Real Estate
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- Create Date：2021-06-07 10:51:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Deborah Levy
- ISBN：073523647X
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Summary
From one of the great thinkers and writers of our time， comes the highly anticipated final installment in Deborah Levy's critically acclaimed living autobiography series。
I began to wonder what myself and all unwritten and unseen women would possess in their property portfolios at the end of their lives。 Literally， her physical property and possessions， and then everything else she valued， though it might not be valued by society。 What might she claim， own， discard and bequeath？ Or is she the real estate， owned by patriarchy？ In this sense， Real Estate is a tricky business。 We rent it and buy it， sell and inherit it--but we must also knock it down。
Following the international critical acclaim of The Cost of Living， this final volume of Deborah Levy's living autobiography is an exhilarating， thought-provoking， and boldly intimate meditation on home and the spectres that haunt it。
I began to wonder what myself and all unwritten and unseen women would possess in their property portfolios at the end of their lives。 Literally， her physical property and possessions， and then everything else she valued， though it might not be valued by society。 What might she claim， own， discard and bequeath？ Or is she the real estate， owned by patriarchy？ In this sense， Real Estate is a tricky business。 We rent it and buy it， sell and inherit it--but we must also knock it down。
Following the international critical acclaim of The Cost of Living， this final volume of Deborah Levy's living autobiography is an exhilarating， thought-provoking， and boldly intimate meditation on home and the spectres that haunt it。
Reviews
James A
，
Maybe a little more hit and miss than the rest of the trilogy but Levy writes with such humanity， care， love and wit that it makes it all ok
bilkis
，
3。5 rounded bc i love Levy
Graciela
，
perfect！ just like the 2 previous。 Hope this continues and does not end with 3 books。
Sarah Whalley
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This third living autobiography restored me， and reminded me why D。 Levy is the best living author。
Jon Paul Roberts
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as the final installment of levy's "living autobiography" trilogy， real estate examines the meaning of home and its existence as both a space and an ideal， as well as what that means when you find yourself alone in it。 the whole trilogy stunned me and this is a great closer。 as the final installment of levy's "living autobiography" trilogy， real estate examines the meaning of home and its existence as both a space and an ideal， as well as what that means when you find yourself alone in it。 the whole trilogy stunned me and this is a great closer。 。。。more
Lara Glantz
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Oh Deborah！ You’ve done it again！
Beatriz
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PSA: DEBORAH LEVY CANNOT WRITE A MEDIOCRE BOOK。 this woman SLAPS every time and I am here for it - what a magnificent and interesting writer
Lisa Jewell
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Glorious - every single word。 I pictured myself living inside Deborah Levy's Real Estate。 Places， friends， daughters - relationship endings and some starts。 Real Estate left me inspired to join Deborah Levy in a similar Real Estate legacy。 Books not bricks and mortar！ I worship Deborah Levy， I don't think I can truly express how much her writing means to me。 Home。 Glorious - every single word。 I pictured myself living inside Deborah Levy's Real Estate。 Places， friends， daughters - relationship endings and some starts。 Real Estate left me inspired to join Deborah Levy in a similar Real Estate legacy。 Books not bricks and mortar！ I worship Deborah Levy， I don't think I can truly express how much her writing means to me。 Home。 。。。more
Malwina
，
As a huge fan of Deborah levy's writing （ok， let's face it， I am obsessed）， I was very excited to read the last installment in her autobiography series and honestly it was so worth it。 Her storytelling abilities， the unique approach to life， her people reading and analysis， the honesty， the musings on aging， love， friendship， gender roles。。。 the appreciation of culture and food and the bohemian lifestyle。 What's not to love？I wish I could just hang out with her and talk Almodovar or Lynch and dr As a huge fan of Deborah levy's writing （ok， let's face it， I am obsessed）， I was very excited to read the last installment in her autobiography series and honestly it was so worth it。 Her storytelling abilities， the unique approach to life， her people reading and analysis， the honesty， the musings on aging， love， friendship， gender roles。。。 the appreciation of culture and food and the bohemian lifestyle。 What's not to love？I wish I could just hang out with her and talk Almodovar or Lynch and drink wine or party at Silencio together。 She's possibly the most hip author in her sixties I can think of！ I mean， I could go on forever why DL is the real deal， but I urge you to find out for yourself。 A MUST READ <3 。。。more
Anastasiya Mozgovaya
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equally thrilling and heartbreaking。 please sign me up for the Deborah Levy fan club。
Beth Bonini
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4。75 starsThis is the third volume in Deborah Levy's 'Living Autobiography' trilogy， and much as The Cost of Living did， this one speaks straight to my heart and mind and also （pertinently， importantly） to the stage of life I am at。 It also speaks to my love for metaphor， for analogy， and for other not-so-obvious connections。 Her overarching theme， as the title states， is 'real estate' - and in characteristic fashion， she explores that theme through the precise details of her own life， stories， 4。75 starsThis is the third volume in Deborah Levy's 'Living Autobiography' trilogy， and much as The Cost of Living did， this one speaks straight to my heart and mind and also （pertinently， importantly） to the stage of life I am at。 It also speaks to my love for metaphor， for analogy， and for other not-so-obvious connections。 Her overarching theme， as the title states， is 'real estate' - and in characteristic fashion， she explores that theme through the precise details of her own life， stories， other writers' observations and poetic and playful comparisons of every kind。 Like Levy， I am obsessed with the idea of real estate - in its literal， metaphorical， emotional and even financial sense。On the verge of turning 60， Levy finds herself longing for a substantial house （a permanent home）。 Her thoughts and dreams obsessively fixate on dwellings of different kinds and a substantial portion of the book is devoted to the different furnishings she collects （in preparation for？） this future home。 Real estate does not just refer to property ownership， though， far from it; Levy cleverly plays with the meaning of the word 'real' and mostly explores what is imagined （both real and unreal）。 The structure of the memoir directly contradicts Levy's longing for real estate， although it is simultaneously an expression of that longing。 Each chapter describes the life of an itinerant writer in temporary， mostly minimally furnished homes: in Mumbai， in London， in New York City， in Paris， in Berlin， in Greece。 The writer experiences homesickness at a double remove: first， from her childhood home in South Africa; secondly， from her adopted home in London。 The idea of identity is explored from many angles， and many of the other people who Levy mingles with in the book are also citizens of the world。 In other words， of no fixed address。 The idea of home is fluid， although some people （the writer's daughters， her male best friend） are more permanently fixed。 Having said that， their lives， too， are in flux。 There is a spareness to Levy's writing， and yet it encompasses so much。 So， so much。 She doesn't speak only to women's experience， but she speaks so specifically and powerfully of women's experience。 I feel that I will return to this book （the entire trilogy） again and again。 It was a pure pleasure to read - not just because of the simplicity and elegance of its prose - but also because of the ideas it examines， and perhaps even more importantly， the questions it poses。 。。。more
Eleanore
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It seemed to me all over again that in every phase of living we do not have to conform to the way our life has been written for us， especially by those who are less imaginative than ourselves。
Joanna Di Mattia
，
Originally published at readings。com。au:Deborah Levy sits at the top of my list of brilliant women I’d like to have a few drinks with。 I imagine we’d sit in a smart London bar， martinis in hand， and across several hours she’d reveal to me how her magnificent brain works。 I think we’d have a lot to talk about。 One of her favourite filmmakers is Pedro Almodóvar; same。 She worships Virginia Woolf; so do I。 She takes pleasure in cooking and eating。 Yes， Deborah， me too。But the chances of this fantas Originally published at readings。com。au:Deborah Levy sits at the top of my list of brilliant women I’d like to have a few drinks with。 I imagine we’d sit in a smart London bar， martinis in hand， and across several hours she’d reveal to me how her magnificent brain works。 I think we’d have a lot to talk about。 One of her favourite filmmakers is Pedro Almodóvar; same。 She worships Virginia Woolf; so do I。 She takes pleasure in cooking and eating。 Yes， Deborah， me too。But the chances of this fantasy becoming reality are slim， and so I must be content with getting to know Levy through her words。 Real Estate， the third and final volume of her ‘living autobiography’ （following Things I Don’t Want to Know and The Cost of Living） finds Levy turning 60 and her youngest daughter leaving home for university。 Levy writes so well about women who break away to create new narratives and take shape as lead protagonists in their own stories。 As her nest empties out， Levy is morphing again。 The idea of ‘real estate’ preoccupies her: actual buildings， including her North London flat in a crumbling block and her dream of a more lavish abode by the sea shaded by a pomegranate tree。 But also symbolic， unreal structures。 Extending Woolf’s room of one’s own allows Levy to investigate the spaces women are allowed to occupy and possess， separate from patriarchal demands。Real Estate is more than a memoir; it’s a re-evaluation of what it means to write about the self。 Levy’s voice is intimate， formal and always surprising; her style philosophical， funny and incredibly sensual。 ‘What’s the point of writing if nothing is felt？’ I recently heard Levy pose this in conversation with the Norwegian writer Linn Ullmann。 Indeed， Levy’s writing is always full of strong feelings。 If Levy’s books are her real estate， she has built herself – and her guests – a rather splendid palace。 Getting to know Levy， I also feel like I’m getting to know myself。 What a rich gift her living autobiography is。 。。。more
Bruno
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This is my first Levy。 For now， I think I prefer Rachel Cusk （that's a really annoying thing to say）， but I'll definitely read the previous two 'working autobiographies'。 This is my first Levy。 For now， I think I prefer Rachel Cusk （that's a really annoying thing to say）， but I'll definitely read the previous two 'working autobiographies'。 。。。more
Sarah Steed
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I thought The Cost of Living was perfect。 This was better。 I want to live in Deborah Levy’s head。
Maria
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It came by magic when I was searching for a real estate of my own。 It is brilliant， inspiring and a book I will always go back to。 A perfect finish for Deborah Levy's trilogy but somehow I wish there was going to be more。 It came by magic when I was searching for a real estate of my own。 It is brilliant， inspiring and a book I will always go back to。 A perfect finish for Deborah Levy's trilogy but somehow I wish there was going to be more。 。。。more
Professor Weasel
，
Well， I binge-read this and Things I Don't Want to Know in one day， and I'm SO glad I did。 I'm really glad I waited for all three of these books to come out before reading them， as I think it contributed a lot to my experience to read them in succession。 UGH， I JUST LOVE DEBORAH LEVY。。。 I WANT TO BE HER。。。 SHE'S MY HERO。。。 I AM SO FILLED WITH ADMIRATION。。。The main thread of this book is houses - the titular real estate。 I loved the structure of this book， which follows Levy from Mumbai to Paris Well， I binge-read this and Things I Don't Want to Know in one day， and I'm SO glad I did。 I'm really glad I waited for all three of these books to come out before reading them， as I think it contributed a lot to my experience to read them in succession。 UGH， I JUST LOVE DEBORAH LEVY。。。 I WANT TO BE HER。。。 SHE'S MY HERO。。。 I AM SO FILLED WITH ADMIRATION。。。The main thread of this book is houses - the titular real estate。 I loved the structure of this book， which follows Levy from Mumbai to Paris to Greece， for various writing festivals and a residency。 It is not bougie or annoying at all。 I prefer Levy SO much more to Olivia Laing， who I found so unbearably， painfully bougie that I couldn't get past the first ten pages of Crudo。 Give me Levy anyday！ One of the funnest things about reading Levy are the incredible vivid details， and the way minor moments or objects keep reoccuring， and acquire a strange power。 She is obsessed with keys， for instant， or with a moment discussing 'likeable' older female characters with film executives。 She loves Leonora Carrington， and Marguerite Duras。 Like Patti Smith and Bolaño， her enthusiasm and love for other creatives and artists is so life-affirming。I found Levy's reckoning with her younger self in this book incredibly moving。 "I did not want to see her too clearly。 But I did try to wave at her。 I knew she would not want to see me （so there you are， nearly sixty and alone） and I did not want to see her either （so there you are， forty years old， hiding your talent， trying to keep your family together）， but she and I haunted each other across time。" The book contains such beautiful messages about aging， and reckoning with the lives never lived。 "My younger self （fierce， sad） knew that I did not judge her。 We had both lost and gained various things in the twenty years that separated us。" Overall， this trilogy was a beautiful and valuable read I think I will treasure and continuously return to。"Those invisible years raising our children and getting to grips with all those parathas were some of the most formative years of my life。 I didn't know it then， but I was becoming the writer I wanted to be。 I was going to step into her and she was going to step into me。""I was finding a way through the forest （wearing silver platform boots） to meet the wolf。 Who or what is the wolf？ Perhaps the wolf is the whole point of writing。""I guessed that no woman around that table had ruthlessly pursued her own dreams and desires at the expense of everyone else。"It seemed to me all over again that in every phase of living we do not have to conform to the way our life has been written for us， especially by those who are less imaginative than ourselves。"When discussing the unexpected pleasure of cooking for her teenage daughters and her friends: "Perhaps it was even a political pleasure to nourish young women， who had such a hard time。 Most of all I liked their appetite - yes， for the dish prepared， but for life itself。 I wanted them to find strength for all they had to do in the world。""Is it domestic space， or is it just a space for living？ And if it is a space for living， then no one's life has more value than another， no one can take up most of that space or spray their moods in every room or intimidate anyone else。 It seems to me that domestic space is gendered and that a space for living is more fluid。""For some reason I had never wavered from my own sense of literary purpose。 In this sense I had taken myself seriously。 Sometimes the phrase she takes herself seriously is seen as a flaw， as if taking herself seriously indicates she has aspirations beyond her reach。" 。。。more
Eliza
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I don’t know， I think Levy’s life seems damn near perfect。 Except for the Best Male Friend - and I’m not sure if he’s real， a composite or a Macguffin to represent societal values that contradict Levy’s own， but affirm her choices。 And there’s nothing wrong with that。 This third volume of her memoir-cum-autofiction isn’t as strong as the first two but stands solidly in its own right raising questions on the gendered female role， home and property。 I would have liked to read more on some of the p I don’t know， I think Levy’s life seems damn near perfect。 Except for the Best Male Friend - and I’m not sure if he’s real， a composite or a Macguffin to represent societal values that contradict Levy’s own， but affirm her choices。 And there’s nothing wrong with that。 This third volume of her memoir-cum-autofiction isn’t as strong as the first two but stands solidly in its own right raising questions on the gendered female role， home and property。 I would have liked to read more on some of the points she raises - De Beauvoir’s （and not only hers） concept of love being more destabilizing for women than it is for men， the heft of societal approval - why we strive for received notions of success （the country pile， marriage， committed monogamy and cohabiting） even when we don’t want them or understand why。 I had thought， too， that a clearer view of Levy’s future based on her learnings would come clear， but on re-read it’s all there in the last paragraph。 Some of this is lightly covered， often elided， and as usual with Levy， I wanted more。 Some highlights:“It seemed to me all over again that in every phase of living we do not have to conform to the way our life has been written for us， especially by those who are less imaginative than ourselves。”“And what about the wrenching goodbyes to friendships？ Those friends who are very much alive， yet somehow the bind that held us together has fatally broken。 In my experience that sort of break is to do with failing to move on with each other， or simply outgrowing the affection that once held us together。”“We were sharing a plate of grilled octopus。。。I no longer thought it was right to eat the world’s most intelligent creature。 My best male friend had a tentacle sticking out of his mouth。 The octopus was so much more intelligent than him。” 。。。more
Jesy
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A few months ago， I read my first Levy novel and I fell in love。 With the book， with her， with everything。 The unique writing style。 The bizarre characters。 The unusual and beautifully creative plot。 The wit。 Ah， the wit。So when Hamish Hamilton offered me the opportunity to read and review her latest book - Real Estate - it was a no brainer。 The lively， intimate narrative of Levy’s own life as she turns 60， her nest empties， and she searches for her idea of a home - in a house， in people， in her A few months ago， I read my first Levy novel and I fell in love。 With the book， with her， with everything。 The unique writing style。 The bizarre characters。 The unusual and beautifully creative plot。 The wit。 Ah， the wit。So when Hamish Hamilton offered me the opportunity to read and review her latest book - Real Estate - it was a no brainer。 The lively， intimate narrative of Levy’s own life as she turns 60， her nest empties， and she searches for her idea of a home - in a house， in people， in herself。 I can’t quite put into words how much and why I love this author。 I just bloody do， alright？ She’s brilliant。And， this sexy little book is a DELIGHT。 I will even go as far as to say that it’s more interesting and readable than a lot of the books I’ve read this year so far。 Coming from a gal that’s read her fair share of fantasy， thriller， romances， and god knows what else in the past year， that says a LOT。 Crazy， right？No， actually。Because Deborah Levy is a literary QUEEN。 Her discussion of everyday topics is captivating beyond belief。 She takes the mundane and， somehow， she makes it extraordinary， writing of things like feminism， parenting， relationships， and personal discovery so very beautifully， and touching on delicate but ordinary topics in a way that makes them， in that moment， some of the most interesting words I’ve ever read。 I don’t know how she does it。What a woman。 Relatable， interesting， exciting and fast becoming one of my favourite authors。It’s honestly taking everything within me not to purchase every single book she has ever written and read， in hopes that I’ll become more like her。 I’m smitten。 The perfect book to smack me out of my reading slump。 Long story short:If you haven’t read Deborah Levy， then， honestly， what the fuck are you waiting for？ 。。。more
Alwynne
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”…you never know what a woman really wants because she’s always being told what she wants。”The final volume of Deborah Levy’s impressive， compelling ‘living autobiography’ as with earlier instalments is partly sparked by another piece of writing， this time Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own。 Levy’s still reassembling her life after divorce， now in her late fifties， her income’s precarious and she’s living in a crumbling， London apartment building yet overwhelmed by fantasy images of the perfec ”…you never know what a woman really wants because she’s always being told what she wants。”The final volume of Deborah Levy’s impressive， compelling ‘living autobiography’ as with earlier instalments is partly sparked by another piece of writing， this time Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own。 Levy’s still reassembling her life after divorce， now in her late fifties， her income’s precarious and she’s living in a crumbling， London apartment building yet overwhelmed by fantasy images of the perfect house and the perfect existence。 But she’s not just thinking of real estate in concrete terms， she spirals out from that to consider it as a metaphor for women’s lives: women as ‘real estate’ in a patriarchal system， their days， their desires， every inch of their domestic space， all too often dominated by men; the male authors that erase or ignore the desires of their female characters and the representation of older women condemned at best to bland likeability or at worst aging， surplus grotesques; the women she meets who're overshadowed by their husbands or partners - sparked by the boasts of an author at a literary festival that at least he can count on going home to warm slippers prepared by his wife。 Seemingly stray thoughts lead her to James Baldwin’s years in France， his house there a refuge from the racism and homophobia he experienced， the transformation of domestic space into political space。 I say ‘seemingly stray’ because the way Levy’s organising her thoughts can seem rambling， anecdotal and randomly associative when， in fact， she’s slowly weaving a carefully-considered essay/meditation on women， aging and the process of writing。 My description of this so far might suggest Levy’s focus is on the oppressed and oppressive but she’s equally invested in exploring ways to go against the script， to fight against the system，“Never again did I want to sit at a table with heterosexual couples and feel that women were borrowing the space。 When that happens， it makes landlords of their male partners and the women are their tenants。” Levy’s commitment to rebellion’s encapsulated by her discussion of Leonora Carrington’s wonderful novel The Hearing Trumpet a favourite of a friend in her 80s。 A friend who’s an inspiration for Levy， an example of how to be alone and grow old without conforming to society’s expectations of women， the space they should inhabit and how they should inhabit it at each stage of their lives。 I feel quite odd about the prospect of leaving Levy behind， I’ve never been tempted by her fiction but I’ve enjoyed these autobiographical pieces immensely， the unexpected shifts between the mundane， the deeply personal and the more literary or political; her distinctive voice; the way she relates aspects of her experiences back to the books she’s loved or found intriguing; and the sense of being witness to someone working through what she thinks about her past and what she wants for her future。 。。。more
Eric Anderson
，
It's easy to get drawn to looking at a real estate agent's window and dream of the ideal home you might inhabit。 In this book Deborah Levy muses upon how she's done this too especially because her “crumbling apartment block on the hill” is far from ideal。 But， rather than planning to acquire bricks and mortar， Levy more often muses upon what shape her “unreal estate” might take as well as the homes and possessions which might be included in her “portfolio”。 This playfully allows her to imaginati It's easy to get drawn to looking at a real estate agent's window and dream of the ideal home you might inhabit。 In this book Deborah Levy muses upon how she's done this too especially because her “crumbling apartment block on the hill” is far from ideal。 But， rather than planning to acquire bricks and mortar， Levy more often muses upon what shape her “unreal estate” might take as well as the homes and possessions which might be included in her “portfolio”。 This playfully allows her to imaginatively craft and mould a fictional space and habitation that's not anchored to reality。 Moreover， it leads to more searching thoughts upon what it means to inhabit a life through a particular lens; in Levy's case as a writer， a daughter， a mother， a friend， a divorcee and a woman who is about to turn sixty。 These autobiographical meditations obviously have a deep personal meaning for the author but they also speak to what it means to be human and the troubling question: how do we inhabit the present moment when we can so often be preoccupied by what we've lost and what we wish to have？ There's a delicious exuberance to Levy's journey as she moves between temporary residences in Mumbai， New York， Paris， London， Berlin and Greece。 This takes place over the course of 2018 as she's working on her novel “The Man Who Saw Everything” and it's so compelling to read about the images， themes， places and influences “David Lynch， one of the film directors who had most inspired my approach to fiction” which helped shape that book。 The same was true of the previous instalment of Levy's memoirs “The Cost of Living” when she was writing her novel “Hot Milk”。 The three volumes of what's been branded Levy's 'Living Autobiography' thus make up a fascinating commentary on the writing process and an invaluable exploration of the influences which fed into the creation of her unique novels。 However， I have to admit， I favour reading Levy's memoirs more than the fiction itself which I admire and appreciate but don't love as much as reading about her thought process and endearing experiences。 Deep issues to do with art， feminism and humanity are paired with humorous wit and flights of fancy which make the 'Living Autobiography' a delicious and richly enjoyable experience。Read my full review of Real Estate by Deborah Levy on LonesomeReader 。。。more
Hendrych Kuch
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One of the best books on the real estate market。 It takes a lot of skill and experience to skillfully close big deals。 For example here: https://betterestimate。com/real-estat。。。 One of the best books on the real estate market。 It takes a lot of skill and experience to skillfully close big deals。 For example here: https://betterestimate。com/real-estat。。。 。。。more
Kate
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From FT weekend
Pamela Scott
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https://thebookloversboudoir。wordpres。。。I’ve only read a couple of the author’s book’s and have loved them so I was looking forward to this， part memoir， part autobiography and part mediation on need and longing。 I really loved Real Estate and plan to read the other two volumes of the author’s living autobiography。 I will definitely check out more of her fiction as well。 I found this book engrossing。 In many ways， nothing particularly spectacular happens but it’s the little minute nuances about https://thebookloversboudoir。wordpres。。。I’ve only read a couple of the author’s book’s and have loved them so I was looking forward to this， part memoir， part autobiography and part mediation on need and longing。 I really loved Real Estate and plan to read the other two volumes of the author’s living autobiography。 I will definitely check out more of her fiction as well。 I found this book engrossing。 In many ways， nothing particularly spectacular happens but it’s the little minute nuances about everyday life and experiences that held my interest from start to finish。 A great chunk is set in Paris， a city I love and I had a great with the author there。 I loved the way the author thinks about her life， experiences， various stages of her life， the people she meets and the things that mean a lot to her。 I can’t recommend Real Estate enough。 。。。more
Rachel
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4。5 stars！
Adam Dalva
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"That night， in the deep heat of Greece， devoured by mosquitos and reminiscences， I was thinking about all the doors I had closed in my life and what it would have taken to keep them ajar。"I knew I would love this - I loved the first two volumes of this astonishing living autobiography series （though I classify them as criticism as well - but I really loved this。 Levy is essential。 "That night， in the deep heat of Greece， devoured by mosquitos and reminiscences， I was thinking about all the doors I had closed in my life and what it would have taken to keep them ajar。"I knew I would love this - I loved the first two volumes of this astonishing living autobiography series （though I classify them as criticism as well - but I really loved this。 Levy is essential。 。。。more
Dannii Elle
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This is the third instalment in Levy's Living Autobiography series， where each instalment chronicles her thoughts， struggles， and life-changes， during the small space of time it took to write them。I felt more distanced from this third book than the previous two but that is merely due to my personal history， as Levy's astounding penmanship and astute observations remained intact。 This dealt initially with feelings of displacement and also heavily featured her family。 The previous instalments have This is the third instalment in Levy's Living Autobiography series， where each instalment chronicles her thoughts， struggles， and life-changes， during the small space of time it took to write them。I felt more distanced from this third book than the previous two but that is merely due to my personal history， as Levy's astounding penmanship and astute observations remained intact。 This dealt initially with feelings of displacement and also heavily featured her family。 The previous instalments have focused， it felt to me， more on her writing and her internal struggles。 These topics were ones I felt I could relate to more， but that does not in any way mean I disliked getting a better understanding of Levy's home life， here。Levy also continued to construct a series of compelling philosophical arguments and highlighted them alongside a political focus， her personal day-to-day life， and the emotions that go alongside it all。 All of these aspects colluded to ensure this another book that transcended the confines of the autobiography genre and also made it another moving and powerful creation。I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you to the author， Deborah Levy， and the publisher， Hamish Hamilton， for this opportunity。 。。。more
Georgia
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I have fallen in love with Deborah Levy so much that every day I make my sister try to remember new details about the time she met her， for me to chew on。 For some reason she reminds me of my granny and I want to keep her living autobiography by my bed for a self-prescribed daily dose of grannyisms。PS can someone make a DL tour of north London？
Bagus
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This is my third read of Deborah Levy， after Hot Milk （2016） and The Man Who Saw Everything （2019） and the first of her non-fiction work that I happened to read。 And as it happens， Real Estate is Levy’s third instalment of what she terms as her “living autobiography”， after the previously-published Things I Don't Want to Know （2013） and The Cost of Living （2018）。 I have yet to read the first two books of her “living autobiography”， but I would say that I totally like this one。 One thing for sure This is my third read of Deborah Levy， after Hot Milk （2016） and The Man Who Saw Everything （2019） and the first of her non-fiction work that I happened to read。 And as it happens， Real Estate is Levy’s third instalment of what she terms as her “living autobiography”， after the previously-published Things I Don't Want to Know （2013） and The Cost of Living （2018）。 I have yet to read the first two books of her “living autobiography”， but I would say that I totally like this one。 One thing for sure is that I might be biased in my taste regarding Levy’s book since there is this strange sensation that makes me relate to the character of her works that I previously read。 And to really get what Levy is trying to say in her “living autobiography”， I’d totally recommend reading at least Hot Milk first since it is a really nice introduction to the spell of Deborah Levy。Real Estate begins with a quest in search for a home， as age is catching up to Deborah Levy （she was about to reach 60 by the time she began writing this memoir） and the fact that her youngest daughter will soon leave her to study at college， which will leave her alone in her London flat。 She was looking for a house， in which she could live and work and make a world at her own pace。 As she is an avid swimmer， she also thought that the house should be equipped with a swimming pool， or at least close to the ocean or a lake。 Later on， she takes us on random journeys through many places across the globe where she did her activities as a writer spanning from India， Greece， and sometimes returned back to her childhood life in South Africa。 The search for a home never stopped for Levy。And as with every book by Levy， it leads me to pay attention more to questions that keep popping out of my mind throughout my reading experience。 If Deborah Levy who has been nominated for Man Booker Prize three times and is considered a prominent writer still questions her place in the universe， this led me to question the meaning of home itself and whether we could really see “real estate” in the same sense of home。 To open a house， or any real estate， we will need a key。 Levy says in this book: “There is always something secret and mysterious about keys。 They are the instrument to enter and exit， open and close， lock and unlock various desirable and undesirable domains。” This simple realization that key holds an important role to get into a real estate ponders over my head， that maybe if we desire to have a home — in the sense that “home” is comparable to a “real estate” — then we will have to ensure that we prepare the key to those people that we’ll let into it。Levy’s ideas in this book are random， but they are beautiful without any attempts to put cosmetics over them， and I value the honesty in her opinions。 For readers who have read The Man Who Saw Everything， this memoir will also provide some background information of the story， as well as spilling the beans here and there about moments in Deborah Levy’s life that inspires some characters such as Saul Adler’s narcissistic tendency， Jennifer Moreau’s fondness of ylang-ylang perfume， as well as the person who inspires the character of Rainer。 Levy recounts briefly the story of how she got a fellowship and residency which required her to stay in Paris for 6 months and finally produced The Man Who Saw Everything as the result。The idea to write a “living autobiography” is quite unique to Levy， as she writes it not at the end of her life in hindsight， but rather amidst the storm of life。 Levy is one of the authors whom I adore for her ability to write her traumatic experiences not by ranting about it， but rather in retrospect to look for the silver lining in life。 During my current difficult moment， her words have become like a small torch in the darkness。 In the end， she concludes: “I own the books that I have written and bequeath the royalties to my daughters。 In this sense， my books are my real estate。 They are not private property。 There are no fierce dogs or security guards at the gate and there no signs forbidding anyone to dive， splash， kiss， fail， feel fury or fear or be tender or tearful， to fall in love with the wrong person， go mad， become famous or play on the grass。” But I have yet to find my real estate。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for providing the electronic advance reading copy。 。。。more
Clarisa Butler
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¨All writing is about seeing new things and investigating them。¨ writes Deborah Levy in her memoir-travelogue， and Real Estate definitely led me along new （and old！） vistas with an original， quirky， deeply interesting and moving narrative which starts on January 2018 in London。 The opening paragraph already takes you seamlessly from a banana tree bought in a stall in East London from a woman with fake， lush eyelashes to the mountains of New Mexico and a severe Georgia O'Keefe painting uncanny se ¨All writing is about seeing new things and investigating them。¨ writes Deborah Levy in her memoir-travelogue， and Real Estate definitely led me along new （and old！） vistas with an original， quirky， deeply interesting and moving narrative which starts on January 2018 in London。 The opening paragraph already takes you seamlessly from a banana tree bought in a stall in East London from a woman with fake， lush eyelashes to the mountains of New Mexico and a severe Georgia O'Keefe painting uncanny sexual flowers that as you look at them intently become "your world for the moment。" as GO'K said and DL quotes verbatim making O'Keefe's intention "I want to give that world to someone else。" her own。 By the end， probably the beginning of 2020 （we are following a lifeline） we will have traveled with Levy to a great variety of places material， immaterial， all real。I have been fortunate to read an advance copy thanks to Penguin through NetGalley， but I will be buying a hard copy as soon as it hits the bookshops; too many highlighted passages！ too many good quotes from other authors。 This book is already demanding I read it again。 I read it all too quickly！！ I felt real （I will not read this adjective again without thinking of Levy´s extended investigation） intellectual exhilaration reading it as the narrator-author grapples with life， writing， friendship， family， ¨real estate¨， age。。。 but above all， the ideas engendered by all those interactions， crossings， clashes。 There is an undercurrent （she is a swimmer） of real humour （ironic， sardonic at times yet also benevolent - as when DL describes an excruciating， misogynistic， red-faced male writer， friendship at large， or the limited range of women characters in film ¨She [a woman] is allowed to be exceptionally skilled at dying。"I totally enjoyed this book which is a wonderful testimony about some aspects of the real （e）state of a （woman） writer's life but goes far beyond the limitations of a mere memoir or even auto-fiction narrative。 A great book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Real Estate
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Real Estate&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Real Estate&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0