Welcome to Litsy!

What a lovely collection of essays! A great capacity to make use of some of the most common things, such as a relationship, a photo, an online game or a breakup, to attract the reader's empathy and compassion. My favorite was the one about stepmothers.

"Don't assume the contours of another person's heart. Don't assume its desires."

"one more definition of love: committing to a story you can't fully imagine when it begins."

Another set of thoughtful essays from Leslie Jamison. Didn‘t love this collection quite as much as The Empathy Exams, but still some winners. I particularly enjoyed the one about stepmothers.

I find Jamison‘s essays to be gripping—emotion-filled, immediate, vital. Some of them truly take my breath away. She somehow really hits my sweet spot, I guess. There‘s one essay in here of literary criticism that doesn‘t fit at all and I found it dull, but the others are great. I do have some concerns about her stepdaughter reading the final essay—I think there will be fallout from that.

This was my book club‘s choice for December. I don‘t always love essay collections but this one worked for me. The essays in each section built on each other and the whole book went moved to a much more personal focus by the end. I had favorites in each part and it all sparked great conversation for our group.

Some of these essays I loved; others didn‘t fully grab me, but really just because of their topics, not because they weren‘t well-written. I always find Jamison‘s writing rich and engaging. It‘s a little pretentious, but somehow in a likable, honest-seeming way (authentically pretentious? 😜). I‘ll continue to follow her work.

The star of this collection is the first essay about the whale.. because whales are the best. And that‘s that. 🐋
I haven‘t read The Empathy Exams, but I‘m bumping it up on my list.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This collection is a mix of journalistic endeavors and personal essays. I usually prefer one or the other rather than a blend because organization can feel clunky and uneven. That was the case here. IMO, the strongest essays were the first and last, “52 Blue” and “The Quickening,” respectively.

I am in the middle of so many books right now that I had to make sure I had marked them all as currently reading on goodreads so I could visualize them all. I'm hoping to get at least one of these finished today / early this week though - some of these library loans will expire soon & I know it will be awhile till I have the chance to borrow them again

▶️🎧🏃🏼‍♀️ It‘s a foggy and chilly morning, and there wasn‘t another soul on the greenway. We‘re back from vacation and getting back into a routine.

starting this this morning with some reading & a pumpkin chai latte 📖

This essay collection comes out next Tuesday, and I have a copy from the publisher.
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I feel like Jamison has matured in how she views relationships and other people. These essays seem more interested in other people's motivations and quirks than her own, and she comes across as curious and empathetic. ⤵️

I just wasn‘t wowed by this. This collection of essays felt disconnected and at times too “essay-ie,” like I could imagine the author flying around forcing meaning from random situations. There were many moments when I enjoyed the meanings Jamison was presenting, and I definitely enjoyed learning about the loneliest whale and the museum of broken relationships and Jamison‘s experience as a stepmother, but the book as a whole never gelled for me.

5/5🌟So insightful and thought-provoking! It is divided into three sections Longing, Looking and Dwelling. Jamison, a masterful essayist weaves together personal narrative with well researched fact. The subject matter within these essays are interesting, quirky and at times deeply personal. Themes of lonliness, obsession, loss, marriage, relationships, motherhood, and more. I appreciated her objectivity in each essay. Out Sept 24th!#bookreview

I thought today couldn‘t get more exciting but (SPOILER) I was wrong! This is one of my most anticipated books of the fall!📚❤️📚