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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Established author writes memoir of death of her parents and subsequent dealing with what's left. What's left is not really material, though that is how the book begins. Plum Johnson and her brothers were fortunate to have a close relationship (though living in various places) and each took a caregiver role in the last 20 years of their parents' lives. Plum was the primary as she lived closer and had a lifestyle that allowed her to do so. The book intertwines the present (18 months of "cleaning out" mentally and literally), with the recent past (deaths of both parents), and distant past through letters and diaries (lives of her parents from meeting each other forward) and the future of their beloved house, it's contents and those left to carry on. Johnson did not live a charmed life in terms of the perfect family but as she emptied the house of it's contents, her memories brought to the forefront a more measured understanding of the role her parents played in her life. And how like them she was. And finally she was proud to be like them. Very introspective read.
The Depression generation can't throw anything away, and this is nowhere more evident than in this memoir centred around the inheritance of an enormous family home filled with detritus and memories. The daunting task of dealing with the strata of decades falls largely to Johnson, the "First Daughter,' whose problematic relationship with her late mother is gradually transformed as Johnson discovers more and more about who her parents really were through the evidence they've left behind. It's a touching narrative of loss, grief, love and hope, and truly a good read.
Plum's elderly mother dies and this is a memoir of how she clears out the family home and looks back over her childhood and the lives of her parents. Plum's American mother and British father met during the second world war and the story of their marriage is fascinating and amusing. I loved the way Plum and her brothers were so affectionate towards one another and so united in the decisions they made about the house and its contents. Plum looks back on a difficult relationship with her mother and an easier one with her frugal, unbending father with humour and honesty. There is a lot of humour here and a lot of sadness, especially over the deaths of Plum's brother Sandy from cancer and her father's after years of dementia.
Food for thought, but I think it could have been a little shorter; I was not as interested as Plum clearly was in exactly what happened to every item of furniture and the trials and tribulations of the house sale.
Food for thought, but I think it could have been a little shorter; I was not as interested as Plum clearly was in exactly what happened to every item of furniture and the trials and tribulations of the house sale.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book and all of the historical details from the author's family background. A friend gave me this book after my mother passed away, and I was having to handle her estate and go through her accumulated belongings. The author's handling of her own experiences with hesitation followed by acceptance, punctuated by grief and anger, love and humor, was very close to my own journey. Highly recommend.
I think I am harder on memoirs than on other types of books. When I sit down with one, I want the book to justify its own existence, which doesn't happen with a novel. I'm not nearly as on guard against fiction, because fiction could be anything - good or bad, gripping or boring, but somehow it always feels to me that it has a right to be there, even if I don't like it. (Okay, there are a few notable exceptions, but those are books that really pissed me off.)
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
I first became interested in Plum Johnson's They Left Us Everything as it has won the Ontario Library Association's 2016 Evergreen award for best in Canadian adult fiction. This book is my surprise read of the year. Aging parents and all their stuff? The topic doesn't really sell itself, does it? But then I engaged with Plum's story as it speaks to the changing nature of family dynamics. Her family is challenged by her father's Alzheimer's disease, her brother's cancer and the general decline of her mother. As her parents age and pass away, she is left with a monument to their time on Earth that seems psychologically insurmountable to deal with. Each item that Plum touches resonates with a history sometimes obvious but more likely it's true meaning isn't revealed until Plum has a series of serendipitous moments. This book spans the time it took Plum to deal with each item, the family disagreements about how to deal, and the time of putting it all to rest. This book is filled with the things that we think and don't say and in joining Plum in her memoir, I feel better about the future challenges in my own life. It is descriptive and concise, and a true tribute to family dysfunction in all its glories. If I could, I'd buy a copy for each family member with a card attached that says "Fair warning."
As I was searching, I found this article about the home itself filled with marvellous descriptive pictures that match the ones in my head: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/a-lakeside-home-well-stocked-with-history/article622715/
As I was searching, I found this article about the home itself filled with marvellous descriptive pictures that match the ones in my head: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/a-lakeside-home-well-stocked-with-history/article622715/