A review by bookly_reads
Turning by Jessica J. Lee

4.0

Jessica J. Lee's memoir made me feel like I was vacationing in Berlin. I am grateful she resisted "cinematizing" her life, not forcing narrative arcs where there were none, and not exaggerating her sense of belonging in Berlin even while she acknowledged the almost spiritual pull of the city. She painstakingly recorded her own linguistic ignorance and difficulties with the language barrier, an aspect of living abroad that most people are eager to ignore.

Plus, I loved her descriptions of clear, cool lakes, and the fact that I now know the word "limnology."