Customer Reviews

Living Out Loud

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

(Just because Anna Quindlen is my literary hero doesn't mean I'm biased.) Living Out Loud is an exemplary collection of heartfelt, hilarious and beautifully written columns. For folks like me who had no idea "Life in the 30s" was being published on a regular basis in the NY Times, this collection is a Godsend. A must-read for Quindlen fans, for women of all ages, and for anyone who appreciates a fantastic writer.

This is my favorite collection of Anna Quindlen--and I've read them all. I particularly liked the lifestyle pieces, her sensitivity and humanity and found myself saying OUT LOUD, "Yes, Anna! I understand."

You can keep this one with you and pick it up and put it down at will.

I particularly liked the piece, "Pregnant in New York," (a tough place to be pregnant--where ISN'T a tough place to be pregnant?) Also, "The Second Child." There are so many!

A big fan, I recommend all her collections.

Anna Quindlen articulates what so many of us are living in a manner that makes us think "Yes! THAT'S it!"

Perhaps she is living a more "affluent" life than many (most?) of her readers, but she doesn't dwell or rub our faces in it. Instead, she takes parenting, personality, work, marriage, and society at large and melds her experiences into the experiences of us all. She is both witty, and sentimental, and often just plain makes a reader think.

Perhaps as a writer, mother, spouse, and 30-something myself I feel an affinity for Ms. Quindlen that other readers would not. However, her fan base and following tell me I'm not alone. It's wonderful to have a collection of Quindlen handy for when we need to revisit facts and feelings of life in our world today.

This book is a compilation of columns written by Quindlen for the 'New York Times'. In them she tells about her own life, as daughter, wife, mother and writer. She speaks about her early loss of her mother, about the joys and difficulties of raising her children, about many of the small obstacles and difficulties of everyday life. This is a competent work but one not as amusing or inspiring as I had hoped.

I ALREADY HAVE THIS BOOK AND I AM NOW BUYING FOR FRIENDS. IT DOES SPEAK TO ALL AGE GROUPS AND IS MAGNIFYING TO THOSE OF US GALS WHO GREW UP IN THE SAME TIME. ANNA QUINDLIN WRITES AS IF SHE BROKE INTO MY BODY AND STOLE MY THOUGHTS, MY DREAMS AND MY MEMORIES. IF SO, I THANK HER FOR THE INTRUSION BECAUSE SHE OBVIOUSLY LOOKED AROUND. IT SOMETIMES TAKES MY BREATH AWAY, THE WAY SHE PUTS INTO WORDS EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL. I THANK HER FOR THAT, BUT I WON'T ASK FOR ROYALTIES.

A compendium of articles written in the mid-80s live on as readily identifiable observations on the fabric of life, from raising kids to social issues of the day to the impact of religion on setting one's moral fabric. A delightful read by a wonderful author who captures the subtleties, delight and humor in the game of life. The vignettes are also nifty period pieces that allow nostalgia to run rampant for readers of a certain age!!

I love Anna Q! I love anyone with a unique point of view on things! She is opinionated (she is a journalist!) but she always comes through in a warm and thought provoking way...the way only a mother could. Even the titles of her books I just love......"Living Out Loud"????? Very cute!!! She is a great role model for any woman, if you are looking for a little inspiration..............she has done it all! I have read everyone of her books.....so ditto this review to all of her work......Bravo!

Ms Quindlen's commencement speech at Mt Holyoke May 1999 was one of the most to-the-heart speeches I have heard in a long time. Truly, a remarkable speech and one I shall keep for a long time and re-read from time to time. Thank God for her.

If you come from a privileged upbringing, "work" from home on your computer keyboard and consider yourself one of the vanguard of feminists who have changed the world for younger women, are busy having and raising children and are largely focused on the details of their juvenile worlds- except when you are quoting literature (does quoting it put you in those authors' company? not) have had unparalleled opportunities (read great luck) at a successful career and have largely been unbuffeted by the winds of fate, then you will enjoy this book. I was very disappointed after amazon's review. I find Ms Quindlen too smug to digest well. Her writing is often inane. She is neither "living out loud" nor is she speaking for the majority of women of her generation, just a small privileged subset. Her essays on what its like to be a working woman are particularly galling, when she is a woman who has married well and is able to work from home at very little inconvenience to her life and her career. She may write on these topics to convince herself of her need for household help; I remain unconvinced! Save your money and your mind.