Before the last week I had had very little exposure to Glennon Doyle; I knew her name and that was about it. I saw her new release Untamed doing very well, so my interest was sparked a little, and then when I saw a friend reading it we decided on a little impromptu book club with another friend. Her books are often ones I might choose to listen to, but, if we're being honest, her voice often gives a very intense energy that I can't always handle. So, reading it was. I ordered Love Warrior as well, since it was cheap and I found the story of her marriage interesting.
So, in the last week I have read both memoirs and also listened to her on a recent episode of Armchair Expert (which I founded a little awkward... the chemistry of everyone was just off, perhaps because they were all together). It's been a lot of Glennon Doyle.
One thing I had to sort to sort of check myself about was criticizing things she couldn't control. The entire time I was reading Love Warrior I was inwardly making snarky comments about how easy it was for her to make huge life decisions without seemingly needing to worry about money (I think her ex-husband had a solid job and then her career started taking off). But, that's her life and they seemingly worked hard for financial comfort. I also was frustrated sometimes with the incredible amount of time she was able to dedicate to her inner turmoil and personal growth- yoga, breath classes, therapy, a few nights away in a hotel to think, etc... But, again, she made her life in such a way where these kinds of luxuries were possible, even with three kids, and I can't fault her for that.
In terms of her writing, I found her books super quick reads. Untamed was set into super short essays which flew by, while Love Warrior was comprised of much larger sections, which I think some were maybe too long (there were a few sections of deep reflection that got on my nerves a bit). She writes like a blogger, if that make sense; she knows she needs to provide a lot of context and examples, while also getting to the point to retain her readers. Her tone is conversational and feels honest, as opposed to lecturing or that of a know-it-all, which I think some self-help books end up being (oh god, like Marie Forleo's, which I quit listening to after an hour or two).
I appreciated how she sort of grappled with her spirituality during the two memoirs, clearly a believer of God, but a critic of organized religion. She did spend a few too many pages going on about "the knowing" in Untamed, as far as I'm concerned, but I can see some people who are more in tune with their inner voices or how the talk to God into that (I don't know what I am... an agnostic flirting with atheism? TBD... ask me again in twenty years). I do like the fact that she was able to stand up for herself and really be true to some important ideals when deciding how to go to church.
I really respect and admire Doyle for ending her marriage literally right after Love Warrior was published; she had been so unhappy and when she met her now wife, Abby, she knew that it was over and she had to figure out herself on a new, different level. I think so many women would have stayed with their husbands, terrified of the PR consequences of changing her tune, so I applauded her bravery.
Untamed had far more of an impact on me than Love Warrior, and it's a book I'll never lend out to anyone, as my quote underlining was out of control and is far too much of a look into my psyche (no, I'm not a lesbian, if that's what some of you are thinking... not that it would matter if I was, but I know this is how rumors start, haha). Love Warrior feels more like a standard memoir to me, while Untamed a combo of self-help and memoir.
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