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deborah_ann's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't think I was going to like this book, but I did. The writing was lovely and it's written as a collection of short essays (memoirs) that was easy to pick up and put down. I was able to read it along with another book at the same time.
Raised as a poor, white Catholic girl, one of Sonja Livingston's major themes turned out to be infertility. Her grief is profound and yet there's no bitterness. Parts of it are touching and beautifully written. I would even say poetic. My favorites were "A Party in May" and "The Lonely Hunters".
Somehow she was able to weave in an amazing amount of interrelated facts about Greek mythology, Susan B Anthony and Rochester, which probably helped elevate it to an "If All of Rochester Read the Same Book" book. At some point, I'm going to go back and read her other book - Ghostbread - to see how that compares.
Raised as a poor, white Catholic girl, one of Sonja Livingston's major themes turned out to be infertility. Her grief is profound and yet there's no bitterness. Parts of it are touching and beautifully written. I would even say poetic. My favorites were "A Party in May" and "The Lonely Hunters".
Somehow she was able to weave in an amazing amount of interrelated facts about Greek mythology, Susan B Anthony and Rochester, which probably helped elevate it to an "If All of Rochester Read the Same Book" book. At some point, I'm going to go back and read her other book - Ghostbread - to see how that compares.
sonyahu's review against another edition
5.0
This rich collection of linked essays presents a constellation of women, a range of ghosts and deities and babies that hover above Livingston's childhood and continue to influence her. (Along the way, she happens upon such golden insights as the idea that a Farah Fawcett silver dollar coin might have been wildly popular in 1979.) Generous with lovely language and image, Livingston pursues the ideas and images of production and fertility, fear of pregnancy and then longing for it, virgins and miracles, ancient and modern goddesses in a pantheon from Carson McCullers to Ally McBeal, madonnas and Madonna, and then delves into her own pursuit of motherhood, noting that "Infertile is not correct because women bear fruit in ways beyond the womb." The story of writing comes next, developed through the wise guidance of writers including Judith Kitchen, running in a parallel track to the "blight of sorrow" carried by women and girls. A satisfying read that demonstrates the productive and fertile power of language and storytelling.
mctmama's review against another edition
3.0
well. this was a tough one for me, but I think it is due partly to reading it closely after "Ghostbread", Sonja Livingston's memoir. Looking forward to her Rochester Reads presentation!
tanyadillyn's review against another edition
4.0
The words are beautiful, if a little forced at times. Still, a lovely read for a rainy, contemplative afternoon.
kellymy's review against another edition
4.0
Another look at the lives we were first introduced to in Ghostbread (I recommend unspooling the stories in that order, but it's not necessary for full enjoyment). What resonated with me in this collection was the depiction of teen pregnancy and also infertility. I was gripped by her recollections and felt as if I knew and lived those stories.
I've never connected with another author's work quite like I have with Livingston. Her portrayal of women of all ages - little slices of memory - found me in a space of self-reflection at just the right time.
I've never connected with another author's work quite like I have with Livingston. Her portrayal of women of all ages - little slices of memory - found me in a space of self-reflection at just the right time.
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