Reviews tagging 'Death'

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

10 reviews

singalana's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

Bird by Bird is a beautifully written book about writing. Even though it's originally written in the 1990s, the book doesn't feel dated in my opinion. Anne Lamott shares the wisdom she has accumulated over the years, and the book feels like a long conversation rather than a set of instructions. If you're looking for a gentle approach to writing and what it means to be a writer, this might be the book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Child death, Chronic illness, Cancer, and Alcohol

likeagilmoregirl's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

1.5

Several people had recommended this to me to help with my writing journey as it had helped them with theirs. I’m really glad this book was useful for them, but it was definitely not for me. Unfortunately, reading through this was a miserable experience for me. Overall, I felt like I got maybe two good pointers from this book.

I think that the points the author was trying to make would have come across just as well, if not better, had they been listed out in a small blog post. It felt that a majority of the book was filler; nonsensical and sometimes borderline cringey or distasteful jokes that the author threw in to be “funny”. It was full of self-depreciation and unnecessary analogies that really distracted from the overall point of the writing.

I hope others will give this book a chance and possibly find it useful for them. Sadly. It was not a match for me.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Cancer, Death, and Ableism

amaezone's review

emotional funny informative inspiring

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Death

lizgriffinwords's review

challenging funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.75

Part memoir, part guide to life as an author. This authentic and lively book runs the gamut of emotions from heart-wrenching to belly-laughter-inducing. While some of the author’s tips aren’t applicable for the modern digital era or for certain genres of publishing (literary fiction vs kid lit & YA), there is so much wisdom that any writer can benefit from.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Alcohol

caitlancole's review

funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

loxeletters's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Death, Cancer, and Mental illness

ahudd's review against another edition

informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Death

purecomedy's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

This book is like sitting down with a friend who gives you a lot of no-nonsense advice about writing. It both celebrates the process of putting the words down and honestly talks about the tricky parts of creative work. I'll definitely keep returning to some of the insights while working on my own writing.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

tenten's review

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

i loved this book! along with On Writing by Stephen King, this is definitely a book that i will return to time and time again as i try to push down all my anxious, self-deprecating voices so that i can write without fear. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death

jbellomy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Grief, and Terminal illness