A review by serendipitysbooks
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.75

 I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again but I love it when poets turn their hands to prose, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. This memoir by poet Maggie Smith, explores the break-up of her marriage, the marriage itself and how she and her children moved forwardafterwards, in a series of short vignettes. And the prose is simply exquisite. To say it was a pleasure to listen to (the audiobook is narrated by the author) sounds incredibly callous given the pain of the subject matter. And yet her insightfulness and her honesty- while only sharing what she felt comfortable sharing, especially when it came to her children - made for a memorably poignant read. And the prose then elevated it to another level. Although every marriage is different certain aspects of Smith’s experience hit home as I’m sure they did for many other female readers. I hope never to experience the end of my marriage. But if I do I know I’ll return to this beautiful memoir for a sense of solace and of hope.
 
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