A book of essays from author Jennifer Weiner in which she takes the raw stuff of her life and spins it into a collection of tales of modern-day womanhood.
There are standouts in Hungry Heart and they make up for the clunky beginning ... Her discussion of her mother’s coming out and her father’s abandonment and death are dealt with with the swift touch of a professional. Weiner doesn’t do maudlin ... Weiner shines as a cultural critic. 'Twitter, Reconsidered' should be required reading for writing students, journalism majors and budding feminists.
...a fun read: Weiner is an engaging writer...There are laugh-out-loud funny moments, and ones with which I identified so strongly that I caught myself tearing up ... But the book suffers from a pacing problem. Though it is positioned as a collection of essays, the first half is more or less a straight and engaging autobiography. The second half is a series of disconnected essays, which appear to follow no chronological order ... Is it too much of a pun to say that the book left me hungry for more, though not always in a good way?
Weiner is, above all, a paradox with an acid pen, which makes her memoir a frustrating read. The book is a curious mix of autobiography along with parenting tips, self-help sections, previously published articles and essays, and selections from her Twitter feed ... Weiner wants to have it both ways: Pity the poor outcast, but watch her lash back with equal venom...That annoying snarkiness distracts from the real pain of a culture in which beauty is defined by Madison Avenue ... The memoir comes off as Weiner’s attempt to use her gift for language as a way to get back, rather than to reach deep understanding and resolution.
