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A review by traciotr
What Comes Next and How to Like It by Abigail Thomas
2.0
*I received a copy of this book thanks to a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I am finally getting around to doing a review of [b:What Comes Next and How to Like It: A Memoir|22609326|What Comes Next and How to Like It A Memoir|Abigail Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427161113s/22609326.jpg|42099149] after receiving it several months ago. I was really hoping to like it much more, but found it lacking the usual emotion and feeling of a memoir. Instead, it seemed more of a series of snippets of various experiences, in no particular order. I thought the description by another reviewer was very fitting, as she called them "stream-of-consciousness vignettes".
There were a few recurring themes throughout, that of the author's long-term friendship with a man named Chuck, and of aging in general. However, I didn't feel that Thomas delved very deeply into anything, and the book read more like blog or diary entries. It almost seemed as if she was simply detailing many events as an impartial observer, rather than actually living through the events. Also, due to the title, I thought that she would certainly be relating how she coped after her husband's accident and eventual death. Oddly enough, she mentions her husband only a few times and simply refers to him being hit by a car and never being the same.
Overall, if I could give partial stars, I'd rate this a 2.5, but this just wasn't a book that spoke to me. Again, I'm definitely in the minority, as it has many more 4 and 5 star ratings than lower ratings. I'll just chalk it up to the fact that everyone is different, and we aren't all going to feel exactly the same about a particular book and that's what makes sites such as Goodreads interesting. :)
I am finally getting around to doing a review of [b:What Comes Next and How to Like It: A Memoir|22609326|What Comes Next and How to Like It A Memoir|Abigail Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427161113s/22609326.jpg|42099149] after receiving it several months ago. I was really hoping to like it much more, but found it lacking the usual emotion and feeling of a memoir. Instead, it seemed more of a series of snippets of various experiences, in no particular order. I thought the description by another reviewer was very fitting, as she called them "stream-of-consciousness vignettes".
There were a few recurring themes throughout, that of the author's long-term friendship with a man named Chuck, and of aging in general. However, I didn't feel that Thomas delved very deeply into anything, and the book read more like blog or diary entries. It almost seemed as if she was simply detailing many events as an impartial observer, rather than actually living through the events. Also, due to the title, I thought that she would certainly be relating how she coped after her husband's accident and eventual death. Oddly enough, she mentions her husband only a few times and simply refers to him being hit by a car and never being the same.
Overall, if I could give partial stars, I'd rate this a 2.5, but this just wasn't a book that spoke to me. Again, I'm definitely in the minority, as it has many more 4 and 5 star ratings than lower ratings. I'll just chalk it up to the fact that everyone is different, and we aren't all going to feel exactly the same about a particular book and that's what makes sites such as Goodreads interesting. :)