The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

by Gertrude Stein

English language

Published Nov. 1, 1990

ISBN:: 978-0-679-72463-6

(109 reviews)

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas is a book by Gertrude Stein, written in October and November 1932 and published in 1933. It employs the form of an autobiography authored by Alice B. Toklas, her life partner. In 1998, Modern Library ranked it as one of the 20 greatest English-language nonfiction books of the 20th century.

4 editions

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

4 stars

Mad scientists, buried treasure, a monster in the woods. All that’s missing are a few meddling kids and he’d have quite a story.

I’ve been excited for this book ever since I finished the original series it spins off from. The only reason I kept putting it aside was the hope that the next one would be out soon, because Adhara’s writing is just so bingeable and I wanted a longer stay in this familiar world. Alas, the sequel’s publication date has been getting pushed back, and I had yet another fun convo about *Big Bad Wolf* with friends recently, and, well, I caved.

My impressions, to tell the truth, are… utterly mixed.

I was initially excited to see this was a dual POV book because that’s how I prefer my romance. And when I was reading the original series, I sometimes wished we could get at least a glimpse of, well, everything from Oliver’s POV. But with this book, by the middle or so I was kind of wishing Eli’s POV was the only one. He was really the whole reason I remained invested into the story—not just because he was an already familiar and beloved character, but because he remained thoroughly entertaining, kept gaining depth, and also, from his POV Julien seemed a lot more interesting compared to Julien’s own parts. It’s funny, but maybe if I only saw Julien through Eli’s eyes, I would find it easier to click with him. I would just write off everything I didn’t fully understand about him as, “Well, Eli doesn’t know certain things, so.“

Because the thing about Julien is, initially I was prepared to take his overall opaqueness and the secrets he kept from the reader as a feature, not a bug. He’s an actor, after all, it figures that he can be good at smoke and mirrors in his situation. But the further the story progressed, the more frustrated I was with his scenes, because I just *wasn’t getting to know him*. I still think it was meant to be a feature, but the execution was faulty. And that, naturally, impacted my impression of the romance, because yeah, the dynamic here was theoretically fun and promising… but with one part of the relationship constantly turning into a smoke screen, it was just really hard to get into.

Another disappointment was the mystery itself. It was as exciting as most of the mysteries in the original series in terms of set-up, but the actual investigation kept losing me. I kept wanting someone else to take over. Not even Cooper and Oliver necessarily, though I wouldn’t have said no to that. Just, I don’t know, someone more… competent? More capable of making the process of solving the mystery exciting? More proactive in some ways? I don’t know, I’ll be musing about it for a bit more, I guess.

But! To finish on a few high notes, I really enjoyed every part of the snowy, wintery setting. There was this strong sense of place throughout—I felt like I was actually present in every building or outside location, got affected by the weather, breathed the same air. I enjoyed the banter, especially in the second half of the book, and I definitely loved seeing the leads from the original series again, no matter how briefly. And the overarching plot has enough interesting details that I do still want to pick up the next installment when it’s finally out.

Zayden reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Review of 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Intensely funny, and with excellent usage of the English language. Love it.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

3 stars

He was just too handsome to look at, and so Diane often made it a point not to, especially when they happened to talk.

This was a fun enough read with some nice themes and a few laugh-out-loud moments, but I genuinely felt like it was too short. I would have enjoyed it more, I think, as a full-length novel, perhaps even as a dual POV one, because the one-sided narrative and Liam being such a stoic enigma most of the time made it hard for me to figure out how the leads were connecting. Can’t say I didn’t ship them at all—some chemistry is definitely there—but, at least for the first half of the book or so, I struggled to see the romantic feelings and not just sexual attraction and mild interest. Looking back, I think the foundation for all the feelings definitely was there, but the constraints of the novella format made everything a tad too rushed.

I also had some issues with the prose: it was messy at times, with awkward phrasing here and there, sentenced that seemed to be missing a word, etc. I’m usually pretty forgiving of these things in indie books, but when they’re so frequent, they get aggravating.

Despite these complaints, I generally had a nice time with these books. Diane is an interesting heroine, and I liked to see her embrace more and more agency, despite initially being resigned to getting continuously smothered by well-meaning relatives because of her fainting illness. Some of my favorite tropes make a welcome appearance, like “only one bed“ / getting stuck in an inn together. The fainting goat is cute. Diane’s artsy hobby is quirky, unexpected, and fun. So while I wouldn’t call this book particularly memorable, I have no regrets about reading it and would probably even recommend it to those looking for a quick, easy, romantic read.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

5 stars

I was trying not to be bitter, but I’m genetically wired that way. It’s in my DNA, right next to punctuality and a love of chocolate.

I got a rec for this book when I was searching for something to fill the hole left by Charlie Adhara’s amazign Big Bad Wolf series, and it definitely scratched the same itch. The vibes are different, but it’s also a great mix of romance and paranormal mystery.

I absolutely loved Rain as the protagonist and narrator: his self-deprecating snarkiness, his struggle to coming to terms with the whole ghosts thing, even his cowardice about feelings—because of the way he overcomes it over the course of the story. Danny took longer to grow on me, mainly because of how trigger-happy he was when it came to the detective work and the mixed signals he sent at the start. But I came to understand him and find him a fascinating character as I read. Funny thing, normally I prefer dual POV in my romance, but in this case, I feel like sticking to Rain's viewpoint and showing Danny through his eyes really added to the story rather than detracting from it in any way.

The romance itself is second chance done exactly right, or at least exactly how I like it. Something that really calls to me. The reasons why these two didn't work out the first time around were made clear early on, just like the fact that they still mattered to each other and that each of them had his own narrative of how it all went wrong. At the same time, practically from the first reunion scene, it was easy to see how good they could be for each other if they figured out a way to merge those two narratives and move forward in sync. The "one step forward, two steps back" dance was awesomely done, the chemistry was through the roof, and the confusion of slipping back into the life that used to be home to find it subtly different but no less appealing was beautifully conveyed. I loved how the snark of it all co-existed with moments of rough introspection on Rain's part.

The mystery plot was pretty well done, too: it kept me guessing for long enough, and damn, that final extended interaction with the villain was tense. If inclined, I could nitpick a few parts about the last third of the book or so: there was definitely a moment where the mystery plot slogged a little, as well as a couple of points where the different plot threads—the romance, the mystery, the ghosts, Rain's relationship with his family—got fanned out a bit too much. It all came together again really well in the end, though, so those small bumps in the road did absolutely nothing to lessen my overall enjoyment. Honestly, I barely thought of them in the moment, thoroughly distracted by all the cool snarky dialogue and the feels.

The ghost lore seems super interesting, but it's also very clearly just being set up for the future books, with plenty yet to reveal. The ending suggests that the very next installment might dive way deeper into those esoteric things, and so I'm really excited to pick it up soon.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

5 stars

He said you make him feel like a person again, not just a thing.

This was a dark, uncomfortable, and deeply engrossing read that reminded me of all the things I love about the series, partly addressed the problems I had with the previous book, and generally made me feel LOTS of feels. It was awesome to see all the monster-human couples from previous novels gathered in one place and interacting, and I just wish there was a way to smash this book and the previous one together, adjust the order of events, and have both stories be more… like this. I feel like Lily Mayne is at her strongest when she writes romance that happens in the middle of a community, amidst a web of other interactions. Looking back at the series, I have to admit that I’ve been having this feeling that all the couples feel same-y, but seeing them all next to each other really drove it home that no, in fact, they’re not. They often have similar dynamics at the starts of their relationships, but their personalities, motivations, and approaches to life are so different.

I’ve been curious about Lilac from the moment I first met him in *The Rycke*, and he didn’t disappoint me one bit as the MC. His head isn’t exactly a comfortable place to be in, but he really cares so much, even when he trains himself to act like he doesn’t. Seraph’s backstory absolutely broke my heart and made me hope that at some point later in the series, all the scariest monsters of this settings will get to do all the worst things they’re capable of to the military. The relationship development, especially the intimacy part, didn’t always sit right with me, but the thing is, I didn’t really expect it to. This entire situation, through no fault of the characters, was completely fucked-up, with how to give Seraph the best possible chance to get better they had to keep him in confinement closely associated with his trauma. Everything about it was deeply uncomfortable, and yet somehow, somewhere between Lilac’s determination and Seraph’s increasing lucidity and everyone else pitching in, it all worked out.

I was often frustrated with Gloam for how overcautious he was and how he seemed to downplay/underestimate Seraph’s speed of recovery. But at the same time, I empathized with him a lot because I could see he was acting that way because he felt responsible for his part in Seraph’s suffering and wanting to make things better so badly. Auri was as much of a sweetheart as ever, and I smiled every time he showed up on the page, even when things were dark. Wyn was an absolute highlight of the story, especially when Danny wasn’t around (don’t get me wrong, I love him with Danny! But I also love him when he’s not even making the barest effort to tone down his monstrousness. He’s everything I want in a monster, really, can we get more Wyn?). And even though the parts of the book that had me the most emotionally invested were the ones with Lilac and Seraph, I also loved the other monsters’ interactions with Seraph in the later part of the book. Especially that moment for which they all just had to get Edin.

My one regret was that Moth and Charlie were busy being away doing their thing from the previous book (which runs in parallel to this one) instead of being part of all this web of connections, too. Because I really feel like all these characters are helping each other shine.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

4 stars

“Thanks for not letting me do anything stupid.”
Edin grinned at me, gently squeezing the nape of my neck. “I’m getting good at it.”

In some ways, I enjoyed this book more than Soul Eater, in others, a bit less. Regardless, this was a pretty solid read with lots of fun and exciting moments. I really liked how much the setting got expanded here, with all sorts of new monster types introduced and concepts mentioned in the first book growing into bigger things. I also felt that the overall pacing and sense of purpose was much better here, likely because this time, the protagonist/narrator actually had a solid external goal. Speaking of the protagonist, I liked Hunter a lot. Yes, he's grumpy and surly, but I actually really, really like reading about unlikable people still getting to grow and learn and let themselves be happy. His inner conflict was also quite interesting to follow, and I adored how self-aware he was underneath all of his flaws. Also, I felt like his disability was handled pretty well.

Another thing I really liked was getting to see so much of Wyn and Danny. I expected a cameo or two, but they ended up such important participants of the entire plot, being there for most of the story, and it was so fun to observethem through someone else's eyes. I really like that found family vibe the entire gang developed: the long-standing friendship between Wyn and Edin, the tentative growing friendship between Danny and Hunter, the tension between Wyn and Hunter, the way Wyn and Danny continue to be just so good to each other and obviously aren't anywhere out of the honeymoon phase.

I think all of the above would have been even more enjoyable if most of the scenes were a bit tighter. Even though the overall pacing has improved, there were all those moments of meandering, like the same thing being repeated 2-3 times in random conversations, etc. The kind of thing that happens in real life all the time, sure, but when characters in a book keep talking that way, it stops feeling realistic/authentic and starts getting tiresome.

I also have to admit that Edin and Hunter just didn't make me ship them as hard as Wyn and Danny did. I enjoyed their dynamic, for sure, but I also found it kind of... bland? Perhaps if Edin opened up more, or let something slip to Hunter about his past run-ins with the military before learning that Hunter was actually military himself, that would have added a bit of spice to the relationship. (In the emotional sense, not sexual sense, obviously; there was plenty of it in the sexual sense :D) Perhaps there could be some other adjustments. Or quite possibly it's not at all about the books or the characters and quite simply a "me" thing.

Anyway, objectively this was a pretty fun read, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

5 stars

As long as you are in the castle, you will be known as Prince Inge, champion of the people, slayer of monsters, adopted son of the honorable King Halvard, and betrothed of the lovely Princess Signe.

Such an enjoyable read! There was a distinct old-school vibe here to me; I can't quite place a finger on it, but the novels strongly reminded me of all those fantasy books I kept borrowing from the library in my teens and devouring by the dozen without bothering to commit the author names and titles to long-term memory. Just this overall strong sense of adventure and surprises and high stakes that will turn out all right at the end.

I really enjoyed how the plot was crafted here. The first half of the book is packed with surprises and reveals: every time I thought I had a sense of what was going on with Inge's predicament as the King's adopted "son," a new fact about her background came to light, like a puzzle piece seamlessly falling into a gap I wasn't aware was there. And then the second half was all about untangling those threads and tying them into a reasonably neat knot at the end.

I guess I would have appreciated a little bit more depth to the characters and the romance arc, but overall, I enjoyed what I got. Inge was a likable and relatable protagonist, and each of her siblings was memorable enough on their own, despite there being a lot of them and the lot only showing up now and then. I was intrigued by the King's apparent madness and the agenda hidden behind it, and I sympathized with the prince. And my favorite character here is definitely Raske: exactly the kind of good guy with hidden depths I tend to like.

The worldbuilding was rather sparse now that I look back at it, but it also contained enough exciting things like magic and monsters to keep me entertained without detracting from the interpersonal relationships and palace politics at the heart of the tale. There were just enough fantasy elements to support the story being told, and I honestly can't call this a bad thing.

Overall, this was a nice, warm-hearted read that prevented me from tittering over the edge of a reading slump that has been threatening to consume me lately. :)

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

4 stars

“And if we both want to be together, we’re going to fuckin’ be together.”

Okay, well, now I understand what the hype is all about! :D

The Monstrous series has been on my TBR for a while, and I actually expected to like a lot once I finallygot around to it. However, recently I read another book by the same author (Berries and Greed) and was underwhelmed by nothing ever happening in it for pages on end. So I was a bit wary going into Soul Eater and kept my expectations low. Happy to say they were exceeded by a mile! Wyn and Danny are both awesome and work so well together. I loved following their love story, even when it got dark.

The setting here is both exciting and slightly overwhelming. I just kept wanting to get a better feel for it, you know? Maybe get a glimpse of …

“And if we both want to be together, we’re going to fuckin’ be together.”

Okay, well, *now* I understand what the hype is all about! :D

The Monstrous series has been on my TBR for a while, and I actually expected to like a lot once I finallygot around to it. However, recently I read another book by the same author (Berries and Greed) and was underwhelmed by nothing ever happening in it for pages on end. So I was a bit wary going into Soul Eater and kept my expectations low. Happy to say they were exceeded by a mile! Wyn and Danny are both awesome and work so well together. I loved following their love story, even when it got dark.

The setting here is both exciting and slightly overwhelming. I just kept wanting to get a better feel for it, you know? Maybe get a glimpse of one of those military-controlled cities, after all. Have more interactions with the other monsters in the wastelands, and not just Edin (though I absolutely loved Edin and get the feeling I'll enjoy reading his story very much, especially if he ends up getting some POV chapters—a reader can dream). Just, you know, things to spice up the endless repetition of going from place to place, scavenging for food and essentials, and sometimes pausing to get rid of some parasites. It didn't feel *super* repetitive because there was this strong romance arc I was very much invested in, but I feel like there could be more done with such promising setting—and more of it tied into the story itself. As it was, the most exciting bits, such as those humans who tried rescuing Danny when they though he was in danger from Wyn or the monster attack closer to the end, felt like very obvious hanging threads to be picked up later, rather than slightly more self-contained beats that strongly matter to the current book.

There was also a bit of sloppiness re: worldbuilding that took me out of the story sometimes—like, how come almost every abandoned place they came across had running water and sometimes even electricity? Sure, there was an offhanded explanation that it had to do with maintaining the facilities at the military bases scattered around he country. However, that's just not how communications work. It is perfectly possible to keep the lights on and water running on a base without pumping water to all over the uninhabited lands. Not just possible, but cheaper and more efficient. Either there's something going on with it, or, I suspect, this is simply under-researched.

And speaking of under-researched things: I kinda feel like the author got so engrossed into inventing the monster physiology that some aspects of familiar human physiology got out of hand in all those spicy scenes. :D Not really complaining though, given that those scenes for the most part were not just hot fun, but also moved the characters and relationship arc along as they should. That approach is always my favorite.

All in all, in spite of my complaints, I had a lot of fun with this story and will definitely continue the series. This is an intriguing start with lovely characters, and I expect the books will only get stronger from here.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

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No rating

Clearly time to execute my “if it doesn’t grab me at all by ~25%, it’s over for us“ rule, because it doesn’t grab me at all.

I’ve actually tried picking this book up before and balked at the prologue because it’s just so dark, but a friend who loves the series swore that what comes after it makes it worth it. Alas, tastes differ. The main story definitely had components that I usually like, such as religious trauma and trying to adjust to college living and weird “is it in my head or is it real?“ stuff. But I couldn’t really vibe with the execution. The best way I can describe my impression is that the things I feel should be handled subtly were over the top, and the things I’d like the narrative to linger on were glossed over

Also, I’m half-certain that the dark, dark prologue wasn’t necessary …

misterdeeds reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Review of 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas' on 'Storygraph'

1 star

I really wanted to enjoy this series. I like the premise, but the MC is just too annoying and most of the characters have no depth. I DNF this book at 80%.

Cheri reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Review of 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

This was my first Erin Zak book. I got it as an ARC back in 2019 and am just now reading it. I'm working on reviewing ARCs that I completely forgot I had or never got the desire to read after requesting them. I'm awful at ARCs but I love them so much. I might have a problem...

So, this book. The premise, I liked. The execution was painful for me. I honestly skimmed most of the last 100 pages (that's 100 ebook pages and my ereader said there were 571 pages which is not accurate but has to do with my font size and all that jazz) because there was so much repetition in information stated that I knew I wouldn't miss a thing. I would go from paragraph to paragraph and skim for something new. Then page by page. It wasn't a joyous reading experience.

But in addition to all of the same things being stated over and over and over again - sometimes by all three POVs - there was all of the telling and so very little showing. The majority of the book is exposition which made the repetition worse. The characters weren't fleshed out at all and even had the same basic speech patterns and word usage. Granted Jackie and Beth used "whatever" and "like" and Susan didn't nearly as much but everyone, regardless of where they lived or their background used "eh?" at the end of sentences or calls people hot messes. That's just one small example. All three POV characters were also constantly using self-talk that involved calling themselves stupid, ugly, ridiculous, and other awful things. Although once in a while they each would have some internal monologue that included being pretty, hot, good at something, etc.

Let me look at my notes right quick...

OH! This book is a few years old now and I don't remember what the blurb said but I'm going to discuss the husband/father in this story. He's portrayed throughout as crazy and violent and stalkerish and just awful in so many ways. And then everything with him is resolved in a page or two. It was a huge part of the story and then blah.

The whole concept of the birth mom and adoptive mom of a child meeting and the three of them developing a relationship was very interesting to me. Unfortunately, very little of anything dealing with the actual adoption issue was ever discussed. There were no demands (or even gentle requests) to know why she gave the baby up. Beth was just like, "Cool, you're my birth mom. No problems here!" It was just unbelievable.

There are other things that I have noted but the above covers enough. I will likely try another of Zak's books but I don't think I'll stick it out if the same show/tell and repetition of info happens. Overall, I was really disappointed but because it could have been such a great story. Still going to give it 3 stars because, even though I started to quit several times, the idea of the story and what might end up happening wouldn't let me completely drop it.

Thanks to Bold Strokes and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Sorry it took so long. I imagine there'll be some even older ones in my TBR that will end up here too.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

4 stars

All anybody ever wants is the freedom of choice.

This is pretty much a quintessential comfort book: a sweet story about a sweet person finally getting seen, appreciated and loved for his kindness. There's a definite fairy tale vibe—something a bit Cinderella-like, even though Amador is a royal prince and the one to act the part of a Fairy Godmother to everyone around him. The villain is appropriately villainous and swiftly dealt with. The romance is based on instant mutual attraction and still manage to feel like a slow burn because of all the doubts and pining. All the problems get resolved quite easily with a bit of mischief and kindness, and everybody is happy in the end.

The story kind of begins to fall apart if you look at it too closely; despite all of Amador's claims that his oh so very plain, it is evident that he is clever, selfless, and capable of making friends everywhere he goes. It's hard to believe it literally took him twenty tries to be repaid in kind. Even if the world outside of the Harridor Palace is all bleak and cynical (which it doesn't wholly seem to be?), it stands to reason that someone in all those numerous kingdoms he visited should have at least decided he could be a valuable asset, with all of his knowledge and connections and people everywhere grateful for his help. Like, sure, there could be a logical explanation for this, but the story doesn't bother to provide one.

Still, this little book brought plenty of smiles to my face. I appreciated the diverse cast, the good-natured mischief, the absolutely queernorm word, and the way trans rep was subtly sneaked in. It was a nice way to spend a summer evening.

Cheri reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Review of 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Another enjoyable read from one of my go-to pair of authors. It was just what I expected and wanted: a sweet romance with light angst, a delightful group of secondary characters, and a satisfying HEA. Lovely.

Cheri reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Review of 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

Good quick intro to Stoicism. Also good for someone who has studied a bit, left it alone for a while, and is interested in getting back into it.

WardenRed reviewed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

None

5 stars

“You knew what that priest did. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

This has got to be one of the most atmospheric books I've read in a while. All the descriptions and vibes just pulled me in, and it was like walking through a dream the entire time, engrossed and detached in equal measure.

My previous experience with Arden Powell's book (the Flos Magicae series) led me to expect this will be a romance with some horror on the side, but really, it's pretty much the opposite. While there is a romantic/sexual relationship at the heart of the events in the book, this is really a horror story about guilt and revenge and consequences, and the romantic plot just serves to emphasize all the other elements, weaving with them seamlessly. Reading this book was like taking a nap somewhre by the mires on a hot summer day, being dimly aware of the real world but also getting plagued by surface-level dreams that might be hallucinations and sometimes maybe letting your brain convince you that what you're seeing is real. Or maybe letting your brain convince you that it's just a dream. I can say I quite enjoyed the experience.

Also, I kind of want to know what happens after that ending... but I also kind of don't. Some things, perhaps, are better left undisturbed.