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lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
mccracken writes about the loss of her first child in the ninth month of his development. her candidness and heartbreaking honesty makes this book one that gives me the peace in knowing someone gets the magnitude of the grief from this type of loss. although i didn't lose babies in the ninth month, what she describes in the aftermath of such a loss sounds familiar. i will definitely recommend this book to anyone i know that has lost a child or miscarried a baby.
whichthreewords's review against another edition
5.0
"Perhaps it goes without saying that I believe in the geographic cure. Of course you can't out-travel sadness. You will find it has smuggled itself along in your suitcase. It coats the camera lens, it flavors the local cuisine. In that different sunlight, it stands out, awkward, yours, honking in the brash vowels of your native tongue in otherwise quiet restaurants. You may even feel proud of its stubbornness as it follows you up the bell towers and monuments, as it pants in your ear while you take in the view. I travel not to get away from my troubles but to see how they look in front of famous buildings or on deserted beaches. I take them for walks. Sometimes I get them drunk. Back at home we generally understand each other better."
My one regret about this excellent memoir of the author's stillborn son is the last chapter. Of course I'm very glad her second child did survive, but this is known throughout the entirety of the book and that last bit (I wonder if it was her choice or insisted upon by her publisher?) feels a bit pat.
My one regret about this excellent memoir of the author's stillborn son is the last chapter. Of course I'm very glad her second child did survive, but this is known throughout the entirety of the book and that last bit (I wonder if it was her choice or insisted upon by her publisher?) feels a bit pat.
macrosinthemitten's review against another edition
4.0
"This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending," writes author Elizabeth McCracken in her beautiful and moving memoir. Telling the story of meeting her husband and falling in love, long after she thought she would ever get married, McCracken takes the reader on a journey through that relationship, and then, while living in a remote village in France, finding out she's pregnant. As she and her husband prepare for their new baby, McCracken is writing a novel, and waiting excitedly for her son. When, in the ninth month of her pregnancy, she discovers her baby has died and she is now forced to deliver him. Through this powerful memoir, you learn about the unbearable heartbreak of losing a child, the ability to move forward in spite of horrific loss, and the desperate hope of having another child. I loved this book. As a woman, I could relate to certain elements and as a non-mother, there were other things I couldn't. I really appreciated the moving way she explains the grief and tragedy of losing a baby. A short but moving read.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Elizabeth McCracken. Several of her stories and books have been set in libraries. She is a librarian herself. How could I not love her books. The fact that she is an excellent writer doesn't hurt.
Now the spot in my heart for her is even bigger. She went through her entire first pregnancy only to have her first son be stillborn. I can only guess at the pain. I had the pain of a miscarriage with my first pregnancy and I know that my one friend went through a very similar experience to McCracken. I know that these childbirth experiences are much more common than I would like to believe. It was hard enough to live through such things. How someone could write about them is beyond me.
Not completely beyond me now that I have read McCracken's story. I will always be grateful to her for finding the words and the space to write her story.
This is not a book I would recommend to most people. It is well written and I am very glad I read it. But the story is heart-breaking and difficult to read.
When any disaster strikes you have to live through it AND realize that you have to bring the two halves - before and after - together. With the loss of children it seems especially difficult because people don't want you to talk about the before. McCracken has brought the two halves together in a way I did not think possible.
I am very grateful. Thank you.
Now the spot in my heart for her is even bigger. She went through her entire first pregnancy only to have her first son be stillborn. I can only guess at the pain. I had the pain of a miscarriage with my first pregnancy and I know that my one friend went through a very similar experience to McCracken. I know that these childbirth experiences are much more common than I would like to believe. It was hard enough to live through such things. How someone could write about them is beyond me.
Not completely beyond me now that I have read McCracken's story. I will always be grateful to her for finding the words and the space to write her story.
This is not a book I would recommend to most people. It is well written and I am very glad I read it. But the story is heart-breaking and difficult to read.
When any disaster strikes you have to live through it AND realize that you have to bring the two halves - before and after - together. With the loss of children it seems especially difficult because people don't want you to talk about the before. McCracken has brought the two halves together in a way I did not think possible.
I am very grateful. Thank you.
margotfos's review against another edition
5.0
Just read this over the New Year's weekend. A beautiful memoir of a heartbreaking period in the writer's life. Particularly striking for me were McCracken's efforts to describe how the notes and emails she received after her son's stillbirth, many from mere acquaintances and friends of friends, were so precious and comforting. Great lessons in this work for all of us, whether we have experienced this sort of grief or we are just one of the many who find themselves at a loss for words of solace. As the author says, even the words "words fail" are a comfort to those in the grip of sadness.
danjvrobertson's review against another edition
5.0
Elizbeth McCracken wrote one of my favorite books, The Giant's House. It's a book that I've picked up many times throughout the years. I'm always blown away by the beautiful language and unforgettable characters.
Reading An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination was just as much an unforgettable experience. Knowing that this is not a fictional piece, but memoir, adds a tremendous weight to the words. This is a heartbreaking story told with such precision and care - it took everything in me not to sob on the train home from work.
Though the situation presented is not something I can relate to in my own life, I felt emotions alongside McCracken. I will continue to be inspired by this writer's attention to detail and mastery of language.
Reading An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination was just as much an unforgettable experience. Knowing that this is not a fictional piece, but memoir, adds a tremendous weight to the words. This is a heartbreaking story told with such precision and care - it took everything in me not to sob on the train home from work.
Though the situation presented is not something I can relate to in my own life, I felt emotions alongside McCracken. I will continue to be inspired by this writer's attention to detail and mastery of language.
emijoanmcn's review against another edition
5.0
Loved every second of this book. What a beautiful, heart-wrenching memoir.
sterkaim's review against another edition
5.0
This book!--if you've lost a baby or miscarried, you must read this when the time is right (the first time I tried it was not right). If you care about someone who has lost a baby or miscarried, you must read this book. I've been struggling so much with our losses, my losses, and Elizabeth perfectly describes a variety of the ways I've been feeling and dealing--in trying to get pregnant again, I cannot allow myself to remember details of the other pregnancy. In trying to get pregnant again, I am not undoing or forgetting our other babies. People who say nothing/said nothing/waited too long are no longer my friends. People who said "at least you know you can get pregnant" or "you'll try again" are suspect at best. People who said "I'm so sorry" or even "I don't know what to say" are the people to cling to--its always ok to say "I'm so sorry." Pregnant women are very hard. I second guess everything. Platitudes make me want to puke. (Unlike McCracken babies are also hard). I've found comfort in feeling not so alone in how I'm feeling. I yearn to have a second healthy pregnancy like McCracken and I can give myself some peace and understanding because of her words. Most important to me in a take away is also, like McCracken, I would never undo those pregnancies--I hate the way they ended, but even knowing that, I would do them again because they were our babies. You go through hell, and you hope you have new outcomes in the future, but though I sometimes wish I were the person before I went through this, I don't wish the pregnancies away ever. If you want to understand loss or if you want to feel understood in your loss, read this book.
nssutton's review
5.0
do not read this book on the path train, do not read this book in the break room, do not read this book anywhere you don't want someone to see you cry. i love mccracken's writing, have since the first time i read the giant's house. i swear it's not just because she's a once-librarian. while reading this heartbreaking memoir of her first child's stillborn birth, you want to call her, you want to say the right thing, you want to marvel aloud how she found the right words to always say what she needed to say without being saccharine or morose.
the hardest few pages for me to read were those on how one friend in particular all but saved her life through a variety of e-mails and phone calls. i can't imagine losing a child, but even harder to imagine is what i would do if one of my friends were to ever lose their child in such a manner. i'd like to think we would all have at least .5% of mccracken's grace.
a beautiful, beautiful, terrifyingly sad book.
the hardest few pages for me to read were those on how one friend in particular all but saved her life through a variety of e-mails and phone calls. i can't imagine losing a child, but even harder to imagine is what i would do if one of my friends were to ever lose their child in such a manner. i'd like to think we would all have at least .5% of mccracken's grace.
a beautiful, beautiful, terrifyingly sad book.
katy82's review against another edition
5.0
I kept thinking. "This is depressing. I don't want to read this." But some how I continued on. Chapter after chapter. I couldn't put it down. Elizabeth's use of language was so pure. Her words were full of all emotion, full of pain and yet, so logical. So relatable. She took the unexplainable and made it so real and tangeable. I can't express how much this book has hunted me since I picked it up. I am in awe.