The Female Persuasion & A Star is Born

A book about feminism, female friendships, growing up in your 20s, becoming a writer and complex relationships between complicated women? If you could draft up a hypothetical book synopsis, this one checks all the boxes. Fortunately, The Female Persuasion is a real book that addresses all of these topics (and more). Written by Meg Wolitzer, The Female Persuasion focuses mainly on Greer, and takes the readers on a journey through her college years into adulthood, as she finds her voice and her path in life. I was surprised then, when midway through the story, the book shifts gears to chapters written from different perspectives. Part of the book focuses on Cory, Greer's longtime boyfriend, Zee, her best friend from college, and Faith Frank, the famous feminist whom Greer admires and eventually goes to work for. At first, I found myself taken aback at the shifting perspective, but Meg Wolitzer masterfully uses this opportunity to dig deep into each character's story, using these perspective changes to further flesh out the book and give multiple viewpoints to a singular event. Something that seems like a big deal to Greer, is a fleeting thought in Faith Frank's head, for example. I found myself eager to learn more about each of the people that Meg built and was pleased at the amount of time she spent on each one, it wasn't too little and it wasn't too much. When we go back to Greer's storyline towards the end, it's now further informed by the detours we took with Cory, Zee and Faith. The book is clearly set in semi-present day, with subtle references to the Obama years, the women's march in 2017 and growing frustrations of feminists across the country. I enjoyed how Meg thoughtfully weaves in conversations about intersectionality, the dichotomy between second wave feminists like Faith Frank and the feminists of today, the struggle to make a difference and whether the ends justify the means when you're advocating for a good cause. All of this happens, while you're also reading a story about the ups and downs in Greer and Cory's relationship, a tragedy in Cory's life that shifts his perspective on everything, Zee searching to find her place outside of her parents and Faith's struggle to get funding in the business world. It's a testament to Meg's writing that she's able to juggle all of this in a way that's satisfying for readers. I found myself wanting to read everything slowly to soak up all the detail that Meg infuses, while simultaneously wanting to read faster to find out what happens next in each journey. It's one of those books that has left me searching for a new read of a similar caliber to tackle next.

Bonus Pick: If you're looking to read more about the brilliant Meg Wolitzer, you can check out recent interviews with her in The New York Times and Vulture. Meg Wolitzer herself also penned an essay for The New York Times in 2012 discussing the absurdity of the term "women's fiction" and the differences in the ways books by male and female authors are marketed and received by audiences. She writes, "Recently at a social gathering, when a guest found out I was a writer, he asked, 'Would I have heard of you?' I dutifully told him my name — no recognition, fine, I’m not that famous — and then, at his request, I described my novels. 'You know, contemporary, I guess,' I said. 'Sometimes they’re about marriage. Families. Sex. Desire. Parents and children.' After a few uncomfortable moments he called his wife over, announcing that she, who 'reads that kind of book,' was the one I ought to talk to. When I look back on that encounter, I see a lost opportunity. When someone asks, 'Would I have heard of you?' many female novelists would be tempted to answer, 'In a more just world.'"

As Seen on Screen

A few weeks ago, I announced that I was looking forward to seeing A Star is Born, Single Parents and Life, Itself. Since then, I decided to skip out on watching Life, Itself because the reviews were truly terrible. I'll happily go see a bad movie, but I have no interest in seeing one that sloppily mashes up a bunch of sad things together for shock value. However, my other two picks were definitely more promising. Single Parents premiered three weeks ago on ABC and stars Taran Killam as Will, who has spent years so wrapped up in his daughter's life that he doesn't know who he is as a person. Fortunately, a team of fellow single parents are here to help. Leighton Meester plays Angie, Brad Garrett plays Douglas, Kimrie Lewis plays Poppy and Jake Choi plays Miggy, and together they form an intensely bonded group, fueled by carpooling and babysitting tasks that they share amongst each other to help a fellow single parent out. They take pity on Will and try and set him up on a date to get him out of the house. Overall, I really enjoyed the first episode, which felt very reminiscent of the New Girl pilot. Both shows were penned and created by Liz Meriwether, which gives me full confidence Single Parents can grow beyond the premise of a quirky single parent being ridiculous, into a hangout comedy about a group of friends. Three episodes in, and it's clear that this is the direction the show is heading. I enjoyed the dynamic between all of the characters and am excited to dig more into their bond and their friendship origin stories. I've never been a huge Taran Killam fan, so I'm hoping the show takes the opportunity to continue on the path it takes in the first few episodes and gives him some layers to allow him to give a more nuanced performance than I've previously seen. Overall, it's off to a promising start, and I trust the talented cast and talented writers to take the premise to the next level in the coming weeks.

Haven't You Heard?

Now on to my next fall pick! I want to start by saying that I did enjoy A Star is Born, but the movie had a couple of problems that have only continued to plague me in the days since I left the theater. I've never seen the earlier iterations of A Star is Born, but I went into the film knowing the general pattern of the story. I was disappointed to find that in this version of the film, the star in question was severely underdeveloped. Lady Gaga's performance was absolutely incredible; at times I forgot I was watching the off-screen superstar. While her character, Ally, never holds back on sharing her opinions and is no damsel in distress, she seems to have no other personality traits and little plot development beyond that. Ally has no last name of her own. Ally doesn't speak to another woman for the entirety of the movie. Ally seems to want to write music and sing, but never expresses what her actual professional goals are. Ally has been told that she's not pretty enough to be famous. Ally is tugged around by every single man in this movie and has no actual voice of her own. Ally seems cautious but seemingly makes decisions with very little thought. Ally tells Jackson that she has to work and doesn't want to attend his show, and Jackson ignores what she's saying and sends his driver to stalk her until she changes her mind. Ally is a manic pixie dream girl that doesn't follow the mani pixie dream girl formula. Jackson, meanwhile, played by the always impressive Bradley Cooper, who also directed and co-wrote the film, has a last name AND plenty of scenes that flesh out his depth, background and goals. It's a man's world, am I right? While both characters have story arcs, Ally's is made of bullet points and Jackson's is fully fleshed out. I did enjoy a number of aspects of the film. The music is amazing. Bradley Cooper proves talented enough to croon along onstage next to Lady Gaga, which is not an easy feat, and she is obviously more than able to handle any musical material that is thrown at her. The songs are catchy and moving, and I truly enjoyed each one from the country-rock ballads to my personal favorite Shallow to the pop numbers that signal a shift in Ally's musical journey. The performances from the entire cast were spot-on. Bradley Cooper's directing choices were wonderful, and the decision to let improv fuel a lot of the conversational scenes left audiences feeling like they were getting an intimate glimpse into the characters each time. He blended a lot of nice nods to the earlier movies in the Star franchise (I loved when Ally is walking down an alley singing a Judy Garland song, as the title card appears!) with a unique and contemporary take on the story (Ally makes an appearance on Saturday Night Live and Jackson's character struggling with tinnitus). But the male gaze is present throughout the entire movie (there are a handful of shots of an almost naked Ally, whereas Jackson never gets the same treatment), further emphasizing that this is a story centered on Jackson's perspective. It's a choice that Bradley Cooper makes consistently throughout the entire film; I just think it's the wrong one. I found myself leaving the theater and wondering what Ally wanted and what success and becoming a star meant to her. Unfortunately, we never got the answers.  

Required Reading

If you're looking for some more newsletters to add to your inbox, I've got two recommendations to brighten your week. My friend Michelle writes a weekly newsletter called Scavenger, where she examines the history of a different item or topic each week, ranging from cinnamon brooms to Whac-a-Mole. You can subscribe here. Another is a newsletter that I recently came across from Kara Cutruzulla, who sends some advice, fun video clips and inspirational and thought-provoking quotes to your inbox every morning. You can sign-up for Brass Ring Daily here.

If you're continuously impressed by the third season of The Good Place, like I am, you can read The New York Times profile on the show, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the show's latest episode.

If you're looking for a quick read about fact-checking with Harry Potter to close out the week, you're in luck! Daniel Radcliffe recently took a trip to The New Yorker to do some character research for his role in the Broadway show The Lifespan of a Fact. The magazine employees put him to work by having him fact-check a real article. Not only is it adorable to read about Daniel moonlighting as a reporter, it also demonstrates the care taken by fact-checking departments when reviewing articles.