Comments on: Review: Marbles, Ellen Forney

By: Athira

Athira — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 21:56:12 +0000

I need to read this one. I keep telling myself that every time I read a review of this book and then forget about it. Glad to see that you think it doesn’t glorify madness in art so much.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 20:04:08 +0000

‘My personality reflected a disorder, shared by a group of people’. That makes me think of a book I read recently – there’s a talent there, but oh it’s actually the disorder. I think it’s interesting to consider it from Forney’s point of view, and sad, as you said. This sounds a good book, and I like the approach it takes.

By: aartichapati

aartichapati — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 04:37:39 +0000

Fantastic review, Jenny! I too really enjoyed this book, though I think it is one that I needed to simmer over a bit. It was so amazing to me that Forney was so open about her life in this book. It felt so raw at some parts.

By: samantha1020

samantha1020 — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 23:19:03 +0000

This sounds really interesting! I don’t read a lot of memoirs and I sometimes wonder if I am missing out. I should really fit more nonfiction reading into my life! I think that I will add this one to my TBR. Thanks for your honest review 🙂

By: Vasilly

Vasilly — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 19:20:07 +0000

What I really like about this book is Forney’s honesty. She shows readers what being bipolar looks like, the highs and lows, and the adjustment to medication. I came away from the book glad that I knew more about the disorder. Great review.

By: NWK (@MumsyNancy)

NWK (@MumsyNancy) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 02:05:28 +0000

I love this review, and I love that you take on this trope. Illness can have redemptive features, no question. But i loathe the idea that illness is critical to Art. Also, sometimes I think that the implication is that without the mental illness, Artist X’s life would have been without struggle, and therefore it would have been all bland like vanilla. This is crazy talk! Whose life is without struggles and difficulties?

By: litlove

litlove — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 22:41:38 +0000

Oh and another book I absolutely must read. What do you think of the possibility that creativity is always potentially healing and helpful. Not necessarily so, but always potentially so. And so there is a distinct tendency towards creativity either in difficult mental health situations, or just plain difficult situations. Is that too inflexible? I’m trying to write a book on crisis and creativity, so I’d be very grateful to know what you think.

By: Ana @ things mean a lot

Ana @ things mean a lot — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:04:07 +0000

“Though Forney talks a lot about art and madness, she wonderfully doesn’t draw any broad conclusions, concluding instead that there aren’t broad conclusions to draw.” Yes, exactly – this was my favourite thing about the book. This review was wonderful – thanks for writing it <3

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:07:44 +0000

I have so many conflicting feelings about everything in this post. Since I was diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the idea of mental illness. On the one hand there are things about myself that I don’t want to see as part of my personality, on the other hand I don’t like to see all of my “quirks” turned into symptoms of something fundamentally wrong with me.

The art/madness thing bugs me too, especially since it often involves pointlessly diagnosing people who are no longer alive. Modern psychiatrists have writen papers diagnosing Nabokov as Asbergers, Wilde as HPD/ADHD, Twain as ADHD…and that’s just the writers I’ve seen given this treatment. Scientists are usually labeled Autistic. It’s sad to see “talent” become “pathology”.