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jesslolsen's review against another edition
3.0
I am the complete opposite of he author and HATE unnecessary clutter or holding on to items that I don't think I will use again, so it was really interesting for me to see how much history is actually kept in the houses of people who 'hoard' (when compared to me anyway). Reading about it sort of made me feel guilty that I haven't kept hold of more family heritage - I went through the house and the only thing I could find from my grandparents was a couple of old books that my Nan gave me before she passed away.
This is the kind of book I would like to write when I am older before I pass away. What a great moment it would be for your children and grandchildren - and it would be interesting to see how much of the history they actually knew before you wrote it down.
Having said that I don't think I would ever read this book again, it was interesting and different but I like my story lines with a little more depth and character.
This is the kind of book I would like to write when I am older before I pass away. What a great moment it would be for your children and grandchildren - and it would be interesting to see how much of the history they actually knew before you wrote it down.
Having said that I don't think I would ever read this book again, it was interesting and different but I like my story lines with a little more depth and character.
ivanssister's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fast read, with lots of short breaks, good for when you can't sit and read continuously for long stretches.
Looking around at all you own, it's not just "the stuff" by why you came to have it. This book tells the story of the origins of all the stuff. How the vase came to be, who gave her the jewelry, etc. This is probably why it's so hard to get rid of things...the stories we tell ourselves about all of it.
Looking around at all you own, it's not just "the stuff" by why you came to have it. This book tells the story of the origins of all the stuff. How the vase came to be, who gave her the jewelry, etc. This is probably why it's so hard to get rid of things...the stories we tell ourselves about all of it.
dkpalmer13's review against another edition
4.0
For awhile I didn't think I'd finish the book, but I'm glad I did. In the beginning I found the stories of the objects mildly interesting, but disconnected and somehow devoid of emotion; I wasn't really engaged. As I went along, though, the stories grew richer, more meaningful, and more cohesive. By the end, it felt like the true story of a life through objects. The diversity of objects--quotidian, exotic, whole, broken, faded, distant, discarded, essential--coalesce into an apt metaphor for the unmatched fragments of a full life.
claudias19's review against another edition
4.0
This book was such an easy read and such a meaningful read. As I do with any book, I read the reviews after reading, and was kinda surprised to see a lot of negative reviews. The most common complaint was none of the objects connected to each other, and to those people, I don’t think you were thinking when you were thinking at all while reading. The whole point is that these objects that don’t SEEM to relate, all have meaning and relationships to the author and to each other. My favorite chapters were series of the teacup, rose colored glasses, soap, and seconds. All seemingly random objects, connected by the idea of fading relationships, lifelong friends and friends she only knew for three days, all still having meaningful impacts on her. The author seamlessly jumps through time, starting almost chronologically in this series of chapters from college, to graduation, a fun foreign trip before settling down, and her first years as a mother. Each chapter starts in this chronology and later skips through time, to her present day or years later. If you think the objects don’t have a connection, you weren’t paying attention. I loved this book, it’s one of those books I had to read for class and dreaded because I hate being forced to read, but ended up loving because it was so powerful. People were super mean in their reviews so I’m gonna to be mean in return: you’re fucking stupid and need to go back to elementary school if you think there’s no relationships between the books. Super fun read if you have at least 5 brain cells, apparently.
gencesca's review
3.0
It was a quick read but not a shallow one. I tend to be very associative about things and understood completely how these objects had deeper meaning for her. It's the sort of book you can pick up and put down, but it also won't take very long to read in one go.
melanie_page's review
5.0
This review originally was published at Grab the Lapels.
A unique, quirky work, Dawn Raffel’s memoir of sorts is a quick and easy read. Basically, it’s made up of flash nonfiction, which I’ve never seen before. Each piece is about an object. Raffel may include backstory on how the piece was acquired or what it reminds her of. There are even some objects that remind her of other objects, or missing objects. While this description may not interest you, I was surprised by how quickly the story of objects turns into the story of who Raffel is. Thus, readers begin to think of their own objects and who they are.
There seems to be a sort of timeline in the book. Early flash pieces are about objects her grandparents used to own. She moves into things from her parents, then friends, then objects she’s had since her children were babies. In the end, Raffel’s parents are deceased, so some of the objects come from their house. Others may argue there isn’t a clear progression, but what I noticed made the book seem to have a plot, which I enjoyed. The book read in an orderly fashion.
The pieces aren’t repetitive. Some of them are connected, such as “a prayer book, inscribed to [her father] on his Bar Mitzvah by his paternal grandparents” and her mother’s Bible, “small, white, leather-bound, gilded at the edges.” These two books may seem simple, but they provide opportunity for Raffel to discuss her parents’ faith. While her father “would cheerfully describe himself as a born-again atheist,” and Raffel didn’t even know her father had been religious, let alone had a Bar Mitzvah, her mother wouldn’t leave home without her Bible, even for one night.
Other flash nonfiction pieces begin to paint a picture of Raffel’s relatives over the course of the book. For example, Grandpa Raffel. He gives the author a vase that he had bought from a man during the Depression. Even though Grandpa Raffel was poor, the man was suffering because his wife had committed suicide and needed money. Later, we learn Grandpa Raffel owns a furniture store. He’s Jewish, but he puts up a small China Christmas tree merely as “a business decision” because “customers expect it.” The stories we learn about her grandparents help readers make sense of what Dawn Raffel’s parents chose to do in their lives, and then we have more context for the author and her own children.
Even several stories about vases isn’t boring. Readers get the story of a vase given to Raffel by her 101-year-old grandfather, a vase from a college boyfriend, and a vase that was had been part of a pair (she left the second vase behind) that she took from her deceased mother’s home. Though each flash piece is short by design, readers are encouraged to consider their own objects and ask questions. Do I keep things from old boyfriends? Do I have anything that’s very old? What would I keep from my parents’ house when they pass on? If you are a fan of graphic novels, these are questions that overwhelm Roz Chast when she discovers her parents have never thrown anything away.
The only part I found odd about The Secret Life of Objects were the drawings included with some flash pieces. They were made by Raffel’s son Sean Evers, whom I believe is now in his early 20s, but still they look like children’s drawings. If Evers did draw them as a boy, that would be good to know. Otherwise, I would have taken great pleasure in see photos of each object instead. See examples of the drawings below. Also, you can see about how long each flash piece is (usually one paragraph to 2-3 pages).
A quick, satisfying read, I highly recommend The Secret Life of Objects.
A unique, quirky work, Dawn Raffel’s memoir of sorts is a quick and easy read. Basically, it’s made up of flash nonfiction, which I’ve never seen before. Each piece is about an object. Raffel may include backstory on how the piece was acquired or what it reminds her of. There are even some objects that remind her of other objects, or missing objects. While this description may not interest you, I was surprised by how quickly the story of objects turns into the story of who Raffel is. Thus, readers begin to think of their own objects and who they are.
There seems to be a sort of timeline in the book. Early flash pieces are about objects her grandparents used to own. She moves into things from her parents, then friends, then objects she’s had since her children were babies. In the end, Raffel’s parents are deceased, so some of the objects come from their house. Others may argue there isn’t a clear progression, but what I noticed made the book seem to have a plot, which I enjoyed. The book read in an orderly fashion.
The pieces aren’t repetitive. Some of them are connected, such as “a prayer book, inscribed to [her father] on his Bar Mitzvah by his paternal grandparents” and her mother’s Bible, “small, white, leather-bound, gilded at the edges.” These two books may seem simple, but they provide opportunity for Raffel to discuss her parents’ faith. While her father “would cheerfully describe himself as a born-again atheist,” and Raffel didn’t even know her father had been religious, let alone had a Bar Mitzvah, her mother wouldn’t leave home without her Bible, even for one night.
Other flash nonfiction pieces begin to paint a picture of Raffel’s relatives over the course of the book. For example, Grandpa Raffel. He gives the author a vase that he had bought from a man during the Depression. Even though Grandpa Raffel was poor, the man was suffering because his wife had committed suicide and needed money. Later, we learn Grandpa Raffel owns a furniture store. He’s Jewish, but he puts up a small China Christmas tree merely as “a business decision” because “customers expect it.” The stories we learn about her grandparents help readers make sense of what Dawn Raffel’s parents chose to do in their lives, and then we have more context for the author and her own children.
Even several stories about vases isn’t boring. Readers get the story of a vase given to Raffel by her 101-year-old grandfather, a vase from a college boyfriend, and a vase that was had been part of a pair (she left the second vase behind) that she took from her deceased mother’s home. Though each flash piece is short by design, readers are encouraged to consider their own objects and ask questions. Do I keep things from old boyfriends? Do I have anything that’s very old? What would I keep from my parents’ house when they pass on? If you are a fan of graphic novels, these are questions that overwhelm Roz Chast when she discovers her parents have never thrown anything away.
The only part I found odd about The Secret Life of Objects were the drawings included with some flash pieces. They were made by Raffel’s son Sean Evers, whom I believe is now in his early 20s, but still they look like children’s drawings. If Evers did draw them as a boy, that would be good to know. Otherwise, I would have taken great pleasure in see photos of each object instead. See examples of the drawings below. Also, you can see about how long each flash piece is (usually one paragraph to 2-3 pages).
A quick, satisfying read, I highly recommend The Secret Life of Objects.
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