Motherwort

• Rated 0 stars

“This was a gentle read about an extraordinary friendship between two women at different life stages. As I near the author's age (fifty-one this October), I find myself at a similar place of where am I headed, what to do with myself, and how to live well the years I have left, this came at the right time. There are no answers, but Joan Anderson assumes the role of guide, not model and leaves one thinking, dreaming, moving forward into a new and generative life.”

Motherwort wrote this review Sunday, June 14 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Unplugged came into my life at a time when everything was a question -- love, work, present, future, past. In the midst of an existential crisis, this book gave me a way to consider and prepare to take the time I needed to help me live fully and authentically the second half of my life. I'm still a bit overwhelmed with where I find myself but I know what I need to do, the generals if not the specifics and I know I'm in good company on the road to myself. Eat, Drink, Pray, Love was a good read and inspirational, but Whitney-Reitner's book helps address the more practical issues of preparing to Unplug and Plugging back in. For the first time I can say "me too" and know it's possible.”

Motherwort wrote this review Sunday, July 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Shubin does a lovely job making evolutionary theory understandable. For moments I truly grasped the progress from fish to man, trailing after Shubin much like Watson after Holmes. And while I never did say "Elementary," I have a much better understanding and appreciation for the marvel of evolution. I highly recommend this book.”

Motherwort wrote this review Monday, March 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I've written a few reviews for Shelfari. Today I wrote my first for Amazon.com, for this book. I just finished a Master's program in Counseling Psychology. With the archetypal focus of the program, I've had some dense reading for the last three years plus. And my thesis, how could I forget that?! I've slowly, gingerly returned to fiction. This was a lovely read, well-written and quick moving. It pulls you into the world of the characters and there you stay to the end and after. There's plenty here to sit with, to ponder, and I find in the weeks after, it keeps speaking to me. For me at least, this is the mark of good read and the kind of book I will keep on my shelf. For writers, there is a particular resonance in a world where they keep proclaiming the death of print on nearly a yearly basis. For all of us trying to live our own unique stories in the face of all the oughts and shoulds, it's a good reminder of the importance of staying true to our own tales, no matter what.
”

Motherwort wrote this review Sunday, January 6 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“A much quicker read than The Magician's Assistant and not nearly as perfect as Bel Canto, but still a good story. She does have a gift of sweeping you up and carrying you along with her prose. Not every author has it. I definitely welcomed the break from more strenuous nonfiction reading.”

Motherwort wrote this review Wednesday, November 28 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Having some acquaintances in academia, I found this book hilarious. I especially loved the skewering of the different factions of literary criticism. The climax is a bit over the top, but maybe given the world it is set, it has to be.”

Motherwort wrote this review Wednesday, November 28 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“A good short story should be felt in the body, linger in the mind long after. These stories do just that. Raw, painful, exquisite. Amy Bloom has a distinctive voice and a lyrical cadence which remains like a Chopin Nocturne long after you've finished them.”

Motherwort wrote this review Saturday, November 24 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“If I could, I'd give this three and a half stars. Some sections are fascinating, some go on a bit too long, but I like the idea of a life being written, the gem of it polished and the jewel of us, even the most "ordinary" of us, visible to all.”

Motherwort wrote this review Saturday, October 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Mike Davis is brilliant. He definitely leans to the left, so reader beware. And I can't say it isn't depressing. I could only read one or two before putting the book down and recuperating. Davis's book is a call to arms, to action, to making this a true democracy and a real conversation. ”

Motherwort wrote this review Saturday, October 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“My second Patchett book after the brilliant Bel Canto. A slow start but so much like grieving. I too am in love with her writing and understand a bit better I think how one could write oneself and be a successful writer as well. ”

Motherwort wrote this review Saturday, October 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )