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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
The subject and the content is better than the execution. At times overwritten (e.g., the word ineffable should only be used once per book), Mulgrew's affection for her parents is huge, and the stories she tells are engaging. She's a compelling entertainer. But the division of the book in two side by side halves left me unclear on the parents' relationship. A structure that was more interwoven, or linear in time, might have served the subjects better. I think the focus Mulgrew was trying for was how she attended the deaths of both her parents, but the heart of the book was her mother, which the structure undermined.
Sometimes Mulgrew was coy with details, especially about her father, and this made it hard to trust her as a narrator, despite declaring herself incapable of lying. Many of the anecdotes crossed that fine line between too much information and the sharing of hard truths, the distinction between which is at the heart of successful memoir.
Yet in the end, the story of how siblings struggle as parents age, sicken and die, is a moving and universal one that I can particularly relate to right now, and there is much truth and beauty here.
Sometimes Mulgrew was coy with details, especially about her father, and this made it hard to trust her as a narrator, despite declaring herself incapable of lying. Many of the anecdotes crossed that fine line between too much information and the sharing of hard truths, the distinction between which is at the heart of successful memoir.
Yet in the end, the story of how siblings struggle as parents age, sicken and die, is a moving and universal one that I can particularly relate to right now, and there is much truth and beauty here.
Anyone dealing with the death of their parents should read this.
Kate Mulgrew is an exquisite writer. She tells this heartbreaking story with beauty and grace.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I picked this one up at the local library when I was browsing the biography section, looking for a different title. I didn't really read the synopsis on the inside cover until I got it home, but I'm glad I read it.
While many of us were enjoying Kate Mulgrew's portrayal of the inimitable Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager, she was navigating the care of her mother as she was diagnosed with and soon declined swiftly with Alzheimer's dementia.
The book first focuses mainly on her father, and then the second half is devoted to her mother. Of course, the two intermix at times, but her relationships with each of them have a certain separateness, it seems.
Very well written, and touching on those difficult subjects of faulty human beings, grieving, and facing our own mortality as we watch ones we love decline and pass on before us, it is a labor of love and an honest glimpse into her heart.
While many of us were enjoying Kate Mulgrew's portrayal of the inimitable Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager, she was navigating the care of her mother as she was diagnosed with and soon declined swiftly with Alzheimer's dementia.
The book first focuses mainly on her father, and then the second half is devoted to her mother. Of course, the two intermix at times, but her relationships with each of them have a certain separateness, it seems.
Very well written, and touching on those difficult subjects of faulty human beings, grieving, and facing our own mortality as we watch ones we love decline and pass on before us, it is a labor of love and an honest glimpse into her heart.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Sept 14-21. Preferred the first memoir since it was more about her while this one was more about her parents but still interestingly written.
It is a really sad memoir. How do we care our aging parents? Especially those with chronic diseases. A miss lion dollar question.
Although beautifully written, this memoir just made me too sad, not about death, but about the life (or lack thereof) of the author's parents. Also, the detail of the culture of neglectful/hands-off approach to parenting in that era was a depressing reminder of my own parents and grandparents. Had to read a palate cleanser novel after this.