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jennieleigh's review against another edition
3.0
Did not enjoy it as much as her first two books. It was less funny, less sparkling, and generally less interesting. Much more introspective. It reflects the depression she must have been going through at the time, as she seemed to lose the humor lens that she saw her childhood through.
librarydoc's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, a memoir of Fuller's life growing up in Zambia, marrying an American, and moving to Wyoming. It made me sad to read about a marriage of so many years and so much shared experience falling apart. But it also made me hopeful to learn that she was able to make a new life for herself. Overall, a really interesting read with lots of heart.
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
3.0
Lyrical writing, fascinating family...maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a memoir?
somanybookstoread's review against another edition
4.0
Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight is definitely a superior book, but I enjoyed Fuller's most recent memoir. There were, in my opinion, some serious holes in what she chose to put on the page, which kept me less engaged than I would have liked, but her writing is powerful. Looking forward to discussing this one with my book group!
soniapage's review against another edition
4.0
I have read and been fascinated with the author's memoirs of her time in Africa and also her articles in National Geographic. This book, mainly covering her divorce and life in Wyoming, was not as interesting to me but there were enough references back to her life and family in Africa to make it worthwhile reading. It seems sad to me that she would choose to remain in the States instead of returning to Zambia, partly because it seems like a boring life compared to the one she had growing up, and partly because I have lived in SE Idaho and presently in Utah, which I love but still have a child-like fascination with Africa. Hopefully, her life will settle down into happiness and we will see more books from her. This was an audio-book which was narrated by the author which is always a treat.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is a sequel to Fuller's first memoir, [b:Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood|24687|Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight An African Childhood|Alexandra Fuller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388194903s/24687.jpg|2434074] and it would be difficult to read this without having read the other. Her first book was about her upbringing in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) and Zambia in the 1970s and 1980s and concluded with her marriage to Charlie, an American white water rafting guide, in her early 20s. This book is ostensibly about her marriage and its eventual end (after 20 years), but it hops around, going backwards and forwards, telling us more about her upbringing and her family and her husband's family along the way.
The first third is all over the place, very disjointed and quite annoying to read. There are 20 chapters and 9 of them are in the first third. But then it starts to settle down and becomes more about Fuller's marriage and midlife crises. She is a wonderful writer and the similes that she employs are brilliant. For example at one point she writes about feeling "as if I'd slipped my own moorings completely and was cast adrift in someone else's shipping lane". I love that description!
This is very much Fuller's story and no one else's - her husband remains oblique and her three children are barely mentioned (apart from their births - which are terrific stories). In fact there are dozens of wonderful anecdotes - for example the driver in Africa who quietly furnished his own house with furniture stolen from Fuller's house and then took her there to admire it. "We like the same things" he told her cheerfully.
It's hard for me to know how to rate this book because it was so uneven and probably 3 stars would be more accurate, but when it's good, it's exceptional.
The first third is all over the place, very disjointed and quite annoying to read. There are 20 chapters and 9 of them are in the first third. But then it starts to settle down and becomes more about Fuller's marriage and midlife crises. She is a wonderful writer and the similes that she employs are brilliant. For example at one point she writes about feeling "as if I'd slipped my own moorings completely and was cast adrift in someone else's shipping lane". I love that description!
This is very much Fuller's story and no one else's - her husband remains oblique and her three children are barely mentioned (apart from their births - which are terrific stories). In fact there are dozens of wonderful anecdotes - for example the driver in Africa who quietly furnished his own house with furniture stolen from Fuller's house and then took her there to admire it. "We like the same things" he told her cheerfully.
It's hard for me to know how to rate this book because it was so uneven and probably 3 stars would be more accurate, but when it's good, it's exceptional.
caseysilk's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Alexandra Fuller's previous books. Her writing is wonderful and her stories about her parents and growing up in Africa are fascinating. This particular book still has the excellent writing and some of the parent's antics but it is mainly about her divorce. It is heartbreaking but I felt detached from the book. I think it would be helpful to people who are suffering in a relationship