Posted by Hey Book Friends!
I finished “Untamed,” and I’m not sure how to formulate an accurate review. It came off a bit self-congratulatory and annoying. At the same time, I completely understood the struggles Glennon Doyle describes.
When I started the book, my initial thoughts were, ” this is privileged, White woman bullsh*t.” But that’s not a fair descriptor. It shares universal themes of womanhood and stories of choices.
Doyle covers a range of topics from Coming Out to dissolving a “traditional” marriage, raising children, racism, sex, and more. I tip my nonexisting Top Hat to her for being honest and super vulnerable. It just felt forced. I almost gave up after the first 100 pages but kept going. I’m glad I did as I recognized my struggles with specific topics.
There were still some issues that I couldn’t ignore while reading “Untamed,” like the author saying she was living a lie when she was giving motivational speeches with previous book releases. That doesn’t seem authentic. Another problem was the writing was super self-righteous. “I’m Glennon Doyle, and here’s why I’m an amazing cheetah.”
The majority of the reviews are positive, but there are enough negative reviews that make me feel comfortable in my thoughts on “Untamed.” While I can objectively appreciate Doyle’s stories on her life experiences, I still recognize the hypocrisy in those experiences. She lived a life of comfort with a partner and was still able to leave that situation to enter a more loving relationship with a famous soccer player. It never seemed like she was a caged woman, but a woman/wife/mother living as she wants.
Three stars.
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