Although I agree that there are images in this book which should not be included, this is a nice concept piece considered as a whole. And I do somewhat disagree with those that say the landscape photography is weak. I find some of it to be quite striking. One in particular is probably one of the subtlest and most striking landscapes I have seen in recent publications. Its unfair to compare Philip-Lorca diCorcias work with that of Thomas Struth and Andreas Gursky. This book is wonderful, and well worth the investment.
According to Vince Auletti in the Village Voice "What makes "A Storybook Life" so enthralling isnt diCorcias proven skill at crafting a convincing fiction, its his ability to invest the whole nearly indigestible enterprise with feeling: longing, confusion, regret, tenderness, dismay, love, and, above all, a kind of bruised optimism. Its the accumulated weight of this emotion-however muffled, disguised, or denied-that gives the work its power as a piece. DiCorcia is no sentimentalist; hes far too smart and too subtle. Hes not spilling his guts, hes constructing a riddle that even he doesnt know the answer to. All the more surprising that, in the end, hes also created a piece that doesnt seem to be just about his life, but ours." I could not have said it better myself.
If you really like and admire the work of Philip-Lorca diCorcia then this book may be really tempting, however take care, the beautifully lit and composed work that you are used to is only a small fraction of this book. the rest is made up of landscape work which veers away from the rich vein of work that have brought him success, and in many cases these photographs are not that good when compared with the landscape work being produced by many of his contemporarys. Take a look for yourself before buying.
