book review: “i’m mostly here to enjoy myself”

“I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman’s Pursuit of Pleasure of Paris” by Glynnis MacNicol is the type of book you’ll want to have a pen, highlighter or pad of sticky notes handy.

Single women will be annotating the memoir with the passages that make them nod in agreement and say, “Finally, someone who says what I’ve been feeling.”

MacNicol, a freelance writer who is based in New York City and grew up in Canada, writes about the summer she spent in Paris in 2021, just as the world is starting to come alive after the COVID-19 lockdown.  

And MacNicol feels alive in Paris, partaking in brunches with her group of single friends, bicycling around the city and indulging in sex with men.

She knows that being single means freedom. She is comfortable with her she is, but she also acknowledges the tricky moments. There are times when she worries about finances. She notices she can feel invisible, or she isn’t represented as characters in films, TV shows or books.

In one chapter, she goes dancing with a group of friends, but the night doesn’t match her vision.

“I’m not sure why, but I can’t see to fit it in anywhere. I’ve slid out of the rhythm of the night somehow. The night I’d been coveting all this time hasn’t arrived. I’m the wrong me, or this is the wrong place. … This feels awful. Like I’ve inadvertently plummeted through some wormhole and am once again the awkward girl at the high school dance.”

Who hasn’t felt like that?

But, as the title indicates, being single means joy. Being able to travel and navigate life all by yourself is an accomplishment.

“Not having to ask for anyone’s permission, leaving on a whim, walking on a high tightrope, is exhausting and scary, but once you’re hooked on having control over your life, it’s a hard drug to kick.”

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