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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen
5.0
I think now is the perfect time to read this for the first time. I just graduated high school, and am on my way to college orientation as we speak. That all means I am about to start the next stage of my life, which I hope includes family connection and eventually becoming a mother of my own.
At this stage of my life, I appreciate Quindlen's reflections on how her childhood was different than her children's, and how her grandchildren's would be even more so. Her observations on changing family dynamics are very well written as well, and the way she talks about her family's evolution from fully Irish Catholic to the diversity her children have in their marriages and in their lives was very interesting. It serves as a good reminder that people can grow out of prejudices.
It's also really interesting to read her thoughts on the changing meaning of a grandparent. She says the modern grandparent is a fairly recent invention, and I guess it must be, although I've never really thought about that that way. By the time I was six, I only had one living grandparent, my maternal grandmother, who lived far enough away that I never got to have this type of relationship with her.
My grandmother was born in the Depression era, or maybe right at the start of World War Two. Reading this book made me think about that in a different light. I know my mom had a fairly good relationship with her as a teen, but I never really knew her. She was very set in her ways, and until I was a teenager I never took the time to understand her.
I've only recently become interested in family history, and really especially only after looking at family photos from way back at her brother's house. I'm really hoping I can talk to my mom's uncles more and try to learn a little more about the family history. Nanaville has rekindled this interest.
Now was a perfect time for a first read of this story. I can see myself reading it at two other times, two other pivotal points in my life. One would be when I am an expecting mother for the first time, either naturally or adoptive. The second reread will be at the time I'm about to become a grandmother, assuming I live that long. I know that at those points in my life, a book like this will be very helpful.
Disclaimer:
At this stage of my life, I appreciate Quindlen's reflections on how her childhood was different than her children's, and how her grandchildren's would be even more so. Her observations on changing family dynamics are very well written as well, and the way she talks about her family's evolution from fully Irish Catholic to the diversity her children have in their marriages and in their lives was very interesting. It serves as a good reminder that people can grow out of prejudices.
It's also really interesting to read her thoughts on the changing meaning of a grandparent. She says the modern grandparent is a fairly recent invention, and I guess it must be, although I've never really thought about that that way. By the time I was six, I only had one living grandparent, my maternal grandmother, who lived far enough away that I never got to have this type of relationship with her.
My grandmother was born in the Depression era, or maybe right at the start of World War Two. Reading this book made me think about that in a different light. I know my mom had a fairly good relationship with her as a teen, but I never really knew her. She was very set in her ways, and until I was a teenager I never took the time to understand her.
I've only recently become interested in family history, and really especially only after looking at family photos from way back at her brother's house. I'm really hoping I can talk to my mom's uncles more and try to learn a little more about the family history. Nanaville has rekindled this interest.
Now was a perfect time for a first read of this story. I can see myself reading it at two other times, two other pivotal points in my life. One would be when I am an expecting mother for the first time, either naturally or adoptive. The second reread will be at the time I'm about to become a grandmother, assuming I live that long. I know that at those points in my life, a book like this will be very helpful.
Disclaimer: