About book Pretty In Plaid: A Life, A Witch, And A Wardrobe, Or, The Wonder Years Before The Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase (2009)
I've read all of Jen Lancaster's books and just ordered her newest one. While I thoroughly enjoyed this one it didn't quite give me the same number of laugh out loud's that the others had. I read this one on my Kindle and wonder if I simply didn't read it with enough consistency. However, I still found Jen to be on her game and continue to look forward to each of her publications. I appreciate her candor and ability to laugh at herself. She adds a lot to the memoir genre. I really wish I could give this 2.5 stars but since half-stars are not an option, 2 feels more appropriate than 3. I've been working on not being such a picky reader and when I saw this at Goodwill on 50% off day for $1, I thought "why not"? The back cover referred to Lancaster as a "David Sedaris with pearls and a supercute [bad grammar from an excerpt in the book's summary should be a dead giveaway] handbag" so I was actually excited about reading this. The excitement quickly faded when two chapters in, it felt like I was reading something written by a 17-year-old.The book is flat, its authenticity questionable (most notably Vegas) and NOTHING like a Sedaris book, NOTHING. The narrative is confusing (especially for a memoir) because it switches between present and past tense and even though you get used to it, you never feel like you surpass a 7th grade reading level. Lancaster tries way too hard to be brutally funny and the footnotes are a 10 out of 10 regarding pointlessness; they're not cute and they're not funny, they're just annoying. Some parts made me laugh and overall, I thought it was an entertaining read, but there was absolutely nothing that would make me consider recommending it to anyone. All negativity aside, I wouldn't say no to another one of her "memoirs" but I definitely won't be going out of my way to find one. On a final note, for someone who is supposed to be "fashion savvy", her style has the same pulse of excitement as motel room wallpaper.
Do You like book Pretty In Plaid: A Life, A Witch, And A Wardrobe, Or, The Wonder Years Before The Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase (2009)?
Read her books. My cheeks hurt from laughing!
—lasouza
