Welcome to Litsy!

It was absolutely lovely to end off 2024 with this book, one of my favourites for the whole year. Ruth steps in and takes responsibility for her granddaughter Lily, as her daughter Eleanor is a drug addict. This is such a gentle story of a woman leading a hard life, who keeps going and offers the best of herself to her granddaughter. Beautiful and heartbreaking and a rare book that brought me to tears.

The story of women-mothers,daughters, grandmothers,friends-is first told through the eyes of Ruth. Her daughter Eleanor is a drug addict and no matter how much Ruth tries,she cannot help her& her love is unrequited-love missed. Then Lily, Eleanor‘s daughter, comes into Ruth‘s life&the love these 2 feel for one another is beautiful, almost too idyllic. And there are also Ruth‘s many girlfriends&her female students.The writing is wonderful

Friends, this book WRECKED me!! …as in tears streaming down my cheeks after a full day of youth soccer tournaments. One of the most human, touching books I‘ve read this year, if not ever. British teacher Ruth loves and misses her daughter who is lost to addiction. Ruth‘s life is never the same after her granddaughter comes into the picture. I‘m not doing this justice, and it took patience for me to really get into the book but my, my it paid off!

I‘ve tried both the audio & print and am having difficulty getting into this one. I really thought this would be squarely in my wheelhouse. Maybe I‘m not focusing and need to come back to it another time.

Super good. I like both perspectives. Seemed like a very real and nuanced account of living with a family member with SUD. Beautifully written, want to explore more Susie Boyd

I just realised I was missing Litsy! I don‘t know why I stopped posting but I‘m here again now!

I loved this story about Ruth, the mother of a heroin addict daughter, who pretty much kidnaps her baby granddaughter to care for her. Seemed to me it had realistic characters and relationships. A moving story composed of mundane details. And an excellent ending.

What does it mean to be a motherless daughter, or be a daughterless mother. Ruth's daughter Eleanor is lost to addiction. When Eleanor becomes a mother, Lily goes to live with Ruth. They love each other even as Eleanor's absence wounds them both. This book is sad but it's not just sad. There's a lot of empathy here too. And surprising hope and joy. A beautifully-written short book, but one that demands a slow pace.

#bookhaul part 1

Went a bit crazy at the bookstore today. My aim was just to pop in quick for the new Osman. North Woods sounds right up my street and it‘s always fun to get a signed copy. Seems like a good candidate for #ToB24.

Tagged is a new NYRB release (published earlier in the UK, I believe). Kirkus starred review says “Readers who are averse to crying in public be warned: You‘ll want to sit with this astounding story at home.”