Katelyn Beaty's Reviews > Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own

Gosh, I wanted to like this book. Any attempt to explore women’s inner lives, complex choices, and ability to carve out a space of their own in the world is going to draw me in. But this book seems confused by what it wanted to be. While it’s billed as a memoir of sorts, it’s ultimately literary history. Unfortunately, none of the 5 women writers profiled here are that interesting. They are clearly meaningful to Bolick, but she doesn’t do the work to explain why we the readers should care. The memoir-ish elements of the book are more engaging, but honestly, not that much happens. There’s more than a whiff of privilege here that will be familiar to anyone who’s been in around upper-middle-class, young white women in NYC media circles. There was a surprising lack of self-reflection throughout. A great topic but not the right approach IMO.