Lena Dunham: Is 'Not That Kind of Girl' all sizzle and no steak?, When I first received my black-and-pink copy of "Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's 'Learned'" I was all atwitter.
Not the social media platform, the anxious, excited feeling. I was in possession of the fall's hottest new book. Not only is "Girls" a hit, I am an avid fan and I knew I'd love the book by its creator; and when I didn't, I found nice things to say about it anyway.
The truth is, "Not That Kind of Girl" has no logical progression: Now Lena Dunham is 9 now she's 19 now she's 14 now she's 8. There's no narrative; and having just read Jeanette Walls' "The Glass Castle," I reminded of how well-crafted a memoir can be. It doesn't have to be scattershot and ADD like memory; it can tell a clear story.
But Dunham's anxiety-ridden chapters blur together. Even the lists and the-most-painful-email-ever seem like filler. They may borrow a page from Tina Fey's "Bossy Pants," but they're not half as funny. But I didn't want to be a hater, so I omitted my opinions.
In many ways it felt as if I *had* to like Dunham's book; if I didn't, I would be a traitor, specifically as a woman.
As I wrote my review I thought about Dunham's line "There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman", a kind of inoculation against critics. I thought about her BFF Taylor Swift hissing at Fey and Amy Poehler that there is a very special place in hell for women who criticize other women. I thought about the pressure to stick together as female writers and editors. I thought about all of those writers ready to cry "Hater" ... And I caved.But the truth is: I didn't like it.
That doesn't mean I respect Dunham any less as an artist. Dunham made her name in TV and film; and, well, maybe she isn't ready to crossover. Without demanding that she grow up, I think I can say this memoir is premature. A swing and a miss. Nonetheless, I can't wait to see what she creates next.
