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J.L. Sutton's Reviews > The Year of Magical Thinking

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
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“A single person is missing for you, and the whole world is empty.”

The 100 best nonfiction books: No 2 – The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (2005) | Joan Didion | The Guardian

There was a lot to think about in Didion's memoir, The Year of Magical Thinkingespecially about grief and identity. I just felt that the way grief was intellectualized made this grief seem less immediate and less personal. Despite a moving account in The Year of Magical Thinking, it did not work for me. In my view,Slouching Towards Bethlehem remains Didion's seminal work and the one I'll go back to when I think about how good a writer Joan Didion is.
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Reading Progress

December 13, 2015 – Started Reading
December 13, 2015 – Shelved
December 13, 2015 – Finished Reading

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message 1: by Megan (new)
Dec 31, 2021 08:45AM

Megan This book is excellent. I read it several years ago and found it to be a profound exploration of grief and loss and how a person is simultaneously destroyed and reborn from those experiences.


message 2: by J.L. (new) - rated it 3 stars
Dec 31, 2021 02:22PM

J.L. Sutton Megan Moore wrote: "This book is excellent. I read it several years ago and found it to be a profound exploration of grief and loss and how a person is simultaneously destroyed and reborn from those experiences."

I'm glad you liked the book. Grief is a difficult subject to tackle.
'Slouching Toward Bethlehem' is the Didion book I will go back to, but I can see why 'The Year of Magical Thinking' appeals. Thank you for commenting, Megan and happy new year!!


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