The Sunday Draft

If you’re searching for your next great read, Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton is a must. This raw and captivating memoir of her twenties is more than a collection of personal anecdotes—it’s a beautifully written exploration of love in all its forms, with a particular focus on the one that often gets overlooked: friendship. With humor, vulnerability, and an almost uncanny ability to articulate the experiences so many young women share, Alderton pulls readers into her world. She recounts disastrous dates, nights out that begin with champagne and end in tears, and moments of self-reflection in the sanctuary of her London flat. Yet beneath the chaos of romantic misadventures and quarter-life crises, Alderton unearths something far more enduring: the power of friendship and the role it plays in shaping who we are. At the heart of the book is Alderton’s relationship with her best friend, Farly. Their friendship faces every high and low, offering a kind of stability that roman...

French painter Gustave Caillebotte’s interest in male portraits distinguishes him from his Impressionist peers. He observed and depicted the important men in his life, painting them with soft brushstrokes and striking realism. His Impressionist work illustrates scenes in everyday life, rarely portraying women unless on the arm of a man. Despite focusing on strong, masculine subjects, Caillebotte’s painted men rarely face the artist. Their eyes drift beyond the frame, or they are absorbed in some quiet, routine task, creating a sense of emotional distance between them and the viewer. Framed in gold, the paintings demand attention—“look at me”—yet they refuse to return the gaze. As I reflect on my visit to his exhibit at The Getty Museum, I wonder if this disconnect is intentional. Are Caillebotte’s men so captivated by something—or someone—that they never turn to meet their artist’s eye? Or is it simply my own instinct as a woman to search for admiration wherever I go? Either way, I cou...