ashenlar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I picked this up after reading the author's personal essay in The New Yorker (When Things Go Missing) and discovering that it was developed into this memoir. Beautiful and clever writing around the ideas of 'loss' and 'finding' illustrated with a range of narratives, from the deeply personal to the universe-spanning.
Maybe not one for people who prefer tight/sparse writing; I enjoy both precise and more verbose writing - as long as it's done well - and I felt that every image, story and reference the author uses to develop the emotional threads are constructive to the overall themes that are centred around the loss of her father and the 'finding' of her partner, and well worth getting drawn into. Definitely would read again
Maybe not one for people who prefer tight/sparse writing; I enjoy both precise and more verbose writing - as long as it's done well - and I felt that every image, story and reference the author uses to develop the emotional threads are constructive to the overall themes that are centred around the loss of her father and the 'finding' of her partner, and well worth getting drawn into. Definitely would read again
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness
mhworth's review against another edition
5.0
This book is stunning in its beauty- the way it is written, the way she combines the experiences of love and loss and life. Amazing.
megshulse's review against another edition
1.0
I could not get into this book. I vaguely enjoyed the author’s love story and stories pertaining to her late father, but every other section felt long winded, rambling and unrelated.
Each of her literary/academic tangents could easily have been accomplished in approximately 1/5 the words. I imagine one could have gleaned the same information from her original essay. I hate to even think this about a memoir, but honestly I have never been more bored.
Each of her literary/academic tangents could easily have been accomplished in approximately 1/5 the words. I imagine one could have gleaned the same information from her original essay. I hate to even think this about a memoir, but honestly I have never been more bored.
erebus53's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
A verbose gay Jewish atheist woman muses on her feelings about love and loss having lost her father and found a wife.
As an Autistic person I have.. opinions about the way that she perceives her "nerdy" family and it's interesting how many stereotypes about Neurodiversity she describes, without pathologising anything.
I was hoping that I would find this more loveable and rich, but it didn't really grip me.
As an Autistic person I have.. opinions about the way that she perceives her "nerdy" family and it's interesting how many stereotypes about Neurodiversity she describes, without pathologising anything.
I was hoping that I would find this more loveable and rich, but it didn't really grip me.
kevinsmokler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
izisreading's review
5.0
Beautifully written and thought provoking!! Had great points and realizations. Not cringey
jlkenneth's review against another edition
5.0
This one’s for the girlies with big brains and even bigger feelings
momwrex's review against another edition
3.0
The book is based on magazine essays Schulz had written. It often felt that she was padding her memoir with tangents. She writes well, but I found myself skimming more and more frequently to see if I could get to an actual point. I suspect that I would be more fond of her essay writing; space limitations encourage an author to cut to the chase.
imdunn's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think I have the words to describe how much I loved this book.