Monica’s Reviews > Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays > Status Update

Monica
is 77% done
Letter from Paradise 21 degree by 19'N. 157 degrees by 52' W - Didion looks at Hawaii w/ the same eye she looks at Sacramento. Very interesting essay that showcased the "paradise" vs reality of military and oligarchial capitalist competence. Another good one. Timeless.
— Jul 12, 2020 08:38AM
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Monica’s Previous Updates

Monica
is finished
Goodbye to All That - Didion looks back nostalgically about NYC. How she fell in love with it and how it's gotten tiresome after 8 year. Keep in mind that this is nostalgia from a 30ish yr old woman. I think she returned to NYC later in her life.
— Jul 12, 2020 11:18AM

Monica
is 92% done
Los Angeles Notebook - a look at the pretensious atmosphere of LA. Putrescence is the word of the essay...
— Jul 12, 2020 10:55AM

Monica
is 88% done
Guaymus, Sonora - Bored and tired Didion and her husband take a short jaunt to a sleepy town in Mexico where after a week long stay they decided to do something, they found there wasn't much to do so they went home.
— Jul 12, 2020 10:44AM

Monica
is 88% done
The Seacost of Despair - tribute to the vaccuousness of the vanity of vast wealth. Didion muses on the very ugly houses on ridiculously expensive real estate that populate Newport Beach over the breakers. The breakers where many poor people have lost children to the sea. But mostly it's about the tackiness associated with such vast wealth not just in architecture but also in deeds.
— Jul 12, 2020 10:36AM

Monica
is 86% done
Rock of Ages - a look at Alcatraz after it was closed as a prison but before it was a State park. Interesting.
— Jul 12, 2020 09:51AM

Monica
is 77% done
Notes from a Native Daughter - Love letter to the City of Sacramento in the 60s. As someone who lives in the area now, I recognize much of what she is talking about and also recognize how much has changed. For me this one is a standout...for obvious reasons. Loved it!!
— Jul 12, 2020 08:35AM

Monica
is 70% done
On Going Home - Didion as an adult w/ a daughter goes home for a visit without her immediate family. Familiar.
— Jul 12, 2020 08:29AM

Monica
is 68% done
On Morality - Didion ponders morality. A very short, surface level essay. Not especially memorable.
— Jul 12, 2020 08:20AM

Monica
is 65% done
I Can't Get that Monster Out of My Mind - Didion ponders Hollywood after the loss of the studio system. Meh.
— Jul 10, 2020 04:51PM