This book was... fine! It had parts that were really good, and I agreed with the main points wholeheartedly. The author did a good job of tying "laziness" back to a. who benefits from you thinking of yourself as lazy and b. the historical origins of laziness and productivity culture. I also thought it was smart to tie these concepts into not just work, but relationships, Internet use/the compulsion to "stay informed," and activism. I thought there were some really meaningful points, I highlighted a lot of quotes and honestly felt very seen throughout, but the most meaningful takeaways at times got a little bit lost, even amidst a lot of repetition.

For me, the really good points sometimes got lost for two main reasons, one being an honest-to-god excessive number of anecdotes relating to... potentially fake people? I don't even know. And the second being that occasionally, Price would share something I didn't agree with (i.e. that Leslie Knope and Parks & Rec suck) or research with an analysis that I thought just didn't quite fit or could potentially be explained for other reasons, and I would get a little bit distracted due to that.

One example of the research thing so you can see what I mean - Price shares that people who spend too much time watching the news are more anxious and fearful, and as a result of that, they spend more time indoors, alone. But to me what is logical here is... if you are someone who spends a lot of time watching the news, of course you will spend more time at home, alone, because... watching the news is not really a group activity, and home is where your TV is?

I have seen some folks say that they disagree with the key tenet of the book, that laziness does not exist, and I think what I would say to that is... I agree with Price's assertion that laziness does not exist and is essentially an invention created by capitalists and Puritans. I believe this is true... for the target audience of this book. For the spoonfed millionaires and billionaires out there, laziness exists. For straight white men who fail upward, laziness exists.

I have seen others say that this book is really just for the privileged of the world, because many people cannot afford to stop working as hard as they are, as they are working as hard as they possibly can because they must, in order to stay afloat in this capitalist hellscape. I don't think that this book would actually disagree with that as much as it would encourage those folks to try to find ways to care for themselves, because the number of hours you were able to work in a week without collapsing won't really matter if you're dead, and the world is better with you in it.

Overall, I thought the main points of the book were really good, but that it was hurt by too many anecdotes, over-repetition of some key details, and an insistence on coining a term and then using it over and over ("the Laziness Lie," something that just felt so cringe to me by chapter 2... idk, Devon, stop trying to make "fetch" happen). Potentially a really strong editor could have made a big impact here.

This book was my first introduction to Robin Hobb as an author, as I am beginning to make my way through the Realm of the Elderlings. As an introduction, it did not disappoint. I’m thoroughly impressed and extremely excited to keep going.

I knew before I even started this series that Robin Hobb’s writing would be right up my alley; I love character-driven stories and vivid and descriptive prose, both of which were emphasized to me by many people as crucial elements of Hobb’s storytelling. They were right!

Every time I picked up this book, I was completely transported to Fitz’s world. And honestly, that is really all I want from a good fantasy. I’ve seen some complain about the writing being difficult to follow or feeling bored by the slow pacing of the story. I didn’t struggle with either of these things. Hobb’s writing felt magical to me. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story. I liked being given time to acquaint myself with the setting, the people, and Fitz himself. I’m not a person who can visualize things very easily in my mind, but Hobb managed to paint a clear and immersive image in my head that I was fully swept away by.

I am a sucker for a painful story that stabs me in the heart. Call me a masochist, but I want to feel something goddammit! And whew… I got what I wished for. I loved how Hobb explored themes of abandonment, loneliness, betrayal, trust, shame, loyalty, and proving your worth. I felt emotions so deeply while reading this and I am ready to continue being emotionally ravaged.

Reading Assassin’s Apprentice felt familiar in a very comforting way. I suppose that’s a testament to Hobb’s influence on the fantasy genre. After reading just one of her works, I can confidently say Robin Hobb is one of the GOATs of fantasy writing. I can see her influence on the genre retroactively in all of the fantasy I have read before this. I can't wait to read the next book!