In Praise Of Messy Lives: Essays

Description

'Is there some adventure out there that we are not having, some vividness, some wild pleasure, that we are not experiencing in our responsible, productive days?...We are bequeathed on earth one very short life, and it might be good, one of these days, to make sure that we are living it.' In this powerful, unified and vital work Katie Roiphe touches on everything from the romantic ambivalence of Jane Austen to the cast of Mad Men whilst delivering a collection of autobiographical pieces that are by turns, deeply moving, self-critical, razor-sharp, entertaining and unapologetic in their defence of 'messy lives'. "Brilliant and unflinching, on everything from divorce to Mad Men to sex to the food we eat. Every sentence is an eye-opener". (India Knight).

Reviews

* Brilliant and unflinching, on everything from divorce to Mad Men to sex to the food we eat. Every sentence is an eye-opener -- India Knight * [A] devastatingly good new book -- Dwight Garner The New York Times * Daring, vivid, combative...the refreshing irreverence of her book might well be unique among writers of her generation. Wall Street Journal * No sacred cow, exalted personage, or sanctimonious hypocrisy is safe from the sharp eye of Katie Roiphe. In In Praise of Messy Lives, she delivers timely, coruscating verdicts on everything from working women's fantasies to Philip Roth to the rage of Gawker. An essential read for our cultural confusion. Tina Brown * Katie Roiphe is one of the most insightful, exciting writers of her generation. She's daring, fierce, and entirely original. Gay Talese * Roiphe's writing is prickly and provocative...courageous, and most welcome when it cuts deep. Publisher's Weekly * Bracing...and hilarious...Roiphe writes with an archer's aim and a bullfighter's bravado. Booklist

Author description

Katie Roiphe is a professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. She writes a column on life, literature, and politics for Slate and writes for The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Paris Review, and other publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her two children.