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Oct 26, 2017Jennwill80 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I was disappointed in this read. Before I began the book, I assumed _The Rules Do Not Apply_ implied that she, Ariel Levy, had followed the rules all her life and thought that life would be fair and play out accordingly (as long as she did the "right" thing), but she would later learn, as many do, that no amount of following the rules could protect her from the unfairness and cruelty of life. But no, after reading it, I realize that Levy just truly lived her life by her own rules and was met with success after success until, of course, the ultimate devastating loss (which of course she in no way deserved or caused, let me make clear). I consider myself to have a lot of "privilege" in this world (as a white, cis-, educated woman), but Ariel Levy inhabits a whole other level or privilege. A privilege that angered me, maybe because I am jealous of it. And that jealousy made me realize that I assumed the meaning of the title of _The Rules Do Not Apply_, because that is MY story. I have always tried to follow the "rules" and yet suffered tragedy, all the same. Re: it's value on a literary level, I would just read the original essay this was based on (which has some great passages), not this whole book.