Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Beautifully written. Loved all the references to St. Paul places and events. Especially touching if you have strong Czech or Irish heritage.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“I loved the St. Paul references and it is beautifully written!”
Connie B wrote this review Friday, October 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Beautifully written”
Heather B wrote this review Wednesday, September 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is the first time I have read anything by Patricia Hampl (thanks to the book group for recommending it), and i was so impressed by her writing style and her candid insights into her relationships with her parents. So many times I found myself marveling at the way she chose to say certain ordinary things in such extraordinary ways that would never have occurred to me, but which were so beautifully expressed and clear. Her poetry shows through strongly in the imagery she uses about even the simplest details of her experience. It helps you to be there with her.
Mike Y wrote this review Monday, September 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Aside from matters of style, her account of her complex relationship with her parents is touching and shows great insight and awareness of how hard it is to really know the people closest to you; how it almost requires detective work to get to the bottom of lifelong actions and try to understand the reasons for what you observe in the behavior of others who don't often want to talk about themselves and their choices. I found it a remarkable book.”
“When I read one of Hampl's books, I almost have to stop writing myself because she is so good. This is more personal than the other book of hers I've read, but I liked them equally.”
Elizabeth S wrote this review Wednesday, September 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Beautifully written. Loved all the references to St. Paul places and events. Especially touching if you have strong Czech or Irish heritage.”
Stephanie Z wrote this review Friday, June 6 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“In "The Florist's Daughter," Hampl sits by her dying mother's bed, holding her hand, her role as a dutiful caretaking daughter nearly done. As she does this she walks into her memory and begins a very personal memoir as she composes her mother’s obituary on a yellow tablet. Hampl writes of the life she has led and the life she wanted to live outside of her provincial mid western city and ultimately finds the notion that life is elsewhere is false. A Florists Daughter has been uniformly praised and appeared on the list of best books in both the New York Times and also the British Sunday Times. And yet I didn’t care for it. Having watched both of my parents die, and living as I still do being pulled between a life in exile and the love of home and family, you’d think I could relate to such a beautifully crafted book that tells of how she realizes ultimately that her love of her parents was too great, her character and identity too intertwined with theirs, to leave. Yes, she wrote an incredible book but somehow or other it left me dissatisfied and sufficiently disinterested to really appreciate her work. I would never reread that book and I truly don’t understand my reaction to it. ”
karen m wrote this review Friday, February 1 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“it's an introspective book exploring the relationship between mothers and daughters. There's no dialogue, so at times it is slow, not a "cliffhanger".”
prairie lady wrote this review Thursday, December 27 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Displaying 1-8 of 8
