A few weeks ago, I got to hear Marie-Helene Bertino read from the short story that became the basis for her novel,Beautyland. The passages she read were quirky, silly, and really really funny**. I immediately picked up the novel, excited to read more and expecting something along the lines of (but much, much better than) the 1999 movie
Hi Greg, I just finished reading Beautyland and I agree with you.
It’s funny, sharp, and quietly devastating, with observations that make everyday life look strange again. Loved the lines on language: “Congrats” as a word so brief “its brevity cancels its sentiment,” and the reminder that “Language is pitiable when weighed against experience.”
The ritual stuff is brutal and hilarious, like why we chose popcorn, “the loudest sound on Earth,” as the official movie snack, and the take on alcohol: “Because, like many things humans enjoy, it frees them from their bodies.” It also names structure clearly, especially misogyny as an institution “built on faith… with hierarchy, jokes, language,” and it’s piercing on time and grief, how the world keeps going, how the subway “has the gall to run.”
Adina moves to her own rhythm, unbothered by the rules the rest of us inherited without question. She is the version of ourselves we wish we had the courage to be.
I LOVE the comparison of a great read to a runner's high. Can be such a similar feeling and that observation had me nodding my head smiling. I really want to read this book!!
Hi Greg, I just finished reading Beautyland and I agree with you.
It’s funny, sharp, and quietly devastating, with observations that make everyday life look strange again. Loved the lines on language: “Congrats” as a word so brief “its brevity cancels its sentiment,” and the reminder that “Language is pitiable when weighed against experience.”
The ritual stuff is brutal and hilarious, like why we chose popcorn, “the loudest sound on Earth,” as the official movie snack, and the take on alcohol: “Because, like many things humans enjoy, it frees them from their bodies.” It also names structure clearly, especially misogyny as an institution “built on faith… with hierarchy, jokes, language,” and it’s piercing on time and grief, how the world keeps going, how the subway “has the gall to run.”
Adina moves to her own rhythm, unbothered by the rules the rest of us inherited without question. She is the version of ourselves we wish we had the courage to be.
I LOVE the comparison of a great read to a runner's high. Can be such a similar feeling and that observation had me nodding my head smiling. I really want to read this book!!
Oh thank you for the kind words! I think YOU, especially, would love this book. :)
Of all the books I read last year, this was my favorite! And I agree: it is very, very funny and profound
Not sure I’ve ever read a book that swings so quickly from funny to sad and back again. Loved this so much too!
This is the most gen x book I've read in a long time.
I've yet to meet anyone in that age bracket who didn't love it 😃