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A review by okiecozyreader
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
When you finish this one, you feel emboldened to live a better life. It is such a beautiful book on grief. I can see why so many people have loved it. I missed the chance to read it last year with one group and I’m glad The Gloss is reading it for August this year!
Since Clover was young, she has had a gift to be with dying people as they passed. After her grandfather died (without her), she dedicated her life to being a death doula, so that other people wouldn’t die alone. She meets a man Sebastian, who has a grandmother Claudia who is dying, and he would Clover to spend time with her. They instantly connect, and Claudia helps Clover begin to live.
I love a found family story - and that is here, too, in Clover’s apartment building and bookstore. NYC is such an amazing backdrop for this story, and is almost a character itself.
Clover adored her grandfather, who largely raised her, and she carries on his love of reading and journaling. She keeps three notebooks: ADVICE, CONFESSIONS, and REGRETS so that she can incorporate those she has helped pass back into the world, whether it’s something they were not able to do or their favorite things.
There were so many beautiful passages in this book, but here are a few favorites:
“…there was something beautiful about the tenuous reality of being human.” Ch 11
“…most of us are guilty of that with our loved ones. We get stuck in a routine and we look at them as we've always looked at them, without seeing them for the person they've become or the person they strive to be.” P138
“It's easy to glamorize the path you didn't take.” P191
“…I was only living a shell of the life knew was possible.
And I regretted it.”p242
“Don't let the best parts of life pass you by because you're too scared of the unknown." One last wink. "Be cautiously reckless." P268 (in the acknowledgments, the author mentions this quote was something Jane Birkin told her for a magazine interview!
“But the secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life. Putting your heart out there. Letting it get broken. Taking chances. Making mistakes." … "Promise me… that you'll let yourself live.” P293
“Griel, I'd come to realize, was like dust. When you're in the thick of a dust storm, you're completely disoriented by the onslaught, struggling to see or breathe. But as the force recedes, and you slowly find your bearings and see a path forward, the dust begins to settle into the crevices. And it will never disappear completely -as the years pass, you'll find it in unexpected places at unexpected moments,
Grief is just love looking for a place to settle.” Ch 55
P304
Since Clover was young, she has had a gift to be with dying people as they passed. After her grandfather died (without her), she dedicated her life to being a death doula, so that other people wouldn’t die alone. She meets a man Sebastian, who has a grandmother Claudia who is dying, and he would Clover to spend time with her. They instantly connect, and Claudia helps Clover begin to live.
I love a found family story - and that is here, too, in Clover’s apartment building and bookstore. NYC is such an amazing backdrop for this story, and is almost a character itself.
Clover adored her grandfather, who largely raised her, and she carries on his love of reading and journaling. She keeps three notebooks: ADVICE, CONFESSIONS, and REGRETS so that she can incorporate those she has helped pass back into the world, whether it’s something they were not able to do or their favorite things.
There were so many beautiful passages in this book, but here are a few favorites:
“…there was something beautiful about the tenuous reality of being human.” Ch 11
“…most of us are guilty of that with our loved ones. We get stuck in a routine and we look at them as we've always looked at them, without seeing them for the person they've become or the person they strive to be.” P138
“It's easy to glamorize the path you didn't take.” P191
“…I was only living a shell of the life knew was possible.
And I regretted it.”p242
“Don't let the best parts of life pass you by because you're too scared of the unknown." One last wink. "Be cautiously reckless." P268 (in the acknowledgments, the author mentions this quote was something Jane Birkin told her for a magazine interview!
“But the secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life. Putting your heart out there. Letting it get broken. Taking chances. Making mistakes." … "Promise me… that you'll let yourself live.” P293
“Griel, I'd come to realize, was like dust. When you're in the thick of a dust storm, you're completely disoriented by the onslaught, struggling to see or breathe. But as the force recedes, and you slowly find your bearings and see a path forward, the dust begins to settle into the crevices. And it will never disappear completely -as the years pass, you'll find it in unexpected places at unexpected moments,
Grief is just love looking for a place to settle.” Ch 55
P304
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief