Bohemian Manifesto : A Field Guide to Living on the Edge

Rating:
Summary: Gitanes & Kimonos
Review: Break-up haircuts, filched condiments from every eatery in town...Bohemia is in all of us. Laren Stover approaches this nebulous topic with devotion and love for her subject matter! The reading lists, movie favorites, and anecdotes alone make this book worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: La Vie Boheme (or what if On The Road and Vogue got it on?)
Review: First off, if you are looking for an actual history of bohemian culture, this may not be the book for you.
However, if you are interested in a gentle read that still contains some meaty facts as well as beautiful presentation, this may be just the thing as a palate cleanser between Rimbaud and Miller.
_Bohemian Manifesto_ is instead a light-hearted and delighted look at aspects of bohemian culture from the 19th century to this modern milleu. Unlike other works that presume to go inside a social scene and make it a spectacle of fun, making the book only useful as short-lived comic relief (remember _The Preppy Handbook_? _Growing Up Catholic_?), _Bohemian Manifesto_ is infused with a luminosity and delight in the subculture (s) discussed that makes it almost transcendent. Stover's bohemians are not simply joke punchlines; one might even surmise that this taxonomy of bohemian cultures and lifestyles gives names and faces to the marvellous species that brighten up the urban jungle.
The illustrations are also delactable,shimmering watercolors of Bohemians at art or at play and the book is exquisitely assembled. (I'm particularly fond of the painting of the dandy walking a lobster in the park, but as always, those are my tastes). These help give the book its particlarly potent dose of charm and style.

However, I do wish that the fact checkers had gotten that Russ Meyer is not in fact, spelled Russ Meyers and that there is no apostrophe in Fells Point (on the other hand, having Baltimore get a mention is a treat!). These are, however, small issues in what is esentially an enchanting mix of fashion, culture and history readable as a loving tribute.

Wholeheartedly enjoyable (and why not get _Tropic of Cancer_ while you're at it too?)!

Rating:
Summary: Women on the Intellectual Scene
Review: I always prided myself on being different, a woman on the intellectual scene. This book definately put me in a catagory. I never knew I could be catagorized so well. It's actually quite depressing, knowing I could be stereotyped so well. I read Kafka, Camus, Warhol, Kerouac, listen to Venus in Furs and love Andy Warhol. I drive a Yellow Beetle (1972) , Shop at Thrift Stores and drink scotch. Laren knew me better then ME. How predicably sad.





Rating:
Summary: La vie de Bohème
Review: I got this book from a friend for my birthday. She said that I reminded her of the "Dandy" bohemian. I can't believe how perfect and handsome the book is. Being a true bohemian I don't need help in learning what to do but this book is so funny and true. And is very well researched-the author even knew that the Romantic poet Coleridge wrote with his gout medicine when he ran out of ink! I recognize several of my friends in these pages and will be getting them their own copies for Christmas. It makes being an outsider seem normal.
Great artwork, too!

Rating:
Summary: fabulous
Review: I loved The Bombshell Manual of Style (my copy is threadbare) and the Bohemian Manifesto is a perfect follow-up. Like the author says, some people are Bombshell Bohemians (my favorite people, actually). It's sharp, funny and makes you feel glamorous reading it--like you're sitting in a Parisian cafe in the 30's arguing with Picasso or Henry Miller. Great for any aspiring artist with a glam streak...

Rating:
Summary: Finally--a book for Bohemians to call their own
Review: I was thrilled when I first saw this book sitting on a bookshelf of a large chain bookstore. It's an amazing find and I thought it was about time that someone came out with a book that explains what Bohemian is for those who don't have a clue. Bohemianism is something I first heard about in the late 1980s when Edie Brickell sang about "What I Am" with her band, called "The New Bohemians" and I realized that I found the perfect culture category that fits my way of being. This book is a great manual for anyone who finds himself/herself outside the norms of the conformist, corporate, capitalist mindset and culture, and it's also great for non-Bohemians if they are curious about understanding what Bohemianism is all about. I like how the author subdivides Bohemians into smaller subsets, like Beat, Zen, and others. A lot of the descriptions of personality traits and quirks were so dead-on that I laughed in recognition of my own tendencies that fit the description (such as my discomfort riding in an SUV because it goes against who I am as a person; my lifelong fondness for a life on the road, the Citroen 2CV; why I get bored easily in the same job and baffle friends, family and co-workers alike by shunning job security for adventure and new experiences).

The art in this book is fantastic! They add a lot to this book, providing interesting visuals of style. This manual is a must have for anyone who is dissatisfied with the conformist, corporate lifestyle of bland suburbia and keeping up with the Hiltons mode of living. Bohemians will always be at the forefront of cultural/literary/artistic trends and don't care who knows it or not. It's about time someone with enough brilliance and humor came up with this idea and put it out there for public consumption. My only regret is that if non-Bohemians read this book, they might want to become bohemians too (or maybe crossbreeds like Bourgeois Bohemians--BoBos for short). The fact is, not everyone can be a bohemian or should...but for those who can't fit into the mainstream of our bland Walmart culture, you just may very well be a Bohemian, so get this book, read it and find your own bohemian style!

Rating:
Summary: Bohemian Rhapsody
Review: The Bohemian Manifesto is so much more than I expected. It shines a beautiful light on an oft misunderstood culture of people. The Bohemian is usually associated with the granola crowd of barefoot, tie-dyed artisans who smell of patchouli oil and while they represent a fraction of the culture, Laren Stover brings us the mass of the culture. If you have ever wondered, "Am I a Bohemian?" or thought, "I'm not a Bohemian," this book contains the answer.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Opulance
Review: The title of this book is what got my attention. What held it was every page. It's fun, smart, humorous, artistic and that's the tip of the iceberg. The way Ms. Stover weaves history, anthropology, culture, and society's trend setters into an opulent tapestry is genius. I love that she says Bohemianism is a timeless trend-it is, and we need to re-connect with it now more than ever. Get this book now before the Attorney General bans it!

Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as entertaining as "Bombshell"
Review: This book begins with Stover informing her readers that Bohemians cannot be defined. Then she spends the rest of the book attempting to define them. I would suggest that the next time Ms. Stover decides to define something she knows is undefinable, she look elsewhere for inspiration. While Stover is a luminous writer, her subject is not at all interesting or able to be categorized, so it makes it a book where readers may (as I did) lose interest quickly and begin simply paging through looking for something intriguing...and then just coming to the end, feeling disappointed. I'll stick with "The Bombshell Manual of Style" for my stereotype entertainment, thanks.

Rating:
Summary: Shrink-wrapped sorority girl looking in + not comprehending
Review: This book strikes me as a snotty list of objects and habits while cleanly missing the attraction of "alternative lifestyles" -- a parade of cliches, of bits and pieces. This was a gift from my ex-wife. She said "I didn't know you'd written a book." Ha ha ha. I opened it on New Year's Day to a line describing 'bohemians' wearing black t-shirts. OK, so I was coincidentally wearing an ancient black t-shirt. Then, leafing through the book (the binding broke immedately, btw) I got the feeling that I was being mocked at every turn. Yeah, I can tune an aircooled VW engine blindfolded, have a futon (and I mean a futon from Japan), know good incense from Wal-Mart incense, went to art school, blah blah blah -- but this book doesn't even TRY to f the ineffable (thank you, Alan Watts). It's a flatliner teenage girl trying to learn and grow by changing clothes. AVOID this book. Though I think it will burn well, and I'm a bit low on kindling.

This book pissed me off. People love to enjoy the ideas and work that "creative" or "bohemian" people do but are seldom tolerant of the personal choices made by those "creative" people. Avoid prepackaged, predigested ideas. Turn off your television. Read a book, but not THIS book!!! Do your own field work.