⇒ PDF What If This Were Enough? Essays Heather Havrilesky 9780385542883 Books

What If This Were Enough? Essays Heather Havrilesky 9780385542883 Books

Download As PDF : What If This Were Enough? Essays Heather Havrilesky 9780385542883 Books

What If This Were Enough? Essays Heather Havrilesky 9780385542883 Books

I'm a huge fan of HH's advice columns. I find them lively and profound, with practical suggestions for overcoming emotional and relationship roadblocks. This is not her column. By a long shot.

Here, HH has put together a collection of essays on Americans' misguided obsessions of consumerism: Disney, screens, food, socializing, etc. It's a relentless picture of wanting more, getting it, and feeling less fulfilled. And yet as of page 95, no alternative view of our collective misery is offered. ie: Clutter is consumerism, Marie Kondo cuts through that, but then Kondo is also consumed, and is its own misery of spartan-living perfection never attained. And that's it. No suggestions as in her advice columns. None of the blurb's promised 'embrace life's imperfections' from the book's sales pitch. Just suffocating unyielding melancholy. The tone of the book is overbearing - we are all living empty and soul sucking existences. HH hasn't introduced us to one content person or one happy moment by page 95 (other than throwing a stick for a dog, which is admittedly a super fun thing to do.)

And that brings us to the O Henry twist of it all. We paid money to consume her product of abject misery. In this age of 'gas lighting' - this collection fits right in: Even if we think we're happy (her trip to Disney) we are not. The tl;dr version is Life sucks and then you die.

Taken in bite sized pieces, along with a normal diet of daily joy, this might be palatable. But I suggest not reading more than one essay in a sitting. The picture this collection paints it's just too bleak - less a rational observation of the uselessness of modern day trappings and more like a dirge for a life not worth living.


Tags : What If This Were Enough?: Essays [Heather Havrilesky] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b><b>By the acclaimed critic, memoirist, and advice columnist behind the popular Ask Polly, an impassioned collection tackling our obsession with self-improvement and urging readers to embrace the imperfections of the everyday</b></b> Heather Havrilesky's writing has been called whip-smart and profanely funny ( Entertainment Weekly</i>) and required reading for all humans (Celeste Ng). In her work for New York</i>,Heather Havrilesky,What If This Were Enough?: Essays,Doubleday,0385542887,Conduct of life,Conduct of life.,Essays,Happiness,Happiness.,Havrilesky, Heather,Women,Women;Biography.,GENERAL,General Adult,LITERARY COLLECTIONS Essays,LiteratureClassics,Non-Fiction,PsychologyEmotions,SELF-HELP Personal Growth General,SOCIAL SCIENCE Popular Culture,Self-HelpPersonal Growth - General,Social SciencePopular Culture,United States,gifts for millenials;millenials;inspirational gifts;inspirational books for women;stocking stuffers for adults;gift books;gifts for women;success;self care;habit;stress;empathy;gratitude;positive thinking;confidence;self esteem;self help books for women;motivational books;self help books;essay collection;dystopian;Instagram;foodies;personal essays;minimalism;advice;Ask Polly;essays;what if;gifts for millennials;millennial gifts;self help;inspirational books;sociology;short stories;emotions,success; self care; habit; stress; empathy; gratitude; positive thinking; confidence; self esteem; self help books for women; motivational books; self help books; essay collection; dystopian; Instagram; foodies; personal essays; minimalism; advice; Ask Polly; essays; self help; inspirational gifts; inspirational books for women; stocking stuffers for adults; gift books; gifts for women; what if; millenials; sociology; inspirational books; essay; history books; history; gifts for millenials; short stories; gifts for millennials

What If This Were Enough? Essays Heather Havrilesky 9780385542883 Books Reviews

Couldn't finish it! All this lady talks about is how much TV she watches! I didn't find it insightful, inspiring or uplifting.
I thought this collection of essays was wonderfully written. Yes, Havrilesky paints her thoughts here with less bubbliness than she does in 'How to Be A Person in the World' - but the work is equally energetic and lively. The essays are as critical and emotionally articulate as Heather's columns are known for.
I saw the title and I was sure I had to read it. I had been thinking about the same thing for a few days. I always wonder what it's all about. There are some very good insights and criticism at social media, TV and direction of our culture that rang true to this reader.
I bought this book after reading the last essay "Miracle of the Mundane." (You can search for this excerpt online.) I suggest you do the same and then buy this book.
I've been a fan of Havrilesky's work since I stumbled upon her Ask Polly column about a year ago, and I was struck by how honest, hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking her voice was. Like a knife through the incessant technobabble of the internet, her words rang true to my soul, making me laugh, cry, and carry myself a little lighter. I loved How to be a person in the world, and this series was just as delightful. I picked up this book on and off through finals, like one does a cup of coffee but Haunted sent a jolt through my bones that felt delicious, and after that I couldn't put it down. I pray she never stops.
I was not a fan of this collection of essays. The author comes off as elitist and entitled. I forced myself to finish it and by finish I mean I skimmed the second half because when I put it down, it was hard to make myself pick it back up. I don’t read Heathers column so maybe this book just wasn’t for me - but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
I've been told by countless people that I am negative and too pragmatic and too much of a realist, and then I read this book and thought at least I'm not as unhappy and miserable as she is. This was nothing like the other essays I've read. Maybe a little here, a little there, but one sitting with this is just setting yourself up for a few hours of misery.
I'm a huge fan of HH's advice columns. I find them lively and profound, with practical suggestions for overcoming emotional and relationship roadblocks. This is not her column. By a long shot.

Here, HH has put together a collection of essays on Americans' misguided obsessions of consumerism Disney, screens, food, socializing, etc. It's a relentless picture of wanting more, getting it, and feeling less fulfilled. And yet as of page 95, no alternative view of our collective misery is offered. ie Clutter is consumerism, Marie Kondo cuts through that, but then Kondo is also consumed, and is its own misery of spartan-living perfection never attained. And that's it. No suggestions as in her advice columns. None of the blurb's promised 'embrace life's imperfections' from the book's sales pitch. Just suffocating unyielding melancholy. The tone of the book is overbearing - we are all living empty and soul sucking existences. HH hasn't introduced us to one content person or one happy moment by page 95 (other than throwing a stick for a dog, which is admittedly a super fun thing to do.)

And that brings us to the O Henry twist of it all. We paid money to consume her product of abject misery. In this age of 'gas lighting' - this collection fits right in Even if we think we're happy (her trip to Disney) we are not. The tl;dr version is Life sucks and then you die.

Taken in bite sized pieces, along with a normal diet of daily joy, this might be palatable. But I suggest not reading more than one essay in a sitting. The picture this collection paints it's just too bleak - less a rational observation of the uselessness of modern day trappings and more like a dirge for a life not worth living.