Rachel Cooke's Observer review of the Laurie Penny book

[RoyalCorgi]

It's not online yet - I don't know why. But you can read it here:

twitter.com/JudyWeb92176381/status/1490364936836497421/photo/1

Enjoy.

Excellent. I do like Rachel Cooke, whether she's taking down poor 'academic' writing or musing on nostalgic food.

And yes, Penny is exactly like Rick. I can't believe I've not noticed before. Once seen, never unseen

LOL yes

@WhereYouLeftIt

Has Penny had any good reviews?

It seems not. I notice the Guardian (as opposed to the Observer) hasn't reviewed it at all, which makes me wonder whether it's so awful that even the wokesters at the Guardian can't find anything good to say about it.

Rachel Cooke’s hatchet job makes Julie Bindel’s review in The Critic look positively sympathetic. Unfortunately though Laurie Penny threw a hissy fit because Bindel had not used their preferred pronouns. When I want to read about modern feminism I’ll take Bindel and her ‘international network of powerful lesbians’ ( Pink News) over Penny’s bizarre version any day.

Laurie Penny threw a hissy fit because Bindel had not used their preferred pronouns

There's a disconcerting 'she/they/herself/them/' meandering in this review too.

Can't say I blame Rachel, though! 'Penny theirself enjoyed a fantastically sexy weekend in Berlin' would sound odd, and 'Penny theirselves enjoyed etc etc' still odder.

'ill-edited, ill-considered drivel' - yowch. Excoriating.

Penny is very upset by the mis gendering and had the piece removed and re edited to include her they them status. Good for Penny her timeline is full of “oh my god this is hideous, are you ok?” Also lots of will buy your book hun. Even more amusing a call to boycott the guardian/observer, I know many posters here and women in RL that have stopped their subscriptions. I wonder if slowly slowly the message has started to creep through.

Wonderful!

Suzanne Moore did a very funny review. She stuck to 'they' throughout iirc. Which is kind of endearing yet mocking. I think I'd quite like LP as a drinking partner. But really..

It's a brilliantly scathing review. I've not seen much from Laurie Pennie before, but everything I have seen displays such an incredible lack of self awareness yet such abundance of self absorption.

Anyway, this made me laugh.

Anyway, this made me laugh.

omg. Amazing.

I'm almost sorry for her.

oh ffs, they has pronouns, I hate having to go back and redo the pronouns. I retract my ill-considered sympathy.

Baby otters.

The review is online now

www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/07/sexual-revolution-by-laurie-penny-review-playing-fast-and-loose-with-the-f-word

@WhereYouLeftIt

Has Penny had any good reviews?

Finally here one comes.

This is the first positive one I've read, out of six!

www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/sexual-revolution-modern-fascism-and-the-feminist-fightback-1.4789890

Why single some baby animals out?

It’s very ottering.

Deliriumoftheendless

The Irish Times one is interesting. It takes the view that, rather than rehash old tropes about sexism and feminism, it's deliberate to highlight that 'these discussions still need to be held' and that this is 'wearying'.
I don't know if Penny meant it that way or not.
It's a bit self-contradictory: 'The work relies on frequent anecdotes' but 'they have also done the research, and a groundwork of reading and statistics underpins all of their observations, making it harder to dismiss, as no doubt plenty will do.'
I may need to read it; Rachel Cooke's review doesn't suggest any particular rigour in research.