Carol_Dirks

Many of the press blurbs on the book cover mentioned the generational conflict. Yes, for the plot to work, the two main characters had to be from different generations. However, what grabbed me most about this book was how well drawn those two main characters were, and by a male author. What they said, what they thought, how they acted, the nuances of their personalities—it all rang true of what a woman in their situation would do. Even the minor female characters, the mom, the best friend, the lawyer, were totally believable. I appreciated the plot twists and turns; Mr. Lanchester story definitely kept me turning the pages. And his wry wit kept me smiling. But it was his spot-on portrayal of Kate and Phoebe that raised this book far above the multitude of other who/why done it's.

Wanted more.

The story about two women in Nova Scotia in the late 1800s opened up an area of history. I knew nothing about. I was intrigued by the story of their struggles, both emotional and physical, and how they both persevered in their own ways to make their way.

However, I wanted to know more. The narrative seemed lacking in giving us a background about how and why the people had left Jamaica to come to Nova Scotia and how Agnes's background easily different from Cora's. Online research after I finished the book filled in gaps that would've made the book more enjoyable. Also I wanted to know more about how Agnes, in particular, survived in the wilderness. What other implements did she have? How did they move from place to place so apparently easily? Perhaps the author didn't want to bog down the story with these details, but it would've helped me understand the characters better.

Finally, a couple quibbles about the writing style. I'm not a fan of writing in present tense. There weren't that many scenes from the past that were written in the past tense to make the present tense elsewhere a necessity. And the author's use of incomplete sentences forced me to slow down to fill in what were missing words to me.

Overall, an enjoyable character study about a time and place unknown to me.

I wasn't sure what to expect, especially when the first "micro memoir" was just seven lines long. But wow, can Ms. Fennelly tell a story. She drew me into her essays and then surprised the dickens out of me with her final line. I knew and understood her characters; I wanted to be one of her roomies. Her wry, witty insights made me laugh out loud. Her poignant, thoughtful portraits of her mom and sister were so incredibly touching. I was impressed with how respectful she was with all of her characters.
My judge of a good book is if I would share it with my mom. Although she's deceased, I know she would have loved this book as much as I did. I'm definitely recommending this book to others, and I look forward to reading her earlier books. I hope she dusts off that unpublished novel.

Bee Wilson successfully mixed personal anecdotes of loved and lost kitchen objects with tales from people she encountered and historically relevant stories. The length of the essays was just right, and the categories she created helped to connect the stories. I enjoyed the variety of topics, but I think this is a great book to have by your bedside to dip into for a tale or two, rather than reading it straight through.

The photos were good, but I wish they had been in color. Perhaps in the final published version? To her credit, Wilson's descriptions of the objects were vivid enough that what I imagined the item to look like matched the image I found on the internet.

Two things that bothered me: In the last couple essays, Wilson's change from speaking to the reader to speaking to her mother or her new male companion was jarring. I'm not clear why she decided to do this. Also in multiple essays her mother's dementia was integral to the storyline. But the portrayal of her mother was not flattering, and she would have been unable to give her consent to be included in the book. Is this kind of writing ethical? moral? loving? For me, I was uncomfortable with these essays..

Wow! Really? Those were the words that immediately popped into my mind when I read the last words of Leaving. These words reflect the emotions that Roxana Robinson often coaxed out of me. Her writing was slow and steady, seamlessly moving between characters and time. Yet always just around the corner was another "leaving." Some were short-term, daily events, like leaving for work or dropping off the kids; others were perhaps permanent. Some expected and wanted. Others dreaded. The book made me realize how often we leave, sometimes with no consequences, sometimes life changing. I also pondered, like the characters, the depth and validity of the vows we make.

I loved how Ms. Robinson painted pictures with her unique phrases: Sarah inches her way to "join the slow scrum in the aisle." Upon greeting her dog, "the dog twists with pleasure." "a pale chunk of butter … skates across the slick black surface, sizzling." (Wow! Really?)

Ms. Robinson made me think and feel — that is what a good novel does!