Okay, over one hour of content ladies and gents!
We start off the video with a promo for her 'stationery shop... where I sell stationery'. All of her reviews can be summarised by that statement (aka 'X is about Y... so it's a good novel about Y'), so I am only going to be commenting on the more egregious parts - I am sacrificing my A-Level revision for this. Help me.
Let's go.
Ruby informs us she's had her last uni exam
ever and hence feels like she hasn't filmed in ages, despite last filming less than a week ago. Not to diminish the exam stress I'm sure she has experienced, but this is a very obvious sign of malnutrition and
slowing brain function
.
She goes on to say that last year she read 136
books, despite not knowing the definition of a book. A singular poem is not a book, and with the 'academic' profile she has on YouTube, a children's book doesn't really count either. Not to look down on those who enjoy them - go you - but let's not forget who we're dealing with here. She announces she hasn't yet decided her top 5 books (because she probably only read 3 or 4 in full) - a well-constructed top 5 books video would have been far more engaging, but alas. We are then treated to a lovely shot of a puddle and some wet leaves.
Now, the 'reviews'.
- 'The Secret Garden'. No review follows, merely a summary of the fact that Mary is 1) a child girl 2) not very nice at first 3) she discovers a garden.
- 'Mary Barton'. A very notable feminist text with a lot to be gained from reading it both academically and personally, and this is coming from a literal A-level student who is currently ignoring her exams, so not the most academically inclined shall we say. Ruby has absolutely nothing to say about this aside from the fact that Mary is presented alongside rich and poor people to drive home the point about 'how distinct that.... distinction is'. Coincidentally, Rubarb's shockingly shallow review is reflective of the upper-class idiocy presented in the novel.
- 'Hugo Cabret'. Literally 0 review at all, not even a recap of the plot. Just 'the amazing thing about this book is how it's written... like... half writing and then half illustrations... to resemble a silent film'. No comment on the significance of that? Rooby, come on hun.
- 'Jane Eyre'. 'The Brontes were so ahead of the time... You read them and you could be reading something from 5 years ago'. No comment. What she's
attemtping to say is that the messages in 'Jane Eyre' still remain poignant - no word on why or how, though. Again, funny considering it could be said to be about value-systems and where they reside in our actions. Unknown concept to Roobs, I'm sure.
- 'The Conference of the Birds'. Here, we are introduced to the single most stupid thing I have ever heard.
'It's a little bit like Harry Potter in that you got like... the real world and then like... this fantasy world'. This made me want to cry.
- Rhubarb then talks about some ASS-AYS she read on how art should be viewed through the eyes of children in all ways but articulately expressing our interpretations of it. I understand this, in fact it's a good point to some extent, but Ruby evidently twists it in her usual way in order to justify having 0 understanding of anything she talks about because 'viewing things like a child' is the true way art should be experienced. A lot of art is inherently political, or intended to make a statement - viewing it with that understanding not only informs us but enriches us culturally. Only in a rich, white, upper-class world is this disregarded.
Here, we move on to some Holocaust literature. I will admit, the Holocaust is a tough subject for me as I have extensive familial and personal connections to people who got tortured / killed / managed to survive. For me, this is the worst part of the video.
Ruby states that between 1945-1970, 'there wasn't really... a holocaust remembrance in public life' while referring to a book called 'The Holocaust in
American Life'. To make this clear, this book is about remembrance in
America. Ruby does not note this key aspect of the book, with her comments coming across as if she's referencing the entirety of the affected world. She says that the world didn't have a remembrance, but I can assure you that my European family and the millions of others who were so horrifically damaged by the Holocaust had a remembrance, it just wasn't the lip service or 'memorials in deprived state schools' you expect.
She then goes on to say that remembrance experienced a resurgence after the release of an
American TV show in 1979. I am officially lost for words. What she
means is that remembrance for people like her - those who require a TV show to comprehend that bad things happen in the world to other people, or at best, those completely detached from the state of the world - was revitalised then, but not for anyone who had any connections to it.
She reads multiple books about Holocaust on film, but offers no insight or conclusion, which I suppose is wise. Another on criticism of holocaust remembrance and how it's become glamourized. The author 'doesn't offer an alternative solution' - no, he doesn't say to steal from Holocaust charities, if that's what you're looking for Ruby.
- Anyway, next up some Edgar Allen Poe short stories and a poem. So... you know... not books.
- When 'reviewing' 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous', Roobee leaves us with some astounding wisdom. And I quote.
'Just every single line makes you think about things in a new way... and isn't that... kind of the purpose of literature, like you read something and it helps you understand it in a new way... like you read something and you go 'oh that's syo true!' but I never even realised I had that thought'
- Ruby forgets the term 'epistolary novel' when talking about an epistolary novel called 'Feeling Sorry for Celia'. This is a final-year English student.
- She read 3/4 versions of 'Alice in Wonderland' and makes barely any comparison between each one. That would have been a really interesting video, but my expectations are being increasingly lowered.
- Announces she found 'The Coral Island' a very (rightfully as it's extremely racist) uncomfortable read despite finding it in the children's sections of
WATERSTONES.
- Another instalment about a racist book found in
WATERSTONES. This is not a very good attempt at being sponsored by them...
- When talking about a book on the development of the 'child' and 'girlhood', Ruby states that age is 'nothing concrete' yet 'so many legal structures are based on that one definition'... 'I think it's very trivial, the world child'. She better be thanking her lucky stars she's a woman, because if a man said that on YouTube.... yeah. Perhaps questioning the legal structures around children and age is not the brightest idea. Funnily enough, the book is about the markedly different topic of the medical understanding of childhood and girlhood.
We're 14 mins in, by the way.
- Ruby has to look up the pronunciation of 'facsimile'. Small victories, people.
- Talking about a Murakami (?) book : 'The book is very real, like the things that happen to the characters are real and real life which was so refreshing to read'
- 'People Like Her' By Ellery Floyd about a Mum influencer who is 'so awful', her online and real life personas are 'so removed' and everything she does is 'so calculated'. Ruby hun......................................... no comment.
- On Oscar Wilde, she talks about how 'if I stole something, you'd be able to see it on my face'. We can.
- 6 billion more short stories
- Compares 'The Truants' to 'The Secret History' when she hasn't read TSH.
*DOG BARKING*
- angle change followed by 1000 more short stories and a lot of emphasis on books that capture the feeling of childhood.
- She can't remember anything about a lot of books she supposedly read, saying they can't have been that revolutionary. Let's not forget that she said Sun Tzu was unrelatable.
- 'Tatooist of Auschwitz', one of the more controversial books. She says 'I feel like the Holocaust should be spoken about more in public life'... maybe we're in parallel universes because it's not exactly forgotten, at least where I live. She notes that it was very 'surface level' and 'sensationalist' - good job on that, honestly. Says the character should have more references to their 'Jewish race'.
- Children's books. Like a lot of them. over 3 minutes worth of them in one go.
- Talks about 'Find Me' AKA prequel (?) to 'Call Me By Your Name'. Doesn't touch on the myriad of issues with the novel that are widely criticised.
- 'What Happened' by Hillary Clinton. No insight or opinion. Are we surprised.
*TEA TIME*
' (The tea) doesn't really taste like much' riveting.
-
Short stories
- Children's books for under-10s
I am now neglecting spending time with my family for this, just so we're all aware of the sacrifices this has taken.
- Got the name wrong of one of the main characters in the 'Song of Achilles' - 'I don't know where my brain was', she says. Neither do I. Talks about how relationships are more important than events. Fun.
- 'The Famous Five'. Notoriously controversial, but minimal attention paid to that.
- Guess what! More kid's books.
- 'Atonement' - 'Briony is so frustrating because she kind of understands what she's doing but does she? Like what age can a child be held accountable?' 21, you'd hope.
- 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' - no comment from her on that one, which is wise considering Ruby could not handle being thrust into that debate.
- Evanna Lynch's book 'The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting'. Notably, EL experienced an ED. Ruby also says that she likes EL as a person, which is fine but once again entering muddy waters with JKR territory considering EL has defended her after twitter-gate. Ruby doesn't recognise this as being a slightly-not-brilliant idea.
- Multiple plays and Dickens books.
- 'Empowered' by Vee. Ruby looks away a lot when she's talking about it (spoiler alert, she's lying through her teeth), and says that it's 'empowering'.
- Rubert lists her 14 favourite books, most of which are kids books, highlighting the complete inability to exercise an ounce of intellectual activity. She read multiple interesting texts yet took absolutely nothing from them.
She's a final year English student.
That's it.
Adios, Goodbye. I need a very strong drink. Overall, I give the video a 3/10.
EDIT: she refers to almost everything as lyrical, only to say that when she says lyrical (you know, a technical term) she essentially means writing she likes. Jesus wept.
How can her fans actually believe her when she says she changes clothes 5 times a day?!WHERE
she probably relies on you to find all the editing mistakes lmao
