Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.
Nonfiction
2001 Atria Books
Finished on October 7, 2001
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
Anger is a poison ivy in the heart and if it grows unchecked, it covers all the soft spaces where you love and understand and feel joy.
There's power in anger, sure, a power that can help you survive.
But true wisdom is in knowing when to let it go. In Still Waters, Jennifer Lauck continues the riveting true story begun in her critically acclaimed memoir Blackbird.
Clutching her pink trunk filled with secret treasures, the last relics of a lost childhood, twelve-year-old Jenny steps off a bus in Reno and straight into the wide-open future, where no path is certain except that of her own heart.... Separated from her brother, Bryan, and passed from caretaker to caretaker, Jenny endures as she always has: by following the inner compass of the survivor. But when Bryan chooses a shocking, tragic destiny, Jenny must at last confront the secrets, lies, and loneliness that have held her prisoner for years. Embarking on a search for answers, the adult Jenny discovers that the past cannot be locked away forever -- even when unraveling one's own anger and pain seems an impossible feat. Now, in the warmth and understanding of her marriage, in the eyes of her child, and in powerful conversations with a dynamic young priest, Jennifer finds her own miracles. A hardened heart learns to love. A damaged soul finds peace. And life, once merely a matter of survival, becomes rich with the joys of truly living.
My Original Thoughts (2001):
Just as with Blackbird, I quickly became engrossed in Jennifer Lauck's continuation of her memoir. Extremely readable. Not quite as emotional as Blackbird. Could it be that the disappointments and cruel realities of a young girl (eight or nine years of age), might be less difficult for a teenager? Or maybe life got a little easier once she became a teenager. I couldn't put the book down. I'd like to read a novel by Lauck someday, but so far she's only written nonfiction.
My Current Thoughts:
I have a strong memory of reading this book, but it's not one I'd read again, in spite of the high rating.
I liked Blackbird a lot, and I was happy to read this one, too.
ReplyDeleteDeb, the author has written two more memoirs, but I think I've read enough about her life. I wish she would write a novel.
DeleteI don't read a lot of nonfiction and even less memoirs but I think I'd like to give Blackbird a try.
ReplyDeleteIliana, of the two books by Lauck that I've read, I would say that Blackbird is definitely worthwhile. She's a good writer.
DeleteI am not a re-reader and prefer to enjoy a book in the moment, then think about it later without visiting it again. This one sounds good.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I've had good and bad luck with re-reading books. Some are just as good, if not better the second time around, although I've been disappointed with some that I originally loved.
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