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The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy
Genre: Non-Fiction Memoir | 207 Pages | Published: 3.14.17 by Random House
Book Jacket Synopsis:
A gorgeous, darkly humorous memoir about a woman overcoming dramatic loss and finding reinvention—for readers of Cheryl Strayed and Joan Didion
When thirty-eight-year-old New Yorker writer Ariel Levy left for a reporting trip to Mongolia in 2012, she was pregnant, married, financially secure, and successful on her own terms. A month later, none of that was true.
Levy picks you up and hurls you through the story of how she built an unconventional life and then watched it fall apart with astonishing speed. Like much of her generation, she was raised to resist traditional rules—about work, about love, and about womanhood.
“I wanted what we all want: everything. We want a mate who feels like family and a lover who is exotic, surprising. We want to be youthful adventurers and middle-aged mothers. We want intimacy and autonomy, safety and stimulation, reassurance and novelty, coziness and thrills. But we can’t have it all.”
In this profound and beautiful memoir, Levy chronicles the adventure and heartbreak of being “a woman who is free to do whatever she chooses.” Her own story of resilience becomes an unforgettable portrait of the shifting forces in our culture, of what has changed—and of what is eternal.
Book Links: Amazon
Review & Thoughts
Overall I would say this book was just okay. I enjoyed that the audiobook was narrated by the author. I appreciated her candor, honesty, and transparency about what she’s been through. I didn’t really connect with it though and it didn’t entertain me, which I know it wasn’t supposed to based on the subject. If you’re a fan of Ariel Levy you may connect with the story or enjoy it more. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Recommend for: fans of Ariel Levy | My Review Rating: ♥♥♥.5
Book Format & Source: Audiobook via the free Libby app
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