Book Review- Take the Canoli

[bedsitter23]

Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sarah Vowell has found a certain niche now and it's likely her books going forward won't stray too far (not necessarily a bad thing) but we all start out once, and so there you go.

This is her second book, and is a collection of pieces she wrote for various publishers and the like. So, topics are pretty random- The Godfather movie, Frank Sinatra, the goth scene, Walt Disney World, the Chelsea Hotel, Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears. Indeed, all over the place. At heart, the stories are often drawn by the dichotomies of her being outspokenly liberal and having a very Conservative father and family, and also living in Montana.

To me, this makes for a great book. I am well acquainted with Vowell's work and for me, this is a book I read quickly, enjoyed all the way through and will most likely read again. To me, I really enjoy her observations, and sometimes this book is just plain fun, and sometimes it tries to make a point- whether it is heavy like the Trail of Tears piece or at least gets stuck in your mind like the questions of suffering for art brought by the Chelsea Hotel piece.

I suspect most people who would be interested in Vowell likely have their minds made up about her, and she wears her politics on her sleeve, so any cursory reading of her reviews will show that her rating dips among those who might disagree with her politically.

Otherwise, I certainly recommend it. Fun fact, I suspect it is because of my location, but this is yet another book I found for near nothing that is signed by the author (and has the flyer from the reading). I probably enjoy that more than I should, knowing I have the signed book, and it made its way to me.



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