The Odd Woman and the City by Vivan Gornick

I heard this writer at a writers festival quite some years ago, bought the book on Kindle and never got around to reading it. But it is perfect for travelling! And it is intelligent and witty and entertaining – a wonderful thing!! The book is a memoir, a collection of observations about her life in New York City. Helen Garner has done some similar types of books. So there are little pieces about people she’s observed, or interactions with her best friend or commentary about life on the streets. It’s the sort of book you can pick up and put down and because there is no narrative per se, it’s ideal for broken nights of sleep or interrupted train travel. Having said that though, it’s also something you could easily read in several sittings, absorbing it in great greedy gulps. Her writing is superb, incisive and accurate. And honest, oh so honest about her recognition of her own flawed humanity. Fabulous.