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The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson

Discussion: New Book Group Read

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New Book Group Read

* New Book Read - July 2016 - A Little Life
By Dawn , Loves a Challenge · 95 posts · 41 views

last updated Sep 21, 2016 07:37AM

New Book Read - February 2016 - Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
By Sera · 93 posts · 39 views

last updated Nov 13, 2016 12:01PM

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What Members Thought

Dec 09, 2015 Lark Benobi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: extraordinary-biographies, exuberant-books, 2015, nonfiction, graywolf

this book cracked me open like a walnut. One of those messy walnuts where the nut ends up shattered to pieces in your hand. While reading I was frequently on a vertiginous edge close to weeping, not really from any feeling with a name, just from all the feeling that was going on as I read. Part of it was a feeling of recognition. A feeling that comes from having a very long conversation with someone who expresses what you thought were your most private thoughts, who puts into words what didn't h ...more

91 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2017 Viv JM rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: z-2017-author-female, read-in-2017, non-fiction, biography-or-memoir, feminism, author-female, favourites

I am not sure I can articulate how much I loved this short book. A cross between a memoir and an extended essay, Maggie Nelson tackles themes of identity, gender, love, death, birth and more. Nelson is engaging, funny and has a wonderfully poetic way with words. Her writing is brave and uncompromising and really quite beautiful.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author herself. Normally I steer clear of author-narrated audiobooks but in this case it was perfect. I loved Nelson's voice ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2016 El rated it liked it

Shelves: 21st-centurylit, put-it-in-your-journal, cultural-studies-and-other, library-borrow, hear-me-roar-and-gender

This is the first book by Maggie Nelson I've read. In fact, I don't know that I'd heard of her before everyone started waving their arms about the incredibleness of this book, so I didn't really know what to expect when I went into this.

There's so much to enjoy about this slim, tidy book. I liked the format, though also felt it was a bit too forced, too intentional, too purposefully different. Nelson wrote beautifully from time to time, but I didn't find it consistent throughout. She also discus ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2015 Nadine in California rated it liked it

Shelves: memoir-biography

I picked this book up a couple of times but didn't pursue past the first page because I didn't want to wade through all the post-modern philosophizing - I was more interested in the relationship stuff. But one night I started idly flipping through it, and wound up skimming the whole (short) book in an evening, landing on parts that interested me. Then I skimmed it again the next day, landing on other parts that suddenly became more interesting. I did that about 3 more times and came to really ap ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2016 Rachel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: feminism, nonfiction, autobiography, libraryebook, memoir

This would have gotten an extra star except for the anal sex on page 1. I don't know why but it bothered me, like it's shock value, pay attention to me! I ended up really liking a lot of what she says, but page 2 please. (Never really considered myself a prude, but geez. It's like all the HBO series that have to include a graphic sex scene to assure the audience it will be racy and r rated).

It also felt very disjointed, veering from idea to idea, which in the end I didn't mind too much but foun ...more

1 like · Like · see review