read my review of Nin's novel A Spy in the House of Love will know, I have always heard of this strange and exotic writer but have never known much about her. This edition of a section of her unexpurgated (uncensored) diary therefore promised to teach me more about the elusive Anais.… Continue reading Henry and June: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin
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Blue Nights by Joan Didion
Blue Nights is a funny little book. The hardback is beautiful, with a blue background and lettering, a black and white photograph of a young Quintana covering the back. Beautiful, but funny. It is several things; but should not be viewed as a sequel to The Year of Magical Thinking. The earlier book was the literary actualisation of… Continue reading Blue Nights by Joan Didion
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Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
The dictionary defines 'truth' as several different things, the first of which is 'quality or state of being true', which seems logical enough. However, it also defines 'truth' as 'honesty; sincerity; genuineness'. These are the aspects of truth that apply most to what one may call a human truth - the truth of things as… Continue reading Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
These Little Words 