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The Blurb On The Back:
I heard this crazy story, and I want you to know.
It is the age of internet gossip; of social networks, repackaged ideas and rating everything out of five stars. Mega-famous celebrities respond with fury to critics who publish less-than-raptuous reviews of their work (and then delete their tweets); CEOs talk about reclaiming reclaiming ‘the power of vulnerability’; and in the world of fiction, writers eschew actually making things up in favour of ‘always just talking about themselves’.
In this blistering, addictive and very funny first book of non-fiction, Lauren Oyler - one of the most trenchant, influential and revelatory critics of her generation - takes on the bizarre particularities of our present moment in a series of interconnected essays about literature, the attention economy, gossip, the role of criticism and her own relentless, teeth-grinding anxiety.
Illuminating and thought-provoking by turns drily scathing and disarmingly open, No Judgement excavates the layers of psychology and meaning in how we communicate, tell stories and make critical judgements - to offer dazzling insights into how we live and think today.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Lauren Oyler is a novellist, essayist and cultural critic. This collection of 6 interconnected essays about gossip, cultural criticism, vulnerability, ‘auto-fiction’, living in Berlin, and mental illness makes some interesting points at times but too many of the essays left me wondering what the point was while I didn’t see the purported humour and the constant mentions of her Ivy League education made her too try-hard for my tastes.
NO JUDGEMENT: ON BEING CRITICAL was released in the United Kingdom on 7th March 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
It is the age of internet gossip; of social networks, repackaged ideas and rating everything out of five stars. Mega-famous celebrities respond with fury to critics who publish less-than-raptuous reviews of their work (and then delete their tweets); CEOs talk about reclaiming reclaiming ‘the power of vulnerability’; and in the world of fiction, writers eschew actually making things up in favour of ‘always just talking about themselves’.
In this blistering, addictive and very funny first book of non-fiction, Lauren Oyler - one of the most trenchant, influential and revelatory critics of her generation - takes on the bizarre particularities of our present moment in a series of interconnected essays about literature, the attention economy, gossip, the role of criticism and her own relentless, teeth-grinding anxiety.
Illuminating and thought-provoking by turns drily scathing and disarmingly open, No Judgement excavates the layers of psychology and meaning in how we communicate, tell stories and make critical judgements - to offer dazzling insights into how we live and think today.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Lauren Oyler is a novellist, essayist and cultural critic. This collection of 6 interconnected essays about gossip, cultural criticism, vulnerability, ‘auto-fiction’, living in Berlin, and mental illness makes some interesting points at times but too many of the essays left me wondering what the point was while I didn’t see the purported humour and the constant mentions of her Ivy League education made her too try-hard for my tastes.
NO JUDGEMENT: ON BEING CRITICAL was released in the United Kingdom on 7th March 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
