tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post637646377552445162..comments2024-02-09T16:13:32.416-08:00Comments on Classical Carousel: The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude SteinCleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-36817754136072418762016-01-21T22:17:02.365-08:002016-01-21T22:17:02.365-08:00I assume that her biography would easier reading t...I assume that her biography would easier reading than her other works. Just a guess. ;-) She appears to be very impressed with herself, which comes across in her work. It's too bad because I prefer it when the author allows his/her work to speak for itself. However, I think she was probably quite a character, but one that came across better in person than on the page.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-71035098377777845122016-01-21T14:50:07.848-08:002016-01-21T14:50:07.848-08:00Great review! I had a really hard time with Stein ...Great review! I had a really hard time with Stein in school, especially Tender Buttons, so I never went back to her work in my own reading. Maybe some day I'll give her another go. I don't know though :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-37504541014829430662016-01-19T22:54:52.528-08:002016-01-19T22:54:52.528-08:00Hemingway and Stein were good friends, at least ac...Hemingway and Stein were good friends, at least according to Stein, so I was surprised at his reaction to this biography. At least he was an honest friend. ;-) I'll have to look for that quote, if I ever attempt that book again; it almost put me off Hemingway for good, but that was years ago. I hope to have a different reaction with a re-read.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-49792384871991721972016-01-19T14:42:14.164-08:002016-01-19T14:42:14.164-08:00Thanks for an interesting post! As much as I enjoy...Thanks for an interesting post! As much as I enjoy Stein's time period, I don't know much about her art or writing. I am mainly familiar with her quote "You are all a lost generation" that Hemingway included at the beginning of The Sun Also Rises. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-16424568439620227832016-01-17T15:14:34.706-08:002016-01-17T15:14:34.706-08:00Discussions are so illuminating, aren't they? ...Discussions are so illuminating, aren't they? And I've had some good ones to start off the year! I must admit that I'm a little leery of the upcoming biographies (except for Merton, Lewis & Solzhenitsyn) but Ruth is positive so I'll perhaps steal some positivity from her. I hope it works! ;-)Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-10479523443834960032016-01-16T10:54:05.598-08:002016-01-16T10:54:05.598-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-34805059835987275312016-01-16T01:31:19.841-08:002016-01-16T01:31:19.841-08:00Great review and enjoy following your discussion w...Great review and enjoy following your discussion with Ruth about the book. Sometimes books that never will cross my reading list are intresting....and I can learn about them from those like you who take the time to read them. Bravo to you AND Ruth! ps love the word 'farrago' !NancyElinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15021569006682648126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-32935776623393484822016-01-15T17:29:50.413-08:002016-01-15T17:29:50.413-08:00Thanks, Ruth. I know what you mean about being (s...Thanks, Ruth. I know what you mean about being (somewhat) able to define her but I still feel like you would be guessing. She's obviously a big woman, so we think "imposing" and "outspoken", but it's a guess. However, you are right that some of her words back that assumption up, and she obviously had a ..... I was going to say respect, but perhaps a better word is fascination from the artistic community. In this book, I felt that her words were for show or for some ulterior purpose, never focusing on herself. Yes, certainly, some of "her" were in them, but you never get a good view .... like I mentioned, a reflection. I did think she had insight, as you can see from her quotes, but again it was never directed at herself. <br /><br />Yes, I'd love to hear the quote you found. I liked the one by Anderson, as I think it accurately described her role in the avant garde movement. As for Stein as a person, I think you could find out more about her by reading what other people wrote, than from Stein herself.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-89968491864362683632016-01-15T17:05:09.064-08:002016-01-15T17:05:09.064-08:00The book is interesting, but in a shallow sort of ...The book is interesting, but in a shallow sort of way. If you focus on information, it's somewhat engaging. But if you focus on Stein, it's disappointing. It was as if she was trying too hard. I also got the impression that she was trying to be deliberately flamboyant, but in a more intellectual and artsy way. I did like the way she spoke her mind, but again, you wonder ..... it's the first time I wondered at the reliability of the narrator concerning an autobiography. It was a weird feeling.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-12955487493374036172016-01-15T14:32:03.570-08:002016-01-15T14:32:03.570-08:00This was such a good review. Very intriguing. I l...This was such a good review. Very intriguing. I like how you describe her autobiography - a gentle exposure to her (attempted) "art."<br /><br />I noticed that you come away feeling like you could not know her deeply b/c she did not reveal very much about herself; and I felt like I could define what she was like with the little scrapings that she did share. When I listen to her reading her poem, I feel like, "Yep. That's her," an emotionless, stoic pillar - like the busty bronze that was made for her in Paris. <br /><br />I wish I kept the quote a different writer made about her. It was very telling, as it was all about Gertrude. Maybe if I find it, I will pass it on to you. Ruth @ with freedom and bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15531827758868215023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-18853866922510884112016-01-15T11:21:03.672-08:002016-01-15T11:21:03.672-08:00It is a shame that there was no depth in the book....It is a shame that there was no depth in the book. She lived in an interesting time with interesting people and would have heard/seen/been part of history...a little bit of more intuitive narration would have made it better! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com