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shewwimonster's review against another edition
5.0
I had so many thoughts and feelings while reading that I know I'll never be able to put them into this review, but I wish I could. This was such a beautiful, quiet look at the moments shared between two people and how those moments grow and build and fall apart and linger. Lisicky has such a lovely way with words; things are at the same time simple and layered. I also really loved the way the narrative moved around in time. On one hand, I felt that it was really reflective of the way memory works, especially when we're trying to find meaning in something. On the other, it felt like such a clear picture of how we become our present selves.
I don't have a lot of room for books in my budget right now, so most of what I read comes from the library. This is one of the rare library reads that I almost immediately knew I was going to have to buy. I want to be able to sit with the language and the story and the emotions.
And on another note, as a writer, this was also a wonderful read. It's the type of book that makes me excited to write and excited about the craft of writing.
I don't have a lot of room for books in my budget right now, so most of what I read comes from the library. This is one of the rare library reads that I almost immediately knew I was going to have to buy. I want to be able to sit with the language and the story and the emotions.
And on another note, as a writer, this was also a wonderful read. It's the type of book that makes me excited to write and excited about the craft of writing.
dogmp3's review against another edition
3.0
it’s interesting reading this now as a time capsule of 2008-2010 amidst all the turmoil surrounding us now. i didn’t find this remarkable in style, but it’s always nice to have a generous writer open to sharing such significant relationships.
this was a fast read but i suppose im not too interested in the crowds of people that make up this book (writers, ppl in publishing, ppl in academia, rich cushy ppl, mostly white ppl i’m assuming) that’s not to say there isn’t richness to their lives.
i think my tastes mostly didn’t sync with the content and writing of this book. i do like the non-linear framework as that feels like the best way to capture a person over the course of an extended amount of time.
this was a fast read but i suppose im not too interested in the crowds of people that make up this book (writers, ppl in publishing, ppl in academia, rich cushy ppl, mostly white ppl i’m assuming) that’s not to say there isn’t richness to their lives.
i think my tastes mostly didn’t sync with the content and writing of this book. i do like the non-linear framework as that feels like the best way to capture a person over the course of an extended amount of time.
hubcityhorror's review against another edition
Best book I've read in 2016 so far.
babsduff's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most honest, vulnerable accounts of a writing life I've read. Four stars just because it took me a long time to finish it. I can't really say why--I always loved it while I was reading. Still thinking about it. Highly recommended
vapourwavey's review against another edition
5.0
The prose of The Narrow Door articulates so well the deepest human suffering we encounter growing older. Paul's suffering is certainly not my own, but the emotions, the feelings, the landscape created in these vignettes of time, woven together truly moved me. Memoirs tend to be fairly predictable in their narrative, but this one feels the most truthful to the memories themselves, in describing things as we truly remember them.
rbrtsorrell's review against another edition
4.0
At first I wasn't sure about this memoir. It spends a lot of time talking about writing, writers, and the dream of landing a tenure-track creative writing job at a university. Even for someone interested in all of those things, it tried my patience. But as I read on I found myself increasingly drawn into the story Lisicky tells, and the straightforward yet swirling way in which he tells it.
ostrowk's review against another edition
5.0
A book about how we're all "a little in love with" our best friends. About how sometimes romantic love fails in spite of everything. About how all kinds of relationships shift, collapse, mutate, survive. About how, in the end, the people we love leave us, one way or another.
rpmirabella's review against another edition
5.0
Stunning. Whatever I say about it will fail to express what lies within. "The Narrow Door" is a special work of art, much more than a memoir. Read it and be changed.
sshabein's review against another edition
5.0
I guess if I were being nitpicky, I'd say it's a 4.5 for me because sometimes I was hoping for the story arcs to be a bit more firm/clear, but I also understand that part of the point is that life does not work out neatly. We do the best we can. Still, this is an excellent book.