The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up: A Memoir
- Downloads：2675
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-22 00:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Evanna Lynch
- ISBN：1472283015
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
'Gradually， I began to feel this dawning awareness that womanhood was coming for me， that it was looming inevitably， and it didn't feel safe。。。 While those around me tried to expedite it， simulate it， exacerbate it， I tried to strangle it。'
A raw and compelling new memoir from actress and activist Evanna Lynch about the battle between perfection and creativity。
Evanna Lynch has long been viewed as a role model for people recovering from anorexia and the story of her casting as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films has reached almost mythic proportions。 Yet even after recovery， there remains a conflict at the very core of her being: a bitter struggle between the familiar， anesthetising pursuit of perfection， and the desire to fully and fearlessly embrace her creativity。
In her memoir， Evanna confronts all the complexities and contradictions within herself and reveals how she overcame a life-threatening eating disorder， began to conquer her self-hate and confronted her fear of leaving the neatness and safety of girlhood for the unpredictable journey of being a woman。
Revealing a startlingly accomplished voice， Evanna uses her book to delve into the very heart of a woman's relationship with her own body。 Unwilling to let the darkness of her eating disorder eclipse her dreams， but afraid to fully release the certainty and safety of self-destruction， Evanna explores the pivotal moments and choices in her life that led her down the path of creativity and dreaming and away from the empty pursuit of perfection， and reaches towards acceptance of the wild， sensual and unpredictable reality of womanhood。
This is a story of the tragedy and the glory of growing up， of mourning girlhood and stepping into the unknown， and how that act of courage is the most creatively liberating thing a woman can do。
A raw and compelling new memoir from actress and activist Evanna Lynch about the battle between perfection and creativity。
Evanna Lynch has long been viewed as a role model for people recovering from anorexia and the story of her casting as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films has reached almost mythic proportions。 Yet even after recovery， there remains a conflict at the very core of her being: a bitter struggle between the familiar， anesthetising pursuit of perfection， and the desire to fully and fearlessly embrace her creativity。
In her memoir， Evanna confronts all the complexities and contradictions within herself and reveals how she overcame a life-threatening eating disorder， began to conquer her self-hate and confronted her fear of leaving the neatness and safety of girlhood for the unpredictable journey of being a woman。
Revealing a startlingly accomplished voice， Evanna uses her book to delve into the very heart of a woman's relationship with her own body。 Unwilling to let the darkness of her eating disorder eclipse her dreams， but afraid to fully release the certainty and safety of self-destruction， Evanna explores the pivotal moments and choices in her life that led her down the path of creativity and dreaming and away from the empty pursuit of perfection， and reaches towards acceptance of the wild， sensual and unpredictable reality of womanhood。
This is a story of the tragedy and the glory of growing up， of mourning girlhood and stepping into the unknown， and how that act of courage is the most creatively liberating thing a woman can do。
Reviews
Megan
，
Having also struggled with anorexia， I feel like in less than 24 hours this book has changed my life。 I don’t think anyone not adequately recovered from their eating disorder should read this; it threatened dark thoughts within me， two years out。 However ultimately I feel it has given me an entirely new outlook on life （and reminded me why I will forever remain recovered）。I have never read anything that so perfectly captured the struggle of an eating disorder without falling prey to its own atte Having also struggled with anorexia， I feel like in less than 24 hours this book has changed my life。 I don’t think anyone not adequately recovered from their eating disorder should read this; it threatened dark thoughts within me， two years out。 However ultimately I feel it has given me an entirely new outlook on life （and reminded me why I will forever remain recovered）。I have never read anything that so perfectly captured the struggle of an eating disorder without falling prey to its own attempts to glamorize itself。 I mourn everything I lost in the years I lost to my ED， and Evanna perfectly captures that as well。 Unlike anything I’ve read before， I believe she accurately portrays the reason it is so difficult to escape eating disorders， far away from an actual interest in losing weight: a fear that what is above ground is not enough， so in the end it is easier to succumb to something empty but safe。I also want to acknowledge for any readers that have not themselves had an eating disorder， how perfectly she conveys the non-eating aspects of eating disorders。 It seems second nature to me that they are not at all about being thin and that it is merely a consequence of the addiction， but I realize that misunderstood narrative is still often portrayed in media。 It’s difficult to explain how anorexia both isn’t and is about being thin， but Evanna managed it。It’s not really possible to summarize the novel because it is a chronological retelling of her life （certainly not even close to all aspects of it）， but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for enlightenment that IS NOT IN THE GRIPS OF AN EATING DISORDER。 I think this is a rare ED book that needed to have been written， but please proceed with caution。 If you are recovered enough to read this， it may be life changing （not trying to be too dramatic， it’s just a book。 But when you’ve sacrificed your life for something as serious as an eating disorder， it’s not unreasonable to change from a pivotal book）。 。。。more
Blakeney Clark
，
‘I believe in the kind of fairy-tales that have depth， complexity， profundity and moments of darkness that birth a fiercer belief in the light’Where to even begin。 I mean， this book was amazing！ Both a gritty memoir about Lynch’s own experiences with an eating disorder and a wider treatise on growing up as a woman， Evanna’s writing style was beautiful and always cleverly crafted， her voice and insights startlingly real and raw。 I read it in 2 sittings and it would have been 1 if I hadn’t inconve ‘I believe in the kind of fairy-tales that have depth， complexity， profundity and moments of darkness that birth a fiercer belief in the light’Where to even begin。 I mean， this book was amazing！ Both a gritty memoir about Lynch’s own experiences with an eating disorder and a wider treatise on growing up as a woman， Evanna’s writing style was beautiful and always cleverly crafted， her voice and insights startlingly real and raw。 I read it in 2 sittings and it would have been 1 if I hadn’t inconveniently needed to sleep， it was written that addictively。I will say it is not an easy book to read。 Nor does it fit into the neat ‘spiral and phoenix-like recovery’ narrative that accounts of mental health all too often fall into。 At times you can’t help but be frustrated at the narrator and shocked by the places that the book dares to go， but by writing with such self-conscious realism， Evanna’s story provides a much needed reality check on the way both sufferers， mental health services and the media approach mental health。 Sometimes it does not just ‘get better’。 Sometimes it gets worse， a lot worse before this， with a whole lot of upping and downing in between。 I’m definitely doing a bad job of explaining it， but I would highly recommend it to anyone who has ever struggled with living in a body they don’t like， growing up and fitting in， or anyone just wanting an insight into the way eating disorders work。 In a word， it was unforgettable。 。。。more
Leo
，
Had a good laugh in parts and got me a bit more enthused again to read。 So despite having never had an eating disorder， parts were amusing and relatable。
K Wheeler
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