A hilarious, heartfelt memoir about one woman’s midlife obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch, and the liberating power of reclaiming our passions as we age, whatever they may be.A hilarious, heartfelt memoir about one woman’s midlife obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch, and the liberating power of reclaiming our passions as we age, whatever they may be.Tabitha Carvan was a new mother, at home with two young children, when she fell for the actor Benedict Cumberbatch. You know the guy: strange name, alien face, made Sherlock so sexy that it became one of the most streamed shows in the world? The force of her fixation took everyone – especially Carvan herself – by surprise. But what she slowly realised was that her preoccupation was not with Benedict Cumberbatch at all. It was about finally feeling passionate about something, anything, at a point in her life when she had lost touch with her own identity. Turns out that a little bit of obsession can go a long way …This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch explores what happens to women’s desires after we leave adolescence, and why the space in our lives for pure, unadulterated joy is squeezed ever smaller as we age. Carvan shine a light onto the hidden corners of fandom, from online communities to profound real-world connections. She asks: what happens if we simply decide to follow our interests – unabashedly, audaciously, shamelessly? After all, there’s true power in finding your ‘thing’ (even if that thing happens to be a Marvel superhero) and loving it like your life depends on it.Tabitha Carvan is a science writer for the Australian National University and a freelance features writer on the side, focusing on issues of identity, family and pop culture. Her writing has appeared in over a dozen different publications from Australian Geographic to Ravishly; Overland to Offbeat Home; The Outline to MamaMia. She lives in Canberra, but when she lived in Hanoi for several years, she was a commissioned blogger for Crikey, and a columnist for both AsiaLIFE magazine, and Vietnam’s largest news service Dan Tri. She can be found at http://www.tabithacarvan.com.• We’ve seen a trend in books, podcasts, articles and the like unapologetically embracing female desire and pleasure, and encouraging women to make the space for themselves to explore what they truly want out of life e.g. Florence Given, Glennon Doyle, Caitlin Moran, Chidera Eggerue• The fascination and analysis around fandom and ‘fangirling’ is only increasing, and it’s beginning to take front and centre in a lot of current feminist discussion. The Guardian also recently launched a ‘Fandom that Made Me’ series, showing that this kind of stuff is moving into the mainstream.• More broadly, a lot of people have been at a loss with regards to knowing what they want post-pandemic, and it’s been discussed before how women have picked up more of the household and caring duties since working from home, having little headspace to explore their needs and desires. This book offers a stepping stone out of this, acting as a little reminder to make room for what brings you joy in a really fun way.• A perfect gift for Mother’s Day.• HC Australia and Putnam in US are planning a massive publicity and marketing push.Competition: Women Don’t Owe You Pretty;Untamed;Three Woman;More Than A Woman;Bad Feminist;Why Mummy;Drinks;Swears;What A Time to Be Alone;The Rules Do Not Apply;Too Fat Too Slutty Too Loud. By;Florence Given;Glennon Doyle;Lisa Taddeo;Caitlin Moran;Gill Sims;Roxanne Gay;Ariel Levy;Helen Anne Peterson
Publicat de: HarperCollins Publishers