Life's Short, Talk Fast

15 Writers on Why We Can’t Stop Watching Gilmore Girls

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Pub Date 14 Nov 2024 | Archive Date 14 Nov 2024
Dialogue Books | Renegade Books

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Description

Gilmore Girls hit our screens in 2000 and has been our autumn obsession ever since. There's a reason that Vogue calls it 'the quintessential autumn girl show' and that, years later, we're still head over heels with Stars Hollow.

Fast-talking, warm-hearted, and endlessly rewatchable, Gilmore Girls has bonded real-life mothers and daughters since 2000, when its iconic pilot introduced us to Lorelai, Rory, and their idyllic town of Stars Hollow. More than twenty years later, it has become one of the most-streamed TV shows, ever.

In an anthology as intimate and quick-witted as Gilmore Girls itself, bestselling author Ann Hood invites fifteen writers to investigate their personal relationships to the show. ('It's a show? It's a lifestyle. It's a religion.') Joanna Rakoff considers how Emily Gilmore helped her understand her own mother; Freya North connects with her son through the show; Nina de Gramont offers a comic ode to the unreality of Stars Hollow, Yassmin Abdel-Magied writes about why being a daughter is a permanent state.

For anyone who identifies as Team Logan, Team Jess, or even Team Dean, Life's Short, Talk Fast reveals what Gilmore Girls tells us about ourselves - and why it matters.

This autumn, get cosy and curl up with Life's Short, Talk Fast, where fifteen leading writers explore what Gilmore Girls means to them in this delightful celebration of a contemporary TV classic.

Gilmore Girls hit our screens in 2000 and has been our autumn obsession ever since. There's a reason that Vogue calls it 'the quintessential autumn girl show' and that, years later, we're still head...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781408749005
PRICE £20.00 (GBP)
PAGES 208

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Average rating from 16 members


Featured Reviews

I finished this book in an afternoon as i couldn't put it down! I am an avid Gilmore Girls fan and i adored reading about other people's Gilmore Girls stories. I in turn thought about my own Gilmore Girls story. The truely iconic tv show that is the Gilmore girls was so great to read other people's perspectives of it. What a perfect time for this lovely book to come to us just in time for Gilmore Girls season. I SMELL SNOW ⛄️ !

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A must-read for fans of Gilmore girls!

Like most women my age, as soon as September comes around, something primal in me feels the urge to rewatch Gilmore Girls - the classic, small town autumnal American comfort show.

I devoured this collection of essays, which cover everything from Lorelai’s coat collection to the issue of class mobility.

I loved reading how others related to the show from their life experiences ; as a single mother, as a bookworm, as someone who is frivolous with money, or as someone with a difficult relationship with their mother.

Freya North said it best in her essay: “Gilmore Girls holds a mirror to life whilst also providing a breather from reality.”

Five stars from me!

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Essential reading for Gilmore Girls enthusiasts. Thoroughly enjoyed a book offering diverse perspectives on the series.

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This book made me feel so nostalgic for the show and with even more love and appreciation for Gilmore Girls. It reminds me of the power of connecting and how it’s incredible when you can relate to a story and feel like you’re not alone, whether that’s in how you feel or just how you think. It’s truly a book for fans, it tells stories of people who are fans and how they connected with the show and their stories.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the men’s essays as much as the women’s. My favorite essays are probably Ann’s and Freya North. Ann Hood perfectly captured in her essay my thoughts, and I loved it. Even though our stories are not alike in any way, I related to what she wrote that we all need to get our hearts broken by a Logan, to appreciate the love of the right person (and we share the same team even though we understand who’s the right person ultimately). And the one for Freya really touched me, and what her son wrote in the end, I truly connected to it, and he said it just perfectly: “Gilmore Girls’ success comes from it’s innate sense of familiarity without sacrificing comedy. (…) It’s not a show one simply watches, rather you become part of the cast”.

And since it’s fall, it’s about time for that rewatch, it came with the perfect timing.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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I'm rewatching Gilmore Girls at the moment - my daughter has recently gone off to university, and escaping to Stars Hollow is helping in a very small way to fill the gap she has left. So when the chance to read this collection of essays arose, I snapped it up.

Rather than any detailed analysis of Gilmore Girls, for most of the contributors here the show is more of a jumping off point for reflection on aspects of their own lives. Many speak of mother-daughter relationships, good and bad, both of the Lorelai-Rory variety and the Emily-Lorelai variety, or of leaving home at sixteen, or on romantic relationships that find echoes in those of the Gilmores.

One writer reflects on Lorelai's plethora of coats and its potential implications for her financial situation; another writes in defence of the often-criticised Rory. Two of the essays are even written by men. And unlike the various memories of watching the show with daughters, Freya North recalls watching it with her son.

A great collection for those who watch and love the show - and if you don't, it might just inspire you to do so.

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Such a fun read which has prompted me into yet another Gilmore Girls rewatch. I especially enjoyed the diversity of voices represented, although if I had one small niggle, it was - perhaps inevitably given the author's demographics - somewhat dominated by older writers and I would have enjoyed hearing from more people who watched the show as teenagers when it first aired in the early 00s. But overall this would make the perfect Christmas gift for any Gilmore Girls fans in your life.

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I am a massive Gilmore girls fan and I enjoyed these short stories by people from all walks of life on how the show has affected their life.. I particularly like the story about the south Asian lady who began to realise how she related to the Kim family.
It definitely felt like a slow read but I’m glad I got a chance to read and review, thanks NetGalley!

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This is a collection of essays about people's connections to the television show Gilmore Girls. Interestingly, they're not all fans. Some are people who live with Gilmore Girls fans. It's a quick and hugely enjoyable read and its fascinating to hear about the different ways people connect to the show.

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In this collection of essays and mini-memoirs, fifteen writers talk about the Gilmore Girls TV show and its impact on their lives.

The essays range from intimate to quirky and discuss topics such as the mother-daughter relationship, the concept of 'Southeast Asian', Rory's right to make mistakes, and the number of coats Lorelai owns.

A recommended read for fans of the show.

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This is comfort food for any Gilmore Girl super fan. I found it enchanting to read others experiences with the show and in some essays how they translated to their own lives. It’s wonderful to read and see how much this show has brought some together and is totally the perfect read for any Gilmore Girl fan who needs extra content. I’d love to see more essays in the future from others and what the show also means to them!

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