Misadventures

Rating:
Summary: The Bitterest Pill
Review: First of all, let's be clear: this is a memoir, not a novel (as some readers seem to think). Basically, a 50-year-old working class London woman has written down around a hundred or so vignettes or episodes from her life. Smith is a totally ordinary woman, living a totally ordinary life as a secretary and temp, and has no great story to tell. What she does have is mostly mundane memories and stories about friends, acquaintances, and people she passes on the street-all told in a flat, unadorned prose. These are presented chronologically, and are mostly around a page in length each.

There are basically two reactions readers might have to this. The first is to be appalled at the simplistic style, stunned at the lack of any compelling story, and bored to tears with the banality of whole effort. One might wonder what the point is of a memoir in which there is no narrative thread to follow and the author's deepest thoughts and emotions are never present. Some will definitely find this a frustrating and annoying read, as it subverts the prevailing trend of edgy memoirs. The second reaction one might have is to appreciate the entire enterprise as a tribute to the everywoman that goes unnoticed and unheralded. One could find a certain profundity in the series of banal episodes, and view it as a valuable document of women's social history. Is there a larger meaning to be found in Smith's portrait of her half-century? Well, it's kind of one of those situations where if you think there is, then there is. I myself found it oddly compelling reading, although rather affected. Ultimately, the book's a mirror, and how one reacts to it may be more interesting than the life it describes.

Rating:
Summary: Deceptively plain and simple
Review: The ennui of day-to-day living is opened up and rendered poignant and amusing. Smith seems to write in a clipped, declarative way, but it is secretly loaded with style and observational prowess.

Rating:
Summary: An utterly amazing book
Review: This book is the equivalent of an indie movie. It may appear dull and unglamourous on the surface, but looked at as a whole, it is a profound portrait of a woman's life. It's simplicity is what makes it so compelling

Smith's vignettes are so everyday and mundane that you are forced to look for a larger meaning. Her stories are all of our stories. And any life is interesting when examined this closely.