A Little Late: Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Reading this collection of work, I found Joan Didion to be an honest observer of people.

The collection of essays are clearly dividied into three parts:

I found the essays on California to be heavily entertaining. These essays also very strong and rich with detail written with incisive prose. The essay which was most detailed and expressive, in my opinion, was the Golden Dreams essay. The story of a woman who eventually burns her husband to death.

The essays on her personal reflection (and her reasoning for maintaining a journal) is the second part of the collection. The third section being a reflection of her home. I found both sections to be observations of life and the eventual evolution into what life would become (as discussed in class) which I found interesting and disturbing.

I love how Slouching Towards Bethlehem beautifully express life whether it was prime times or times of despair in Didion's life. The detail is much appreciated as a reader. Though the story was not always enjoyable and sometimes boring to me, I appreciated Didion for being an honest writer.

PV