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Reviews tagging 'Death'
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
13 reviews
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
I found this book to be a mix of humor and good information about writing and, at the tail end, publication. Anne Lamott shares her humor throughout stories of her life as an individual and a writer working through writer's block and various negative emotions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I've read many books about writing. I honestly cannot remember how or why this audiobook wound up on my list, but I'm so glad it did. While much of Lamott's advice is geared toward writers of fiction, the book is invaluable for anyone who writes (or frankly, reads). And if you want to get caught up in the eccentricities of broccoli as metaphor, that's fine, but...please, allow yourself to enjoy the comedy. Some of it is fairly irreverent and may not land 100% in 2025 social mores, but most of it is a lot less offensive than a lot of what comes flying out of the mouths of stand-up comedians. If you've understood life's absurdity through grieving someone close, you'll get it. Lamott's reading is perfect--think Lily Tomlin's character "Frankie" without the woo-woo stuff. And in between the quips and the sometimes a-bit-too-long tongue-in-cheek tirades, lo and behold--there are some sound lessons about "...being militantly on your own side," and how you don't want to "look at your feet to see if you're doing it right--just dance!". Lamott learned through trial and much error perhaps the biggest lesson of all: "being enough was going to have to be an inside job." Mic drop.
Proponents of mindfulness will value Lamott's observations such as: "You get your intuition back when you make space for it and stop the chatter of the rational mind." That seems key to a lot of art and creativity, not just writing. Truly, one of my favorite read-by-the-author audiobooks (sharing company with Anthony Bourdain reading Kitchen Confidential and Stanley Tucci's reading of Taste), and Lamott keeps you laughing while you nod your head in affirmation of the book's wisdom. If you find yourself in a slump (of any kind), give it a listen. Lamott's tell-it-like-it-is isn't doom-and-gloom, but instead very life-affirming. I've got a post-it note on my monitor now that reminds me: "bird by bird!"
Proponents of mindfulness will value Lamott's observations such as: "You get your intuition back when you make space for it and stop the chatter of the rational mind." That seems key to a lot of art and creativity, not just writing. Truly, one of my favorite read-by-the-author audiobooks (sharing company with Anthony Bourdain reading Kitchen Confidential and Stanley Tucci's reading of Taste), and Lamott keeps you laughing while you nod your head in affirmation of the book's wisdom. If you find yourself in a slump (of any kind), give it a listen. Lamott's tell-it-like-it-is isn't doom-and-gloom, but instead very life-affirming. I've got a post-it note on my monitor now that reminds me: "bird by bird!"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I really appreciated the practical and helpful wisdom and writing tools in this book. The idea of shitty first drafts and zeroing in on something specific are things I feel I can put into practice as someone who wants to write more. I also laughed/cringed at the datedness sometimes - the idea of needing to wait for snail mail back from an editor on your draft book sounds awful! On the other hand, I couldn't always relate to the humour, which was especially self-deprecating at times, and the frequent analogies and references to religion and motherhood. So, that took me out of the flow and I may have missed some great nuggets as a result. But overall, I can see why this remains a writing classic!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Alcohol
informative
fast-paced
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Alcohol
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent