By Joan Didion
Genre Adult not fiction
Pages 227
Rating ⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
Joan Didion's recollections and thoughts as recorded the year after her husbands passing.
First Sentence
Life changes fast.
- Obviously I read this one for book club. It's not a book I would normally pick up. I did vote to read this one, though, because, well, look at the title. It leads you to believe this will be a book of hope; a book full of stories of this woman's life and how it changes after her husband dies. Alas, it was not magical at all.
- Random and sad are the best words to describe this book. And maybe repetitive. She kept telling us about the events of her husbands death over and over!
- I'm not heartless. I've never lost a spouse. I can only imagine the pain and despair that would bring me. I did lose my father when I was only 19 and while I grieved, mourned and despaired, it was not at all like this woman. Maybe because it was my father and not my spouse but still.
- How do you flat out say you didn't like a book about a real person's feelings upon losing the love of their life? You can't. I will say, I couldn't connect. I felt no attachment or sympathy for the author and I wanted to. She sounded like she had this perfectly golden life traveling and writing with her husband. She made it sound so beautiful. It didn't match up with the woman we read about in this book...and maybe that's the point.
Should you read it?
No I can't recommend this one. Only to those who love books like this. AKA, memoirs and random notes.
I have a hard time with these books because everyone grieves differently and I end up getting caught up in why I didn't grieve the same way. I'm glad I didn't read it, especially since a lot of the reviews said she came across as pretentious and name dropped a lot. Did you feel like that?
ReplyDeleteNo. The name dropping didn't bug me and I don't think she was pretentious just...different than people like you and me.
DeleteIt's got such a lovely title... but yeah, I am not at all interested in reading it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the title is misleading.
DeleteI couldn't finish! She was so distant and lacking in emotion. I just couldn't continue.
ReplyDeleteI pushed my way through it. I'm not sure why but I feel a need to try harder with book club books.
DeleteA random memoir about grieving is not what I thought this book we be about based on the title. Good to know. I think I'll skip this
ReplyDeleteYeah, the title is not fitting.
DeleteI'm not a fan of memoirs and from your thoughts on this book, I don't think this is something I would enjoy. Thanks for the honest review - I won't be picking this one up.
ReplyDeleteYeah, not worth it.
DeleteNot connecting is a great way to describe it. You can't rally say a memoir is wrong but I guess different people deal with grief differently. Probably not one for me either I don't think.
ReplyDeleteYeah, connecting is important and I just couldn't.
DeleteSounds completely depressing. Grief books can be really tough reads, for lots of reasons. It's okay if you didn't connect with this one.
ReplyDeleteIt was a depressing read.
DeleteI read it years ago and it is indeed a heartbreaking book - her writing puts into words what I imagine grief of this magnitude feels like. I also wondered about the title. Perhaps it's that she was in a sort of 'magical' (as in otherworldly) state the year after her husband died..?
ReplyDeleteMaybe. I really couldn't understand the title.
DeleteThe title seems really misleading. How is the author mourning her husband's death magical thinking? Of course, I need to read the book to see if that does make sense. I sympathize with her pain, since that's an awful thing to go through, but if the book is just weird, then it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there were people at book club that got the title. Not me.
DeleteI don't think I'd ever pick up a book like this as it seems too...I don't know...intrusive? Losing a spouse has to be incredibly painful, so not sure why anyone would want to share something so intensely private. I don't think I'd be able to connect with it either.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was tough to read.
DeleteFun to read everyone's comments here. I'm pushing through it too.. and feel pretty much the same way as you. I really don't get why it won awards and was raved about so much. So strange!
ReplyDeleteI know. Sometimes I feel so uncultured or something if I'm not getting it.
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