You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I borrowed this title from the library and devoured it in about 3 days. It appealed to me on a number of levels. Plum Johnson's descriptive writing of the lake and Point O' View led to vivid passages filled with light and color that were a treat to read. Mostly though, I appreciated her honest depiction of caring for elderly parents, grief, and coming to terms with the loss of one's parents. Trying to reconcile one's own memories with reality and the memories of other friends and family members is a difficult process, and the author made it clear how much of a struggle it can be. I recognized in her story many feelings I had when my father died, and I also recognized many of the emotional conflicts my mother dealt with when she lost her own mother.
The author's family has such an interesting history that a book focused just on their story would have been an entertaining read. But in the end, grief is a very personal process, and it inherently centers around the individual who experiences it. So it makes sense that so much of the text focuses on Plum Johnson's own experience rather than that of the surviving family.
The author's family has such an interesting history that a book focused just on their story would have been an entertaining read. But in the end, grief is a very personal process, and it inherently centers around the individual who experiences it. So it makes sense that so much of the text focuses on Plum Johnson's own experience rather than that of the surviving family.
Very interesting story about the author's parents and their relationships with each other and their children. It made me cry a few times.
It makes me realize my life is pretty boring. At 26 their dad was in the British Navy and escaping from the Japanese and their mom was working as a war nurse. They met by a series of chance circumstances. They both have incredibly interesting backgrounds and are nothing alike.
One thing I loved was that the author doesn't downplay their faith.
It also made me want to go back to Ontario!
It makes me realize my life is pretty boring. At 26 their dad was in the British Navy and escaping from the Japanese and their mom was working as a war nurse. They met by a series of chance circumstances. They both have incredibly interesting backgrounds and are nothing alike.
One thing I loved was that the author doesn't downplay their faith.
It also made me want to go back to Ontario!
I received this book as the result of a Goodreads giveaway.
This was a hard book to set down. It was the equivalent of sitting up late at night with a dear friend who was caught between reminiscing and grieving. I did not ever feel this was a woe is me book, which some memoirs dealing with loss can feel like, but more of a testament to what an adult can feel about their parents once they are gone. A memoir about finding oneself along with who their parents were.
I did find it a refreshing look back over Johnson's life as well as her parents. What interesting people, I might add! Rich with history and togetherness there really is something about this family that makes them feel like part of your own.
There was a lot of relatable moments for me having lost a parent nine years ago in the same month that the author lost hers. References to not only the land but to the sense of community that is and was prevalent, ring true and remind you of a day where things were simpler and more alive. (I just read the irony in that last statement!)
The book is easy to sink your teeth into and the flow from chapter to chapter is smooth. Do not feel that it is going to be a depressing book, it isn't. In fact, you will find yourself chuckling a few times along the way.
A wonderful tribute to her parents and family. A stand up book that not only goes through the pain of losing a parent but the process of one finding themselves through it.
This was a hard book to set down. It was the equivalent of sitting up late at night with a dear friend who was caught between reminiscing and grieving. I did not ever feel this was a woe is me book, which some memoirs dealing with loss can feel like, but more of a testament to what an adult can feel about their parents once they are gone. A memoir about finding oneself along with who their parents were.
I did find it a refreshing look back over Johnson's life as well as her parents. What interesting people, I might add! Rich with history and togetherness there really is something about this family that makes them feel like part of your own.
There was a lot of relatable moments for me having lost a parent nine years ago in the same month that the author lost hers. References to not only the land but to the sense of community that is and was prevalent, ring true and remind you of a day where things were simpler and more alive. (I just read the irony in that last statement!)
The book is easy to sink your teeth into and the flow from chapter to chapter is smooth. Do not feel that it is going to be a depressing book, it isn't. In fact, you will find yourself chuckling a few times along the way.
A wonderful tribute to her parents and family. A stand up book that not only goes through the pain of losing a parent but the process of one finding themselves through it.
This was an interesting read. I felt like I should have known more going into the book and at one point even stopped reading to go Google the author. The writing felt like it assumed I knew certain things about Ms. Johnson and about her family and parents. I did not. This left me feeling somewhat at a disadvantage reading the memoir. It was as though I had shown up for a family gathering and was hearing all the references to inside jokes or old family stories where they never get to the punchline because everyone already knows it with the exception of me. I did enjoy hearing about many of the items she and her siblings were disbursing among themselves. I enjoyed Ms. Johnson's interactions with some of the people coming to view the house and the snippets of family history that she brought up throughout the book. This was a very quick read. Probably the quickest 288 pages I have ever read. I wish it had been longer and provided a more well rounded story.
A preview copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.
A preview copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks' Jennifer Littlefair. I enjoyed this book. Would recommend it.
I enjoyed this book and the story of the life of Johnson's family, and of course I understand that the book couldn't possibly catalogue everything in the home, nor every anecdote of family life, but I still felt that I missed something. Was it a memoir of the author's grief, or a memoir of her mother's life, or a memoir of a family's life, or an exploration of family life through artifacts? Yes to all four, but I would have liked more depth in the latter two categories. Still, a thoughtful and interesting read.
I wasn't sure whether reading "They Left Us Everything" while spending some holiday time at my aging parents' overstuffed house (as they contemplate downsizing) was a great idea, lol. Granted, my parents are both still here and well (in their 70s). Their smalltown Prairie split-level is nowhere near as big as author Plum Johnson's parents' 23-room house (!) on the shores of Lake Ontario near Toronto -- and they've only lived there 30 years versus more than 50. Nevertheless, sooner or later, there's going to be an awful lot of purging and decluttering to be done.
Anyway, despite subject matter that hit a little too close to home for comfort, I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. You might think, given the subject matter, that this would be a depressing read. While there is sadness, frustration and anger in its pages, there is also warmth, fun, humour and love. Johnson thought it would take her about six weeks to clear her parents' house after her mother's death and get it ready for sale; it wound up taking 16 all-consuming months. She mothballed her house in Toronto and moved back into her childhood home, sorting, purging, cataloguing, documenting and reflecting. Despite the gargantuan task, Johnson says she now encourages parents to leave everything behind for their kids to sort out, because of what she learned about her parents, her family and herself along the way.
"I know why I needed to spend so much time in this house," [Johnson tells a friend near the book's end]. "It wasn't about untangling the stuff -- it was about untangling myself from Mum. The clutter wasn't hers... it was mine."
I cried as I read about Johnson's final "sibling supper" in the house with her brothers, and their "Hong Kong Farewell" walk around the grounds. But it was a good cry.
[ETA: This was one of the best books I read in 2015. I've continued to think about this book and recommended it to many people.]
Anyway, despite subject matter that hit a little too close to home for comfort, I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. You might think, given the subject matter, that this would be a depressing read. While there is sadness, frustration and anger in its pages, there is also warmth, fun, humour and love. Johnson thought it would take her about six weeks to clear her parents' house after her mother's death and get it ready for sale; it wound up taking 16 all-consuming months. She mothballed her house in Toronto and moved back into her childhood home, sorting, purging, cataloguing, documenting and reflecting. Despite the gargantuan task, Johnson says she now encourages parents to leave everything behind for their kids to sort out, because of what she learned about her parents, her family and herself along the way.
"I know why I needed to spend so much time in this house," [Johnson tells a friend near the book's end]. "It wasn't about untangling the stuff -- it was about untangling myself from Mum. The clutter wasn't hers... it was mine."
I cried as I read about Johnson's final "sibling supper" in the house with her brothers, and their "Hong Kong Farewell" walk around the grounds. But it was a good cry.
[ETA: This was one of the best books I read in 2015. I've continued to think about this book and recommended it to many people.]
A very worthwhile read
Depending on your age/stage of life this memoir will resonate for a range of reasons. As an adult “orphan “ my journey was vastly different yet the same.
Depending on your age/stage of life this memoir will resonate for a range of reasons. As an adult “orphan “ my journey was vastly different yet the same.
3- My maternal grandmother read this and enjoyed it so much she bought a copy for each of her daughters, and my mother sent me her copy after she finished reading it. I suppose I read it hoping for some insights into the way my grandmother views her relationship with my mother. The book itself turned out to be long on Johnson family history and low on anything that might apply to my family. And when I talked it over with my mom, she didn't see much connection between what she read and her mom, either.
I'm not terribly interested in rich people talking about their lineages, so in the end, I was disappointed. Maybe the one take-away is that everyone deals with their past eventually, so even if you put it off until your parents have died and you're in your 70s, you still have to sort through it all (and their decades worth of accumulated garbage) in the end.
I'm not terribly interested in rich people talking about their lineages, so in the end, I was disappointed. Maybe the one take-away is that everyone deals with their past eventually, so even if you put it off until your parents have died and you're in your 70s, you still have to sort through it all (and their decades worth of accumulated garbage) in the end.
Plum Johnson's family has a crazy intense rooted-in-history background. I was not familiar with her or her parents or grandparents - so this book was interesting to read on a number of levels. The historic aspect. The memoir of eldercare (intense!). The process of disposing of family goods - both the heirlooms and the detritus.
Johnson is frank and honest about her familial relationships which I really appreciated. She is also frank and honest about her feelings about eldercare.
She also courageously looks at how her family's house in Oakville was really a member of the family and discusses her attachment to the place and objects within it.
Fast, easy read. Good if you want to feel like there are other people out there who have crazy family relationships.
Johnson is frank and honest about her familial relationships which I really appreciated. She is also frank and honest about her feelings about eldercare.
She also courageously looks at how her family's house in Oakville was really a member of the family and discusses her attachment to the place and objects within it.
Fast, easy read. Good if you want to feel like there are other people out there who have crazy family relationships.