Approaching Eye Level [Paperback]

Vivian Gornick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1997

"[Approaching Eye Level is] about the day-to-day struggle to face down the brutality of growing loneliness, to accept the limitations of friendship and intimacy, to honor the process of becoming oneself. . . . Vivian Gornick's strength lies in her refusal to give up." -Mary Hawthorne, The New York Times

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this collection of essays, Vivian Gornick describes battling the unique loneliness that only living alone in a big city can bring. Drawing upon her experience of living on her own in New York after a failed marriage, Gornick characterizes the city's loneliness as, "hot with shame, a loneliness that tells you you're a fool and a loser. Everyone else is feasting, you alone cannot gain a seat at the table." In the essay, "On Living Alone," she writes, "This is a population in a permanent state of intermittent attachment. Inevitably, the silent apartment waits." Recommended reading for anyone who still glamorizes single, metropolitan living. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Apparently Gornick writes only when she has something to say (Fierce Attachments was published in 1988), with the result that readers may not be conversant with her output of honed observations and unflinching conclusions. She is a New Yorker through and through. No place else in the country, or on the globe for that matter, nurtures her need for contact, variety and pure, random amazement. "The street," she tells us, "does for me what I cannot do for myself. On the street nobody watches, everyone performs." Everyone, that is, but Gornick. She watches a man and woman arguing on Ninth Avenue near the bus station; knowing nothing of the causes or the results of the situation becomes a part of the happening: "She too has New York kinky hair. For the moment that's comradeship enough." But there's more to these seven original essays than a hymn to Manhattan. There is also exploration of that most brutal and unconquerable of human sorrows, loneliness. One can learn more about the human soul from "On Living Alone" than can be absorbed on a first encounter. "Loneliness was me cut off from myself. Loneliness was the thing nothing out there could cure." Without even a flicker of self-pity, these short pieces bear rereading many times. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (September 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807070912
• ISBN-13: 978-0807070918
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the fast read if you live alone & are aware of it, March 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Approaching Eye Level (Paperback)

Like a sympathetic, merciful glance from your best friend, this book was a quick, potent, and important read. Gornick's intelligent essays are marked by the odd brand of effortlessness born only by writing that penetrates. And, as far as being a book about lonliness (among other themes), I found myself feeling particularly unlonely -- even connected (with lord knows what though...Gornick? myself?) -- after putting this down. If you're on the fence, buy it now.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice set of essays/musings, January 13, 2004

By 

jmz "jzarate12" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Approaching Eye Level (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading Vivian Gornick's Approaching Eye Level, and I don't even live alone. I didn't read too much into Ms. Gornick's essays; I pretty much took them at face value. Her writing style can be described as a bit rambling but also conversational. She probably write just like she thinks.

My favorite essay was the first one, which discussed her first jobs as a student. I just found them really entertaining, and I guess the one I could relate to the best. The other essays centered a bit around living alone, relationships (both friendships and marriage), and feminism. Overall, this book is a quick and interesting read. I certainly wanted to pick it up throughout the day to read - it wasn't a chore. I'll certainly read more from Ms. Gornick.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As an aspiring writer, this book was a turning point for me, December 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Approaching Eye Level (Paperback)

This book really connected with me. Gornick is a great storyteller and a thoughful observer. She has a fabulous style of writing. It is clear, but so deep. She writes the most amazing insights about ordinary life. It is eloquent, insightful, but not overly academic like I usually expect books of essays to be. I love reading memoirs that reveal a lot about the author's world. If you like the genre, don't pass up this book.