An Extraordinary Theory of Objects: A Memoir of an Outsider in Paris
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.45 (609 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0061963925 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-12-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
--Annie Bostrom . LaCava’s descriptions are well matched by Matthew Nelson’s delicate line drawings. In the end, what cleverly fills the honeycomb of LaCava’s own story—one that feels more special than upsetting for its strangeness—is a compassionate, evocative biography of seemingly aberrant things and a collection of historical anecdotes that most readers would never otherwise learn, let alone find gathered all together in one small (but not diminishing), deliberate, and careful book. From Booklist Displaced as a young teen to Parisfor her father’s job, LaCava collected peculiar objects for therapeutic comfort from the unhappiness she found there. If you take her at her word, her curious little book is based on her strangeness and odd habits, and she is exorcising any remaining demons by creating a written record of th
Filled with beautiful illustrations and providing a retrospective of nineties fashion and culture, An Extraordinary Theory of Objects: A Memoir of an Outsider in Paris is sure to be a collector's item for Francophiles or anyone who has ever found security in the strangest of places.. As an adolescent in a foreign country, Stephanie LaCava found an unconventional way to deal with her social awkwardness and feelings of uncertainty about the future by taking solace from the strange and beautiful objects she came across in her daily life. It's Girl Interrupted meets Miranda July—with a touch of Joan Didion—in this captivating collection of original essays revolving around a young American girl's coming of age in Paris
Don't bother To say this is a book is far too generous. It was a series of disjointed vigneettes, supposedly predicated on two themes; that she was odd and had a fascination for objects, neither of which were developed. Instead her so-called personality disorders felt like boastful self-aggrandizement, when in fact it appeared to be nothing more than thinly veiled masquerade for ordinary teenage angst.While the author has obvious talent, by the end of the book I was only persuaded of one thing; that it was. Beautiful Design, Mediocre Writing Lou I was so excited when I received this book. As an object, it's beautiful. Then I started to read it. She's just not a great writer, unfortunately. A mediocre talent at best, and her voice is non-existent. A memoir (or any first-person narrative) needs to have a strong, authentic, compelling voice, and she simply has not discovered hers yet. I was very disappointed.. Christopher G. Wilson said Does the "whimsy" used to describe the book stand in for "deluded". There is no narrative arc, and I'm pretty sure the only reason this book got published is because the author is a NYC socialite who knew someone at the publisher. The book cover is lovely, and that's about all I can say for this empty memoir of a vapid woman. I was excited to read this, but it wasn't so much about the place, as it was about the strange objects the author collects, her eating disorders, and generalized mania. Which would be fine, and possibly compelling, if told in an entirely