- Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: Anchor Books (Jun 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385484011
- ISBN-13: 978-0385484015
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 2.5 x 20.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,169,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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On a recent Sunday, one of the hints in the New York Times crossword puzzle was "Acts like Delilah." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
On a recent Sunday, one of the hints in the New York Times crossword puzzle was "Acts like Delilah." Read the first page
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
During her publicity tour for 'Bitch' (recounted in the later book 'More Now Again'), Elizabeth Wurtzel became intensely irritated with repeatedly being asked who she considered to be the great bitches. It tells both her and us two things. That the interviewers hadn’t read the book and that for many people the idea of a ‘bitch’, a sort of Margaret Thatcher / Alexis from Dynasty are very different to the kind of woman this book is about. Over the course of five essays Wurtzel tries to capture why it is that women are described with this kind of negative branding and described as manipulative when in fact they’re not really doing anything any more scandalous than their male counterparts, and that frequently they have to give up their independence as well, piggybacking on a man.
The mood of the book is perfectly captured by a story at the centre. She describes how Bill and Hilary Clinton drove into a garage, only to find their car being services by one of Hilary’s childhood sweethearts. The ex-President apparently turned to her and said: “If you’d married him you’d be the wife of a gas station attendant, “ to which she replied, “No, I wouldn’t. I’d be married to the President of the United States of America.” One of the stronger themes in the book is that behind most strong men there is an even stronger woman just behind. And that most of these strong women are also basket cases because the masculine presence creates an emotional glass ceiling; they literally can’t live with him or without him.
In fact, in this case the title is as much a verb as the assumed noun. There is a lot of venom on display in the book; Wurtzel is ultimately disappointed with the poor showing of her gender on occasion after occasion. In the essay dealing with Anna Nicole Smith, who could diplomatically be described as the late wife of OJ Simpson, it’s clear that she can’t understand what Smith was still doing in the relationship, especially when ‘spousal battery’ (her words) are on the agenda. She offers examples from the popular culture (notably the musical Carousel) in which violence in a relationship is portrayed as acceptable, even as a display of affection. But this is a book which doesn’t even try to provide answers. It just thoroughly explores the questions as much as possible.
This makes for a very dense read. Like a channel changer on a tv, three different subjects are covered one page, then another subject is described slowly over twenty-five, which also causes things to be slightly uneven. And Liz really bangs away at those subjects. In place, I felt that a point had been made well enough, but it was still given another a five pages to breath through. This kind of repetition makes things quote difficult in places. But it’s so gloriously well written that you don’t really want to skip ahead in case you miss something interesting.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
let me start by clarifying a couple of points made by other reviewers.
Anna Nicole Smith was deffinately not O.J. Simpsons wife in any shape or form, it was Nicole Brown Simpson, who is written about in the book. Also another reviewer says Elizabeth 1 would have made a good example, she is deffinately mentioned in the book, ok she doesnt get a full chapter, but she is not glossed over either. A constant critism seems to be that Ms Wurtzel chose to write about mainly american women, of course she did, she is american and grew up hearing about these women, she understands american values and culture. she couldn't write the book from the stand point of african women beacuse she is what she is. So although women from all over the globe are mentioned in the book, it is mainly americanised. Sometimes while reading the book the authour goes over the same material so many times you get a sense of deja vu. And sometimes Ms Wurtzel never seems to know exactly what she is trying to say, yes she wants to stand on her own and be under no mans rule and then she seems almost whimsical about wanting to find the right man. All in all though a very interesting read.
Anna Nicole Smith was deffinately not O.J. Simpsons wife in any shape or form, it was Nicole Brown Simpson, who is written about in the book. Also another reviewer says Elizabeth 1 would have made a good example, she is deffinately mentioned in the book, ok she doesnt get a full chapter, but she is not glossed over either. A constant critism seems to be that Ms Wurtzel chose to write about mainly american women, of course she did, she is american and grew up hearing about these women, she understands american values and culture. she couldn't write the book from the stand point of african women beacuse she is what she is. So although women from all over the globe are mentioned in the book, it is mainly americanised. Sometimes while reading the book the authour goes over the same material so many times you get a sense of deja vu. And sometimes Ms Wurtzel never seems to know exactly what she is trying to say, yes she wants to stand on her own and be under no mans rule and then she seems almost whimsical about wanting to find the right man. All in all though a very interesting read.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is OK. And that's probably as far as I'd go. It's pretty much the exact same as `The Bitch Rules' by the same author. It is by no stretch as good as Wurtzel's other book `Prozac Nation'. It's an alright read but I'd suggest borrowing this from the library, not buying it. Buy `Prozac Nation' instead.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointing!
As a fan of both Wurtzel and of feminist literature, I bought this book with a keen enthusiasm to delve into the author's views on the topic of "misbehaving women" throughout... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sylvia Wurtzel
Confused and confusing, but with nuggets of insight
The subtitle of the book, "In Praise of Difficult Women", is misleading if it is judged by the examples of so-called "difficult" women that Ms. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2003 by Joseph Haschka
A celebration of misunderstood women
This book was truly amazing. It seethes with feministic quality and spells out to society the true power of a woman. An inspiring read for feminists and interested parties alike.
Published on 19 Jan 2001 by u13cmh@abdn.ac.uk
A somewhat misleading title
I had been greatly looking forward to reading "Bitch": at last, I said, a study of intelligent, independent, courageous women (i. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2000
The can't live without guide for the complete woman .
Elizabeth Wurtzel delivers yet another masterpiece in her best book ever 'Bitch'. From revealing facts of and insight into OJ's relationship with Nicole Brown-Simpson to the ever... Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2000 by sarahc74@email.com
Over-hyped garbage
This is a badly-written load of dross, written by someone who is so profoundly ignorant that she doesn't even realise her quasi-philosophical ramblings are destitute of one small... Read more
Published on 10 Jun 1999
Excellent, a book that really makes you think...
Really liked this book, the articles all revolved around women and the 90's. How women are perceived and how they perceive themselves; sounds boring but in actuality is very... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 1999
The Bitch Bites Back!
Although Elizabeth Wertzel's first book, 'Prozac Nation', could not be surpassed, this book is a brilliant analysis of women in society today. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 1999
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