The City And the Pillar

by Gore Vidal
The City And the Pillar cover
Good Books rating 3.38
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Waterstones
Paperback • £9.99–£10.99
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  • ID: 5288
  • Added: 2025-10-23
  • Updated: 2025-12-30
  • Formats: 2
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
threepennyreview.com · Unknown · 2025-11-14
intriguing 3.50

The Body Keeps the Score has been a bestselling book for years, exploring the psychology and neurobiology of trauma. The book's success is attributed to increased cultural attention to trauma and a broadening of its definition, though it offers no quick fixes.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk has remained a bestseller for nearly a decade, which is unusual for a dense, scientific book on trauma. Its success is partly due to the increased cultural focus on trauma, especially in the wake of movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. The book's engaging presentation of neuroscience and personal case studies sets it apart from other popular psychology books. However, it does not offer quick solutions, focusing instead on understanding and treating trauma. The reviewer notes that the concept of trauma has broadened, leading more people to identify their experiences with it. While the book is compelling, it may contribute to an overly inclusive definition of trauma.

Quick quotes

    The book has spent more than 150 weeks on the New York Times best seller list for paperback nonfiction, including over half a year in the coveted #1 spot during 2021.

    People are seeing trauma everywhere and re-conceptualising their own experiences of misery and misadventure in its terms.

    Van der Kolk has substantial legitimacy as a researcher, and his interleaving of the personal and the scientific makes for an engaging read.

kirkusreviews.com · Unknown · 2025-11-14
brilliant 4.50

The Body Keeps the Score is a comprehensive guide to trauma, offering insights into its effects on the mind, brain, and body, and providing practical examples and case studies to illustrate its points. The book is accessible to both trauma survivors and clinicians, and its format allows for easy navigation and understanding.

The Body Keeps the Score is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding trauma, whether for personal reasons or professional practice. The book is written by Bessel Van Der Kolk, a renowned psychiatrist with over thirty years of experience in trauma research and treatment. It covers a wide range of topics related to trauma, including its different types, its effects on the mind and body, and various approaches to recovery. The book is particularly helpful in normalizing the experiences of trauma survivors, addressing common concerns such as questioning one's response to trauma or feeling unable to 'get over it' even years later. The case studies and practical examples make the book engaging and relatable, while the clear structure and indexing allow readers to dip in and out of different sections as needed. The only minor critique is the format of the book, which, while keeping costs down and making it portable, might not be as accessible to some readers as a larger, color text book would be. Overall, the book is highly recommended for its comprehensive and accessible approach to trauma.

Quick quotes

    Van der Kolk draws on thirty years of experience to argue powerfully that trauma is one of the West’s most urgent public health issues… Packed with science and human stories

    Breath-taking in its scope and breadth, a seminal work by one of the preeminent pioneers in trauma research and treatment

    Dr can der Kolk’s masterpiece combines the boundless curiosity of the scientist, the erudition of the scholar, and the passion of the truth teller

goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-24
disappointing 2.00

The reviewer found 'Like Water for Chocolate' to be a disappointing read despite its engaging opening. They criticized the novel's portrayal of family dysfunction and its lack of genuine feminist themes, finding the characters weak and the plot bizarre. The food descriptions, meant to be a highlight, were off-putting due to their association with negative emotions.

The reviewer was initially drawn in by the novel's enticing opening, which promised a mix of magic, love, and female empowerment. However, as the story progressed, they found the portrayal of family dysfunction to be ghastly and surprising, especially given the cultural context. The reviewer was particularly critical of the novel's attempt to present itself as a feminist text, arguing that the characters and their actions did not support this claim. The food descriptions, which were meant to be a highlight, were instead off-putting due to their association with negative emotions and the characters' suppressed feelings. The middle chapters of the book were the most enjoyable, as they featured a more reasonable and caring character in Dr. John Brown. However, the ending was seen as bizarre and unsatisfying, with a time-skip bait-and-switch that left the reviewer underwhelmed. Overall, the reviewer found the novel to be a disappointing read that did not live up to its initial promise.

Quick quotes

    The trouble with crying over an onion is that once the chopping gets you started and the tears begin to well up, the next thing you know you just can’t stop.

    I’ve never needed a man for anything; all by myself, I’ve done all right with my ranch and my daughters. Men aren’t that important in this life, Father.

    Tita was beginning to wonder if the feeling of peace and security that John gave her wasn’t true love, and not the agitation and anxiety she felt when she was with Pedro.

app.thestorygraph.com · Unknown · 2025-10-24
mixed 3.50

The reviewer appreciates the unique blend of magical realism, history, and family dynamics in 'Like Water for Chocolate', highlighting Tita's emotional journey and the novel's innovative structure. However, they criticize the weak romantic elements and underdeveloped secondary characters.

The reviewer finds 'Like Water for Chocolate' to be a captivating novel that seamlessly blends magical realism, history, and family dynamics. They praise the innovative structure and the vivid portrayal of Tita's emotional journey, noting how the novel uses food as a central element to convey complex emotions and family tensions. The reviewer also appreciates how the novel explores profound themes such as the burden of traditions and the prevalence of violence within family structures. However, they criticize the weak romantic elements, particularly the underdeveloped character of Pedro, and the passivity of secondary characters like Rosaura and Gertrudis. Despite these flaws, the reviewer acknowledges Esquivel's strong storytelling and prose, which elevate the narrative and make it a memorable read.

Quick quotes

    You must take care to light the matches one at a time. If a powerful emotion should ignite them all at once, they would produce a splendor so dazzling that it would illuminate far beyond what we can normally see; and then a brilliant tunnel would appear before our eyes, revealing the path we forgot the moment we were born, and summoning us to regain the divine origins we had lost. The soul ever longs to return to the place from which it came, leaving the body lifeless.

    Those huge stars have lasted for millions of years by taking care never to absorb any of the fiery rays lovers all over the world send up at them night after night. To avoid that, the star generates so much heat inside itself that it shatters the rays into a thousand pieces. Any look it receives is immediately repulsed, reflected back onto the earth, like a trick done with mirrors. That is the reason the stars shine so brightly at night.

    It doesn’t matter to me what you did, there are some things in life that shouldn’t be given so much importance, if they don’t change what is essential. What you’ve told me hasn’t changed the way I think; I’ll say again, I would be delegated to be your companion for the rest of your life-but you must think over very carefully whether I am the man for you or not.

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