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#MidlifeCrisis
blurb
CSeydel
All Fours | Miranda July
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I‘ve got a bad feeling about this…

So I know this book is polarizing. I went in expecting shock, expecting transgressive attitudes about sex, gender, and aging, expecting discomfort in the name of probing implicit attitudes and assumptions about propriety and morality. But so far it‘s just exhausting. It‘s like listening to your most neurotic friend monologue about her chaotic and obsessive thoughts, which are entirely self-oriented

CSeydel She‘s kind of pretentious and while she thinks she‘s studying and interpreting the world around her, she actually living in a fantasy world constructed in her mind and projecting it onto the people around her. 2d
Leniverse Yes, you're spot on. You will get some of the transgressive stuff you were expecting. And the second half of the books is better than the first half. Overall though, I found her ridiculous and privileged, and I really wished for the story to be about someone less unlikeable. There are some decent themes in there, and I wanted to be able to identify with the struggle but that was impossible. 2d
CSeydel @Leniverse Oh, gosh. I was hoping it would get better in that respect. I have found a lot of interesting lines, like aphorisms peppering her incessant over-analyzing and rationalizing, that I think are pithy and incisive and capture some truth about human existence. But on the whole, yes, she‘s ridiculous. Which would be fine! Except that I think we‘re supposed to take her as seriously as she takes herself. 2d
See All 7 Comments
Tamra Hmmmm 🤔I haven‘t been compelled to stack this one and you are making a good case against it. Doesn‘t sound like I‘d fair any better. (edited) 1d
CSeydel @Tamra No, I don‘t think this would be up your alley at all. The MC is over-privileged, chronically discontent, and rationalizes her extreme self-absorption with tortuous philosophical justifications. About 50 pages in, I started to suspect that the book might actually be satire, and now I can‘t help but read it in that light. Whether I‘m right or wrong, it‘s much more entertaining that way. (So far.) 1d
Tamra @CSeydel excellent plan B that might actually prove to be entertaining. You could be right! 1d
CarolynM I think she was probably aiming for satire, but it was a big miss for me for the reasons you have given. 1d
40 likes7 comments
review
vlwelser
All Fours | Miranda July
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Mehso-so

I found this protagonist super annoying and probably should have given up at the halfway mark but it does get somewhat better.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4w
43 likes1 comment
review
britt_brooke
All Fours | Miranda July
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mostly loved the beautiful, smoothly flowing writing, but this story made me feel a bit icky. A relatable recurring theme was fitting people into boxes, and that was very thoughtfully handled. I‘m torn. Almost brilliant. Docking a star for the several foul bodily descriptions for shock value which kinda stole the show. Not in a good way. The writing was so freaking good, that shit was not needed.

RaeLovesToRead I both loved and hated this book 2mo
BarbaraBB Fab review! 2mo
britt_brooke @RaeLovesToRead Yes!! That‘s a good way to put it. Same. 2mo
britt_brooke @BarbaraBB Thank you! 🩷🩷 2mo
69 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
marleed
All Fours | Miranda July
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Mehso-so

I was not rooting for this MC - her need for discovery was almost insufferable and she lost me with the tampon episode. The writing is quite good though.

ChaoticMissAdventures This one is so controversial! And on so many lists, hard not to pick it up. 2mo
marleed @ChaoticMissAdventures My thoughts exactly, and I was curious which side of the fence I‘d land on. I guess I‘m sitting on the fence🤣 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @marleed me too! I feel like I can appreciate her writing and bravery to just go there, I had it as a pick I think because I liked it more than most, but it really isn't my thing, I will not really recommend it and will not pick it up again. 2mo
GidgetsTreasures75 I liked it in some ways but it was definitely difficult to like the MC. 2mo
67 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
bio_chem06
All Fours | Miranda July
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I know this was a big book that everyone was talking about but when I really looked into the reviews, it was all over the place, so I don‘t feel bad for hate reading it right now. I think I‘ll finish it because it‘s a quick read, but I just don‘t care about the narrator. Being so self aware and self assured in my 40s makes the midlife crisis hard for me to understand. Not a humble brag, just an observation.

Hooked_on_books It hated this book 2mo
bio_chem06 Thanks for sharing @Hooked_on_books. It was recommended by a friend, but I am hating it too. I think it‘s going to the DNF pile. Life is too short to force myself to read something awful when I have a TBR pile just staring me in the face. 2mo
Hooked_on_books Amen to that! 2mo
8 likes3 comments
review
GidgetsTreasures75
All Fours | Miranda July
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Pickpick

3-8-25: My 17th finished book of 2025! I think I really got into this story because I went through menopause so early in life,37,and while the main character is suffering through perimenopause, I felt a connection of sorts.Beyond that, this story was a raw telling of one woman‘s journey through marriage and motherhood and everything that can happen when you let your guard down and start being real with yourself and your desires.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣1️⃣7️⃣

review
Bec_lectic
All Fours | Miranda July
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Mehso-so

So this is not a story for everyone. It went to places I don‘t normally seek when reading. It was graphic in parts that were just plain out there & gross at times. But, this book took me out of my comfort zone and put me into a mind that is very unlike mine. That‘s the great thing about reading though, it transports you into another world or life. I gave this a so-so because I don‘t feel like I walked away with anything profound from it. Just eh

review
Abailliekaras
All Fours | Miranda July
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Pickpick

A frank and funny novel that veers into the bonkers. I really enjoyed the on point writing and humour. July manages to walk a line between ‘artiste‘ on a complete flight of fancy and enough self-awareness to keep it grounded. Still, her narrator is self-absorbed which stopped me from loving the book (that & her obsession with sex & menopause - but many have loved this part). A provocative, interesting read and great fodder for a book club.

30 likes1 stack add
blurb
Sparklemn
All Fours | Miranda July
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I can‘t remember ever rooting so hard AGAINST the main character. She is dreadful. That being said, I‘m enjoying the book (about 70% complete) and looking forward to seeing how the story ends. Did anyone else feel this way about her?

Ruthiella I didn‘t find any character particularly likable. But I was curious to see where it would all end up. I also wondered how much of this was culled from the author‘s life. 3mo
TheBookHippie LOATHED her. LOATHED and I bailed. 😵‍💫😂😝🤪🤷🏻‍♀️ 3mo
fredthemoose Also completely loathed her, so much that when a friend read it we spent a 5 day trip having one long book club conversation about what a self absorbed jerk she was. 3mo
See All 14 Comments
Sparklemn @Ruthiella I hadn't even thought about that. I'll have to research the author when I've finished. 3mo
Sparklemn @TheBookHippie I almost bailed, too, but stubbornly pushed on. Not sure why. Hopefully it be worth it. 3mo
Sparklemn @fredthemoose Now that sounds like fun! I'm looking forward to reading reviews when I'm done. I'm not sure I can convince any of my friends to read this one. 3mo
TheBookHippie @fredthemoose was 5 days long enough????? 😝😂😩😵‍💫🤷🏻‍♀️😅 3mo
TheBookHippie @Sparklemn 😝😵‍💫😅 3mo
fredthemoose @TheBookHippie 😂😂😂 No! But it was as long as we had so we had to make do! 3mo
TheBookHippie @fredthemoose 😂😂😂 3mo
CarolynM Loathed her 3mo
BarbaraBB I enjoyed the book so much! I didn‘t particularly like the narrator but loved what the author did. I now follow Miranda July on IG and she‘s so fun. 3mo
Sparklemn @CarolynM yes! 😖 3mo
Sparklemn @BarbaraBB Can‘t wait to finish! 3mo
47 likes14 comments
review
HettyG
All Fours | Miranda July
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Pickpick

A middle aged female artist facing a midlife crisis writes about a middle aged female artist facing a midlife crisis with all the credulity of a teenager who has just figured out how to have an orgasm, certain the rest of the world must not be clued in to the experience.

I still really liked it though, there were moments of real insight and while the main character remains insufferable from beginning to end, I still liked her. 💜

BkClubCare Nice review. 3mo
CarolynM Great review. I didn‘t like her. At all. 3mo
HettyG @CarolynM she's a complicated character for sure and the book is really not for everyone, I wasn't sure I liked it or her until towards the end. And she is unlikeable, maybe all of us, the perimenopausal, are tough to take in this phase of life? I know I am. 🤣 3mo
36 likes1 stack add3 comments