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A review by maedo
The Big Love by Sarah Dunn
1.0
The Big Love joins yogurt ads, spray tans, and sitcoms in the long line of terrible things that have resulted from our culture's expectations of, and regard for, women.
Things I hate about The Big Love (the short list):
1.) The main character of The Big Love went to a frickin' Ivy League university and her main obsessions are marriage and why, at age 32, she has only had sex with two people in her life. Are you kidding me?
OK, so, she's from a fundamentalist Christian background and argues that this has stunted her. She also seriously dated a gay man and ended up sleeping with him because she was desperate to have sex. It's understandable that she has issues. But the obsession with her lack of sexual partners is triggered by her boyfriend dumping her at the beginning of the book and she just cannot let it go, even after she has had plenty of sex (only three partners by the end of the book, oh noes, whatever will she do? THERE ARE THIRTY-TWO YEAR OLD VIRGINS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. WHO. CARES. WHO CAAAAAARES. YOU'RE THIRTY-TWO).
2.) She buys into the whole stupid cliche that bisexuals are hormone raging freaks that will sex anything that moves anytime and is almost surprised when "even" her bisexual friend says bestiality is wrong. (??? How offensive.)
3.) She spends like two pages talking about how she's a diagnosed narcissist. Cool story gurl.
4.) She thinks there's nothing more pathetic than going into Reading Terminal Market and shopping by yourself and taking home cheese to then eat by yourself. THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT DAY. There are enough women who think they're being judged when they do things alone, so way to further reinforce codependency and spoil the fun of a day out by yourself.
(Honestly? In my life I have enjoyed eating at restaurants and seeing movies alone more than I've enjoyed probably 90% of the dates I've been on.)
5.) There's a pregnancy scare and a best friend's confession of undying love, each of which is explored for only about three pages, because this book is crap and it's like Dunn realized nothing was happening aside from her nauseating MC's whinging, so she just phoned in two chick lit tropes to make it seem like things were moving forward.
I don't expect books to be politically correct or to reinforce my feminism. But I am soooo tired of these lazy books that buy into the "common sense" idea of what it is to be woman, dreaming about our weddings and having total fucking breakdowns in the absence of men. They're boring. They're generic. In more vulnerable times, they've actually been unhealthy for my self esteem. I am tired of it! You can't hide your laziness with "Woody Allen" "wit." Get away from me forever, Big Love!
Things I hate about The Big Love (the short list):
1.) The main character of The Big Love went to a frickin' Ivy League university and her main obsessions are marriage and why, at age 32, she has only had sex with two people in her life. Are you kidding me?
OK, so, she's from a fundamentalist Christian background and argues that this has stunted her. She also seriously dated a gay man and ended up sleeping with him because she was desperate to have sex. It's understandable that she has issues. But the obsession with her lack of sexual partners is triggered by her boyfriend dumping her at the beginning of the book and she just cannot let it go, even after she has had plenty of sex (only three partners by the end of the book, oh noes, whatever will she do? THERE ARE THIRTY-TWO YEAR OLD VIRGINS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. WHO. CARES. WHO CAAAAAARES. YOU'RE THIRTY-TWO).
2.) She buys into the whole stupid cliche that bisexuals are hormone raging freaks that will sex anything that moves anytime and is almost surprised when "even" her bisexual friend says bestiality is wrong. (??? How offensive.)
3.) She spends like two pages talking about how she's a diagnosed narcissist. Cool story gurl.
4.) She thinks there's nothing more pathetic than going into Reading Terminal Market and shopping by yourself and taking home cheese to then eat by yourself. THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT DAY. There are enough women who think they're being judged when they do things alone, so way to further reinforce codependency and spoil the fun of a day out by yourself.
(Honestly? In my life I have enjoyed eating at restaurants and seeing movies alone more than I've enjoyed probably 90% of the dates I've been on.)
5.) There's a pregnancy scare and a best friend's confession of undying love, each of which is explored for only about three pages, because this book is crap and it's like Dunn realized nothing was happening aside from her nauseating MC's whinging, so she just phoned in two chick lit tropes to make it seem like things were moving forward.
I don't expect books to be politically correct or to reinforce my feminism. But I am soooo tired of these lazy books that buy into the "common sense" idea of what it is to be woman, dreaming about our weddings and having total fucking breakdowns in the absence of men. They're boring. They're generic. In more vulnerable times, they've actually been unhealthy for my self esteem. I am tired of it! You can't hide your laziness with "Woody Allen" "wit." Get away from me forever, Big Love!