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A review by shamuwilson2
Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey by Rachel Simon
1.0
1.5/5 - there was a goodreads review for this book I saw that read, “I WANT TO GET OFF THE BUS” and I think that so accurately sums up my thoughts. This book was so incredibly BORING and self-righteous.
This book is a “memoir” written by the author after she spends a year riding the bus with her differently abled younger sister. Why was this book a complete waste of time? Let me tell you.
First off, every single chapter is the exact same. The author and her sister will get on a new bus. The bus driver will spew some sweeping philosophical advice about his or her life. Her sister will do something that annoys her. The author will think “am I a bad sister for resenting her? I should adopt the mindset of [insert bus driver of that chapter].” and then we rinse and repeat like, 12 more times. I honestly found it hard to believe that these were real conversations that even happened.
Second, there is no point to any of this. What was the character growth arc? That the author finally learns to treat her sister like her own person and not as a burden or object? Do you want a trophy for this? I don’t understand how this attitude is laudable. The other main takeaway the author has from this experience was to learn how to “open her heart” to men again and focus less on work. Like, ok? I don’t think that warrants a whole book.
I think if this 300 page book were consolidated into, say, a long-form essay, it could have been good. There was absolutely no need for it to drag on this long. The only reasons I didn’t just abandon this book partway through are (1) I wanted to be able to give it a scathing review on goodreads for the hours of my life it stole from me and (2) because this was the surprise book that my dear friend Stacey sent me in a book exchange (sorry Stace when you see this! I still adore you!)
The extra 0.5 stars comes from the fact that the sections where the author writes about her childhood and relationship with her parents are actually pretty interesting. Her childhood would have been a MUCH more interesting memoir, honestly. There were a LOT of super traumatic and major life events that were just…mentioned? and glossed over? Like, lady, that should have been your whole book.
Anyways, I really didn’t like this book. It basically CREATED my current reading slump. Don’t recommend it.
This book is a “memoir” written by the author after she spends a year riding the bus with her differently abled younger sister. Why was this book a complete waste of time? Let me tell you.
First off, every single chapter is the exact same. The author and her sister will get on a new bus. The bus driver will spew some sweeping philosophical advice about his or her life. Her sister will do something that annoys her. The author will think “am I a bad sister for resenting her? I should adopt the mindset of [insert bus driver of that chapter].” and then we rinse and repeat like, 12 more times. I honestly found it hard to believe that these were real conversations that even happened.
Second, there is no point to any of this. What was the character growth arc? That the author finally learns to treat her sister like her own person and not as a burden or object? Do you want a trophy for this? I don’t understand how this attitude is laudable. The other main takeaway the author has from this experience was to learn how to “open her heart” to men again and focus less on work. Like, ok? I don’t think that warrants a whole book.
I think if this 300 page book were consolidated into, say, a long-form essay, it could have been good. There was absolutely no need for it to drag on this long. The only reasons I didn’t just abandon this book partway through are (1) I wanted to be able to give it a scathing review on goodreads for the hours of my life it stole from me and (2) because this was the surprise book that my dear friend Stacey sent me in a book exchange (sorry Stace when you see this! I still adore you!)
The extra 0.5 stars comes from the fact that the sections where the author writes about her childhood and relationship with her parents are actually pretty interesting. Her childhood would have been a MUCH more interesting memoir, honestly. There were a LOT of super traumatic and major life events that were just…mentioned? and glossed over? Like, lady, that should have been your whole book.
Anyways, I really didn’t like this book. It basically CREATED my current reading slump. Don’t recommend it.