Like The Tomato
Nothing here but my musings about daily life, books, anime, and food.
I decided not to go to work. Aside from the fact that maintenance needed to fix something in the apartment this morning, I was just lazy. So when the apartment office called me yesterday to say that maintenance will stop over this morning, I just went for it, why would I let an opportunity not be at work pass?
So…my hun and I decided to hang out early. I asked him if we could watch this anime called Library Wars. I like it. What’s not to like? It’s about protecting books from censorship, it has a military feel to it, and it has action. Again, what’s not to like? Not to mention the artwork is definitely good. I mean sure it’s anime, but the artwork is different compared to regular anime we are used to watching. I was worried about suggesting the anime to my love, to be honest. But he seems to be enjoying it. So that was nice. I get to enjoy this anime with hun instead of me watching it alone.
We also watched John Wick 2. It was good. I mean, I preferred the first installment over this one but that is okay. I am not saying that the second one was awful, I just liked the first one better. I personally feel like the rule that John Wick broke at the end of the movie was just done so that a third installment can be made. Aside from that, I pretty much enjoyed the movie, I mean it’s freaking Keanu Reeves.
I’m going to try and read today. I read 50 pages last night, so I am hoping to do that again. I mean, I have nothing planned at this point anymore since my hun will be hanging out with the boys until he goes to work later.
I also added two new pages on the website – Foodie and Books. To help at least navigate the blogs.
- Title: My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress
- Author: Rachel DeLoache Williams
- Genre: Non-Fiction
- Pages: 304
- Publisher: Gallery Books
- Published: 2019
I remember being interested in this book when I first heard about Anna Delvey maybe a couple of years ago. Then I forgot about it. The next thing I knew, Netflix released a show called Inventing Anna. And of course, I devoured that show – marathon’d it one Sunday. What do I specifically remember about it? I did not like Rachel. And you cannot blame me for that, just watch the show, and tell me how Netflix did Rachel dirty.
“You are here to read about Anna Delvey, and I don’t blame you” is the first sentence in the Preface of the book. And Rachel was right. I bought the book and read it because of Anna Delvey. I did not buy the book to like Rachel but instead to know what she experienced. The show did not really expand on who Rachel is despite having an episode titled “Rachel”. But then what do you expect, Inventing Anna is a show about Anna, not everyone else.
The book was really easy to read. It was nonlinear at times – starting with the Marrakesh trip, then inserted with tidbits of who Rachel is, and the story of Anna’s and Rachel’s friendship. I liked how the book was set up. Starting with THE trip was a good strategy, with the later parts of the book dealing with the aftermath.
The book says it’s “The True Story of a Fake Heiress”. It wasn’t. Sure the book was about the Marrakesh trip and the aftermath. But I think it’s about the friendship of two people that soured and ended because one person decided to put one friend in such a horrible situation.
Anna’s and Rachel’s friendship read as superficial. At least to me. However, it does not make it any less real. The friendship was there, it was just a bit focused on having fun.
The conflict mainly focused on Rachel having to chase Anna down for the payment that she was owed for the Marrakesh trip. Rachel had to struggle financially in order to barely make ends meet. It was a very stressful situation that I do not wish on anyone. With Rachel not having any other choice but to get authorities involved.
Rachel was relatable. Her journey from being this timid person just letting things happen to standing up for herself and taking control of a very dicey situation is very commendable. The book humanized Rachel for me. Sharing tidbits of her life made her relatable to me. From her childhood, her love of The Great British Bake Off, and her tendency to box up her emotions and deal with problems on her own. I swore I was reading about myself – I mean, you know, aside from this traumatizing fiasco, mingling with people, and working in a magazine. I even made a note in the book “We are almost the same person. We could be friends in real life”.
I liked this book. I came in expecting a rundown of what happened in Marrakesh and what happened afterward, which I did. But what I got was so much more. I saw a friendship that had a very dysfunctional power dynamic that ultimately lead to its end. I saw a person who stood up for herself and took control of her life. Would I recommend this book? Yes. I would. Like I said, this book humanized Rachel for me. And after reading this, I could definitely say, that the show did not do her justice whatsoever.