The Journal Keeper: Book summary and reviews of The Journal Keeper by Phyllis Theroux

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Nancy E. (Whitehouse Station, NJ)

The Journal Keeper
This book should inspire many readers to keep a journal. At first the book is difficult to get into but as you begin to "know" the author it is difficult to put down. I read it in two evenings and found it very enjoyable. Ms. Theroux is revealing about her life, her relationships and her view of the world. This is a book that many women - especially at midlife - will understand and empathize with the author.

Dotty G. (Roswell, GA)

a keeper...
My shelves are overflowing with books, so much so that I can't keep them all; however, I will keep and treasure this book. The Journal Keeper is a thought provoking, sometimes depressing, sometimes uplifting read. I have highlighted many passages, and each time I pick it up, I find more to highlight. The everyday events of the author's life are intertwined with her writing life. Her themes are universal and honest. I learned from and often identified with this extraordinary memoir.

Sue Ellen Savereide (Cedar Falls, IA)

Did Not Disappoint
As a "sixty-something" who often finds herself reading memoir (May Sarton, Anne Morrow Lindbergh) I had rather high expectations for this book. I was not disappointed. The book in fact inspired and nudged me to once again take up the practice of journaling. The book begins as the author is in her sixty-first year. At this stage of her life, she yearns to "prune my life so that the strength flows into fewer branches." She honestly chronicles challenges—emotional, financial, physical, mental—and coping mechanisms. Certainly writing—i.e., journal keeping—is one of those mechanisms. In the section " If You Want to Keep a Journal," she advises that a journal "should be a wise friend who helps you create your own enlightenment." Let the writing and the pruning begin!

Deborah P. (Dunnellon, FL)

The Journal Keeper
Theroux shares a brief insight into her life as a writer in the first ten pages. She then graciously allows the reader to enter her interior thoughts, questions and experiences in the form of short journal entries from 2000 to 2005. Although the book has no identifiable plot it reads like a well written novel. The author's use of metaphors and analogies made this reader want to stop and reflect on her questions, insights and wisdom. So happy to be a member of BookBrowse because I might have missed one of the best books of 2010.

Carolyn F. (San Carlos, CA)

The Journal Keeper
A beautifully written book, this book makes me think every time I pick it up. I read memoirs hoping to learn something about how to deal with the curve balls life throws at me, and this book helped me springboard from her journal entries to situations in my own life. Theroux has also written some lovely essays which I have read.

Nancy Macy (Rancho Mirage, California)

The Journal Keeper by Phyllis Theroux
A very feminine spirit, opens an extraordinary world to the reader. Looking at life through her perspective she raises everyday life to poetry and high drama. What she focuses on becomes vivid and poignant at the same time.

Growing old, falling in love, loss and new beginnings. Awareness of her inner and outer environment, which is acute, makes the difference. She notices and enjoys what most of us hurry by. It shows the freshest imagination and is illuminated in the most eloquent flights of original descriptions. Her transparent feelings give voice to my own. A conversation that happily makes one see the world, oneself and others more distinctly. She is wonderful company.

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