It's hard to actively dislike any book about Audrey Hepburn, and How to Be Lovely is no exception.
Not only does it boast glossy paper and beautiful bIt's hard to actively dislike any book about Audrey Hepburn, and How to Be Lovely is no exception.
Not only does it boast glossy paper and beautiful black and white photographs, but it's easy and fun to read, the bulk of each chapter consisting mostly of quotes from Audrey herself, and from the people who knew her well. It was great for learning a bunch of little tidbits about this beloved actress.
I would have liked a bit more substance, a bit more of the author's own interpretation and suggestions on how to be more "Audrey" (as the title suggests) other than "be kind" and "help others", which aren't unique to Audrey Hepburn - though she was acknowledged by pretty much everyone as very kind and selfless.
A few of the chapters were also a little repetitive in their description of her life and personality. It was understood early on that she preferred home life and family to stardom and city living, but it was repeated often without really adding anything new. I think more time could have been spent on tips on how to imitate Audrey in our own lives, but then again I thought the book would be more of a "how-to" than a sort of biography told through interview bits and a some analysis.
Nevertheless, I spent a lovely afternoon reading this book, imagining myself living in the mid-20th century, going to a fancy dinner-party in a Givenchy dress, elegantly smoking cigarette after cigarette. (I don't smoke, but in my mid-20th century dreams I do :P)
I always end up having a pleasant time when I read a book about Audrey Hepburn, or watch one of her movies. Must be her timeless grace and charm, her certain je-ne-sais-quoi that still makes her such a fabulous icon today!
<3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because pictures. ;) And it really is a nice little summary of her life and accomplishments with enough inspiration to render it perfect for those times when you need a quick lil' AH fix. ...more
* I only read The Bald Soprano out of this collection (and it was enough).
Dear Friends,
I believe, yes I do genuinely believe, that this is the last t* I only read The Bald Soprano out of this collection (and it was enough).
Dear Friends,
I believe, yes I do genuinely believe, that this is the last time I will need to spam your feeds with negative play reviews. The coronavirus, along with everything else, has cut my Modern Theatre class short, and I don't have to read any more awful plays (HURRAH! I HAVE WAITED SO LONG TO SAY THIS!).
The Bald Soprano, while by no means an "enjoyable" read by any stretch of the imagination, was definitely not the worst of the lot of utter nonsense we had to read. Dare I say, it was even a little bit humorous, insofar as nonsensicality can be funny. What gave me a little spark of appreciation for it was the fact that Ionesco was inspired to write this play from using textbooks to learn a second language.
I was thrown back to German class, where we had one such silly textbook with unrealistic scenarios and conversations that no actual human ever has, but are meant to teach you how to "properly" speak the language.
Knowing that The Bald Soprano was, in a way, a textbook parody made it that little bit more entertaining and I could appreciate it for what it is without having necessarily liked it.
Some bits were funny. I chuckled. Out loud.
But it's also just a bunch of nonsense that has no purpose, and we all have better things to do and read than this ;)
And here we have another top contestant fighting for first place for the Most Boring Play Ever Written award, currently rivaling Anton Chekhov's The CAnd here we have another top contestant fighting for first place for the Most Boring Play Ever Written award, currently rivaling Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard!
If you enjoy reading plays where nothing happens (and I can't at all see why you wouldn't, really!), the dialogue makes no sense, and there are random acts of useless violence throughout, then by all means you might enjoy Waiting For Godot.
Me, I am absolutely BAFFLED by all the glowing reviews (and indeed, how enduring and popular this garbage is! What!) on this site, and the supposed "beauty" and "magic" of the play.
Did I read the same thing as y'all?
The premise of the story is completely ridiculous, because it features two guys waiting for someone else all day by a tree, complaining of having nothing to do when they DIDN'T EVEN THINK TO BRING A BOOK TO PASS THE TIME. EPIC FAIL. ...more
This is so totally not my thing, and I thank my lucky stars the only thing I have to do with that play is watch it and worThree words: What the hell.
This is so totally not my thing, and I thank my lucky stars the only thing I have to do with that play is watch it and work on the costumes for my university's upcoming production of it. I must admit that I strongly suspect this is the kind of play that is much more enjoyable to watch than read (aren't all plays, you might ask? Some are definitely just as pleasurable to read, I believe!).
I don't even know how to explain this play - what is it??? Some sort of collection of bizarre fairytales that make little sense, filled with dark twists and boring characters.