10 Reasons Everyone Should Read Joan Didion’s New Biography, The Last Love Song
At 80, Joan Didion has had a long life in the publishing world. And since her novels, memoirs, and essays have a very personal tone, it’s easy to feel like you know the woman behind the pen—until you realize you only know as much as Didion wants you to. In The Last Love Song, Tracy Daugherty lays out Didion’s life so far, filling in the mysterious gaps and blank spaces Didion writes around. It’s not just an in-depth look into the life of a brilliant author; Daugherty’s biography is a fascinating read for all book-lovers. Here are just 10 of the many reasons why:
The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion
Hardcover $35.00
The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion
Hardcover $35.00
1. The Last Love Song will make you want to read every single thing she’s ever written.
Over the course of her life, Didion’s writing has covered a wide variety of topics in a number of different styles. From fashion, to politics, to grief, Didion has pretty much done it all—and gained a loyal and enthusiastic following in the process. But if, say, you’ve only read Blue Nights, or an essay or two in a college writing class, The Last Love Song will make you want to devour all of her writing from start to finish. Even those old Vogue ads she used to write.
2. Author Tracy Daugherty has really done his work.
It can’t be an easy task to write a biography of a still-living person who lived a (surprisingly) private life without that person’s involvement, but Daugherty has not only managed to do it—he’s gathered over 700 pages worth of information. It’s not just a biography; it’s an engaging narrative crafted out of Didion’s long and eventful life.
3. Joan Didion has been through it all.
This may be a biography, but thanks to Didion’s fascinating and epic life, it reads like an HBO drama (complete with a few ridiculously hideous moments of gore). Whatever type of story usually floats your boat (family drama, history, political intrigue, romance), you’ll find it in these pages.
4. If you’re facing a rough patch in your professional life, Joan Didion can help.
Okay, well, maybe not personally help. But if you’ve hit a period in your life where you feel like you’re never going to accomplish what you set out to do; as though all of your dreams are going nowhere, well, Didion has been there. From the years of working an undesirable job, through the years of fake-it-til-you-make-it freelancing, to those years of final, satisfying success, The Last Love Song will remind you that you never know when you’re really going to hit it big—so don’t give up.
5. Noel Parmentel is The Last Love Song‘s very own bad boy.
Admit it: no one can resist a bad boy. And even though we know she had a long, loving marriage with fellow author John Gregory Dunne, it’s somehow nice to know that even Didion in her youth couldn’t resist the draw of that hard-t0-pin-down personality. Noel Parmentel pops up throughout Daugherty’s biography as the passionate romance of Didion’s younger days, often wearing a white tux.
6. You will celebrate your introversion.
We book nerds often tend toward introversion, and it’s all too commonly seen as a negative trait. But instead of apologizing for or trying to change her private nature, Didion embraces it. She brings it up consistently throughout her writing, often emphasizing it, and through Daugherty’s writing we see that although she was withdrawn—she was still completely engaged in a circle of friends and in her work. You don’t have to change.
7. Learn about the 60s and 70s from a mostly detached perspective.
One of the most fascinating (and impressive) characteristics of Didion’s writing, especially her political writing of the action-packed decades of the 60s and 70s, is her ability to leave her essays open-ended. With blunt descriptions and anecdotes, she lets you draw your own conclusions; the same goes for Daugherty’s presentation of her work. Both he and Didion give you a (rare) mostly unbiased look at time that often seems overly full of opinions.
8. Get ready to be really impressed with what it takes to be a writer.
We all dream about being professional writers, but reading about all of the sacrifices—both personal and financial—that Didion and Dunne had to make to pursue a life of writing is both terrifying and impressive. And the answer to the question of whether or not you’ll ever feel like you’re a real author, no matter how much you get published? A resounding no.
9. Go between the lines of Didion’s own autobiographical writing.
As previously mentioned, Didion tends to leave a lot of holes in her autobiographical writing, especially concerning her daughter Quintana. What exactly happened to Quintana? Who are the mysterious characters Didion references in her personal essays but doesn’t reveal? What was really going on? It’s exciting to actually gain some insight into those behind-the-scenes moments.
10. Harrison Ford makes a few brief, unexpected appearances.
Didion spent much of her adult life living in and around Hollywood, interacting with studios and producers and celebrities—including, sometimes, celebrities (before they were celebrities). Which means, much to our delight, that Harrison Ford (and some other famous individuals) show up in print every now and then. If you didn’t want to be Joan Didion before, you should now.
1. The Last Love Song will make you want to read every single thing she’s ever written.
Over the course of her life, Didion’s writing has covered a wide variety of topics in a number of different styles. From fashion, to politics, to grief, Didion has pretty much done it all—and gained a loyal and enthusiastic following in the process. But if, say, you’ve only read Blue Nights, or an essay or two in a college writing class, The Last Love Song will make you want to devour all of her writing from start to finish. Even those old Vogue ads she used to write.
2. Author Tracy Daugherty has really done his work.
It can’t be an easy task to write a biography of a still-living person who lived a (surprisingly) private life without that person’s involvement, but Daugherty has not only managed to do it—he’s gathered over 700 pages worth of information. It’s not just a biography; it’s an engaging narrative crafted out of Didion’s long and eventful life.
3. Joan Didion has been through it all.
This may be a biography, but thanks to Didion’s fascinating and epic life, it reads like an HBO drama (complete with a few ridiculously hideous moments of gore). Whatever type of story usually floats your boat (family drama, history, political intrigue, romance), you’ll find it in these pages.
4. If you’re facing a rough patch in your professional life, Joan Didion can help.
Okay, well, maybe not personally help. But if you’ve hit a period in your life where you feel like you’re never going to accomplish what you set out to do; as though all of your dreams are going nowhere, well, Didion has been there. From the years of working an undesirable job, through the years of fake-it-til-you-make-it freelancing, to those years of final, satisfying success, The Last Love Song will remind you that you never know when you’re really going to hit it big—so don’t give up.
5. Noel Parmentel is The Last Love Song‘s very own bad boy.
Admit it: no one can resist a bad boy. And even though we know she had a long, loving marriage with fellow author John Gregory Dunne, it’s somehow nice to know that even Didion in her youth couldn’t resist the draw of that hard-t0-pin-down personality. Noel Parmentel pops up throughout Daugherty’s biography as the passionate romance of Didion’s younger days, often wearing a white tux.
6. You will celebrate your introversion.
We book nerds often tend toward introversion, and it’s all too commonly seen as a negative trait. But instead of apologizing for or trying to change her private nature, Didion embraces it. She brings it up consistently throughout her writing, often emphasizing it, and through Daugherty’s writing we see that although she was withdrawn—she was still completely engaged in a circle of friends and in her work. You don’t have to change.
7. Learn about the 60s and 70s from a mostly detached perspective.
One of the most fascinating (and impressive) characteristics of Didion’s writing, especially her political writing of the action-packed decades of the 60s and 70s, is her ability to leave her essays open-ended. With blunt descriptions and anecdotes, she lets you draw your own conclusions; the same goes for Daugherty’s presentation of her work. Both he and Didion give you a (rare) mostly unbiased look at time that often seems overly full of opinions.
8. Get ready to be really impressed with what it takes to be a writer.
We all dream about being professional writers, but reading about all of the sacrifices—both personal and financial—that Didion and Dunne had to make to pursue a life of writing is both terrifying and impressive. And the answer to the question of whether or not you’ll ever feel like you’re a real author, no matter how much you get published? A resounding no.
9. Go between the lines of Didion’s own autobiographical writing.
As previously mentioned, Didion tends to leave a lot of holes in her autobiographical writing, especially concerning her daughter Quintana. What exactly happened to Quintana? Who are the mysterious characters Didion references in her personal essays but doesn’t reveal? What was really going on? It’s exciting to actually gain some insight into those behind-the-scenes moments.
10. Harrison Ford makes a few brief, unexpected appearances.
Didion spent much of her adult life living in and around Hollywood, interacting with studios and producers and celebrities—including, sometimes, celebrities (before they were celebrities). Which means, much to our delight, that Harrison Ford (and some other famous individuals) show up in print every now and then. If you didn’t want to be Joan Didion before, you should now.