Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2024
288 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
Did I Ever Tell You? reads like a novel but is an unforgettable true story.
Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston was just eleven years old when her mother passed away, leaving behind a chest filled with gifts and letters to celebrate the milestones of Gwen's life and each of her birthdays until age thirty.
When Did I Ever Tell You? opens, just three packages remain: engagement, marriage, and first baby. Tracing Gwen's coming-of-age, the book reveals a treasure hunt, with each gift and letter unveiling more about her mother, her family, and—ultimately—herself.
Like Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Did I Ever Tell You? is a riveting book filled with unexpected twists and powerful life lessons. Through her mother's fierce and courageous love, Gwen was granted the tools not only to move through grief but to cherish life.
For as her mother says in one of her letters: "love is stronger than death."
"As the shape of her grief changes with age, Kingston teaches us something essential about how to collect, hold, and savor memories of loved ones over a lifetime. A heart-tugging memoir about the many faces of loss." —Kirkus Reviews
"In her debut memoir, UC Berkeley alum Genevieve Kingston expands on her Modern Love essay about a series of gifts that her late mother left behind in anticipation of birthdays and milestones that she'd never witness." —San Francisco Chronicle
"Did I Ever Tell You? is compelling and heartbreaking, and reminded me how beautiful humans can be when life breaks them open. Gwen's mother, during her own most difficult time, executes an act of miraculous love for her children that has a scope and power that will take your breath away. Don't miss this gorgeous memoir."
—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward
"I could not love this book more. Did I Ever Tell You? grabbed my heart from the very first pages and took me on a journey that has changed forever the way I think about the legacies we leave—on purpose and by accident—to those we love. In bracing, vivid, generous prose and with crystalline candor, Kingston shares a page-turning and wholly unexpected story about the extraordinary gifts her mother left her, including the most powerful one of all: the tools Kingston needed to carry on without her mom. This book is so full of hard-won wisdom and surprising insight into the challenges and joys of living every day that I want to press it into the hands of everyone I know and say, simply, "You must, must read this."
—Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club
"An extraordinary testament to the power of love over death, this book is healing, moving, and ultimately, instructive. The example of one mother's incredible unconditional love for her daughter, and this daughter's resilient search to live well in the face of devastating loss, will make readers cry, and also help them through their grief. Though I read this book quickly because I could not put it down, it will nurture me for a long time to come. What a beautiful gift from a mother to a daughter, and for a daughter to her readers."
—Sarah Ruhl, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Smile
This information about Did I Ever Tell You? was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Genevieve Kingston holds BAs in theater and linguistics from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Repertory Theater. She is the author of four plays and three one acts. In May 2021, her essay, "She Put Her Unspent Love in a Cardboard Box," appeared in The New York Times's "Modern Love" column. Did I Ever Tell You? is her first book. She lives with her partner in Brooklyn, New York.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
