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mary00's review
4.0
4.5 stars
What a beautiful memoir about the bond between generations! I loved this audiobook about the author's grandmother and four generations of women. I love when authors read their own memoirs for the audiobook, and this was no exception. I could see myself one day going back to a paper copy of this one so that I can take my time with it.
I enjoyed how the author told this through her grandmother's voice. It felt fresh and clever.
What a beautiful memoir about the bond between generations! I loved this audiobook about the author's grandmother and four generations of women. I love when authors read their own memoirs for the audiobook, and this was no exception. I could see myself one day going back to a paper copy of this one so that I can take my time with it.
I enjoyed how the author told this through her grandmother's voice. It felt fresh and clever.
rebeconda's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I enjoyed this memoir written in the voice of the author’s deceased grandmother. It weaves in the story of 4 generations of women, focusing on the close bond between grandmother & granddaughter. It is funny and tender, and in many ways I see pieces of my own grandmother reflected here.
burstona's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This spectacular memoir will elicit powerful feelings of deja vu for Jews from the former USSR who emigrated to the U.S. or Canada. For those who don't have this familiar background and access to this oral history, it is a great opportunity to connect with this story. Bess Kalb's writing is concise and evocative, inviting readers to reflect on the beauty of her relationship with her grandmother, the sociopolitical context of Jewish migration to America, and the evolving role of feminism autonomy in women's lives in the 20th and 21st century. I recommended this book to my mom and she, in turn, has recommended it to her friends.
starabo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This was a captivating biography-memoir told in a really clever way. Kalb tells the story of the women in her family by using her late grandmother's voice, addressing Kalb herself in second person and including transcripts of phone conversations and voicemails. I tend to enjoy books which explore history through individual lives and and there was a really interesting chapter about Kalb's great grandmother fleeing Russia and making a life in the US. Overall Kalb created a really beautiful tribute to her grandmother.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
audreysoltau's review
5.0
a very lovely book. I really liked all the stories of the different generations of women in the family. part of me is just kinda meh about the grandmother/granddaughter relationship though because that is unrelatable to me but Bess Kalb is a great writer so she makes up for my own emotional disconnect haha
jusuwa's review against another edition
5.0
This book is heartwarming and sad, tragic and funny and gets the balance of just right. It's quite short but meeting straight-talking, unapologetic and hilarious grandma Bobby was so worthwhile.