A Man's Place by Annie Ernaux (Book Review)

[@oliviastefanoiou3878]

Good evening! I really enjoyed your commentary. I would like to mention though that what you described as "small town thinking" is an especially prevalent way of thought in non-western societies or societies that are not fully integrated in the western values. That stems on the focus of values on blood ties and concepts such as honour. Plus, in countries such as Romania, where the communist security machine heavily permeated even civil life, another reason is added. People were obsessed with conformation and public image in order not to attract negative attention of the secret service and the mentality is still heavily presesent in the older generations, especially in the country side which has not profited as much from western integration.

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts @oliviastefanoiou3878 I appreciate it. I can't say if it's just for non-western as there are examples where even in regional parts of western countries there's that same thinking. (I can only say it from my own Australian context). I wonder if it's a generational thing?? 🤔 Being of Greek background, growing up, a lot of my behaviour was determined on what others may think and to not bring dishonour to the family based on my actions. I'm not saying whether it was right or wrong. It just...was. If anything. I think it taught me to be more reflective of my behaviour.

[@reaganwiles_art]

"[Philip] Roth mordantly paraphrases Czeslaw Milosz: “When a writer is born into a family, the family is finished.”"-quote from The New Yorker, 2018. Another bangin' review. Would like to read this one too.

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Omg. I love love love this quote!!!! I'm going to remember this. Thank YOU.

[@samarabdelnour]

Thank u for sharing. I have recently listened to this book and was a bit skeptic about the writing style. But when I listened to your KZbin I had an aha moment and it all came clear to me. Thank u for highlighting the points you did. Now I know for a fact that some books cannot give the same impression if one goes thru them in an audio type. This is such an important conclusion that u helped me figure out. Not all books should go in an audio version. Thanks again.

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Thank you so much for sharing this feedback with me and I’m glad that it resonated in a way to help with understanding. I still think about the writing of her books. Why? Because I have journaled my entire life. I have so many notebooks where I have written - and which have helped me process my life’s experiences and the people who were in it. I couldn’t even fathom the idea of making these public. What she does is quite courageous and exposes her vulnerability but also her thinking out loud. For me, I cannot read her books because they’re so raw and real. It reminds me too much of my writing. (I’m not saying that my writing is on par with hers because let’s face it, I can write some crap and whinge a lot on paper) but it’s the mere idea of exposing these to public which shocks me.

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

What a great experience! I’ve read a few Ernauxs. The Happening is my favorite of the ones I’ve read. I’m glad to know more about the one you read. I recently read the Possession and really enjoyed that too. (That Annie having relationships with younger men. ☺️😍)

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Thanks for sharing this. It’s been interesting to read her although at times I find her writing too confronting. Too open. I’ll check out The Happening. I’ve got another review coming up where I talk just about how I found her writing. I may need to hold off from reading more of her books for a while though. I’ll give it time.

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

@@LifeLessonsFromBooks , Helen, it's funny you should say that. I DO have to choose carefully. I tried reading another Ernaux that I saw my library had. It was "Simple Passion", and I had to quit reading it. It was too painful I guess I would say? I got SO impatient with her or exasperated!

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Exactly! I didn't finish Getting Lost for the same reasons!!!! @thelefthandedreader6632

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

@@LifeLessonsFromBooks , oh my god! I love knowing that. 🥰

[@DefaultName-nt7tk]

Thanks for your review. The only time I heard about A. Erneaux when the Nobel prize announced her name. I think you should follow her footsteps with your writing. I am already signing up as your first reader 😊. I am just about to finish listening to a classic novel by George Gissing ( also unknown to me earlier)dealing with writers' : what they have or want to go through to make ends meet. "The New Grubstreet" is the title.

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. I don't know how I'd go publishing my writing - my journal entries - as she does so publicly. I know I'll end up hurting people and it's not my intention. I found Ernaux's writing too raw for me and simply, questioned how - and why - you would put yourself out there in the public sphere. Then again, nearly everyone is on social media and sharing something about themselves. Where social media has a bit of the "fake" in it (we disguise ourselves, add filters, etc), the writing of the journal is too real. Too raw. Too public. Everything is on show. I don't think I can do this!!! On an aside, I haven't heard about Grubstreet and just looked it up. It's a tome of a book! Let me know what you think of it. I've made a note of it to see if I can find this in my library.

[@DefaultName-nt7tk]

@@LifeLessonsFromBooks I finished listening to Gissing's novel The New Grubstreet and enjoyed it. The characters, their relationships to each other and their views are real even today. I have 2 audiobook apps (Skribd and Audible) and use my 'silent' times while driving or walking on treadmill/rowing in the gym for 'reading' through my headphones. A good reader can add an extra life to the story. I sample the voice before launching into it.

[@LifeLessonsFromBooks]

I don’t go for audiobooks but that’s because I don’t listen for long periods of time. (The only listening pieces are French language learning) however I do agree that the voice is important when listening to a book. You’d want to be immediately enveloped into the story and characters without getting agitated with the narrator’s voice! 🤣