Scan barcode
manalkasmi's review against another edition
5.0
the one year anniversary of my grandma's passing is approaching... had a breakdown before 8am about it
janasr's review against another edition
4.0
Some things i dont agree with, some things i relate to a lot
buddhafish's review against another edition
4.0
131st book of 2023.
There are some things about Beauvoir's life that I don't like, of course, but this was a skilled piece of writing regarding the death of her mother. There's a sentence in it that goes something like, 'I was beginning to grow fond of this dying woman', which has been floating about in my head in the week since I read it. Martin Amis once said, 'Parents teach us how to die', and I've always found that poignant. When I quoted it once to my father he scoffed, 'You die whether you have parents or not,' he argued, and I supposed that was true, too.
There are some things about Beauvoir's life that I don't like, of course, but this was a skilled piece of writing regarding the death of her mother. There's a sentence in it that goes something like, 'I was beginning to grow fond of this dying woman', which has been floating about in my head in the week since I read it. Martin Amis once said, 'Parents teach us how to die', and I've always found that poignant. When I quoted it once to my father he scoffed, 'You die whether you have parents or not,' he argued, and I supposed that was true, too.
alavandula's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I read this as I wait for my own mother to die from cancer. The book, at this time, is both comforting and horrifying - but I wouldn’t not have read it.
mescalero_at_bat's review against another edition
5.0
An important book for me. I read it several years ago, and again recently (my mother passed away a little over a year ago). It helped me think through a lot of things that have been sort of dormant since her passing, and inspired me to write about my own experience in order to help sort out some thoughts and feelings.
saaral's review against another edition
sad
4.25
sometimes, a book hits you in a way that leaves you with nothing but silence. a very easy death did that—like it carved out a space in me i didn’t know existed. simone de beauvoir doesn’t shy away from the rawness of it all: the fragile line between life & death, the powerlessness you feel watching someone you love fade away.
it’s not just about death—it’s about witnessing it, being tangled in its inevitability, & realizing how painfully human it is to want to control the uncontrollable. the way she writes feels so intimate, so deeply vulnerable, that it almost felt like i wasn’t meant to be there, like i was intruding on something sacred.
it was gut-wrenching. death stripped of any romanticism, just the bare truth of it—messy, relentless, & so final. i don’t even know if i “liked” the book because it’s not something you like; it’s something you endure. it’s haunting & unforgettable, & i’m not sure i’ll ever be able to put it into words properly.
it’s not just about death—it’s about witnessing it, being tangled in its inevitability, & realizing how painfully human it is to want to control the uncontrollable. the way she writes feels so intimate, so deeply vulnerable, that it almost felt like i wasn’t meant to be there, like i was intruding on something sacred.
it was gut-wrenching. death stripped of any romanticism, just the bare truth of it—messy, relentless, & so final. i don’t even know if i “liked” the book because it’s not something you like; it’s something you endure. it’s haunting & unforgettable, & i’m not sure i’ll ever be able to put it into words properly.
gonza_basta's review against another edition
4.0
Il y a certainement plusieurs raisons pour lesquelles ce livre dans lequel SdB raconte l'agonie et la mort de sa mère me rappelle les livres d'Ernaux, mais les principales sont certainement la langue et le fait que les deux autrices, dans mon imaginaire mais je ne sais pas si c'est le cas dans la réalité, ont des parcours très similaires. Les familles et en particulier les mères se brouillent dans mes souvenirs même si je viens de terminer la lecture de ce livre.
Je ne peux évidemment rien dire de significatif sur la manière dont la romancière décide de décrire les derniers jours de sa mère, mais il m'est pénible de constater que ce ne serait pas très différent aujourd'hui. Cependant, la partie que j'ai préférée est celle où la mère dit à sa fille qu'il est vrai que les parents ne comprennent pas leurs enfants, mais que le contraire est également vrai.
Ci sono sicuramente piú ragioni per cui questo libro in cui SdB racconta l'agonia e la morte della madre mi ricordano i libri dalle Ernaux, ma sicuramente i principali sono la lingua e il fatto che le due autrici, nella mia mente ma non saprei se in realtá, hanno un background molto simile. Le famiglie ed in particolari le madri si confondono nei miei ricordi anche se questo libro ho appena finito di leggerlo. Ovviamente non sono in grado di dire niente di significativo sul modo in cui l'autrice decide di descrivere gli ultimi giorni della madre, duole peró notare, che ora non sarebbe poi molto diverso. La parte che comunque mi é piaciuta di piú é quella peró in cui la madre dice all'autrice che é vero che i genitori non capiscono i figli, ma che é vero anche il contrario.
Je ne peux évidemment rien dire de significatif sur la manière dont la romancière décide de décrire les derniers jours de sa mère, mais il m'est pénible de constater que ce ne serait pas très différent aujourd'hui. Cependant, la partie que j'ai préférée est celle où la mère dit à sa fille qu'il est vrai que les parents ne comprennent pas leurs enfants, mais que le contraire est également vrai.
Ci sono sicuramente piú ragioni per cui questo libro in cui SdB racconta l'agonia e la morte della madre mi ricordano i libri dalle Ernaux, ma sicuramente i principali sono la lingua e il fatto che le due autrici, nella mia mente ma non saprei se in realtá, hanno un background molto simile. Le famiglie ed in particolari le madri si confondono nei miei ricordi anche se questo libro ho appena finito di leggerlo. Ovviamente non sono in grado di dire niente di significativo sul modo in cui l'autrice decide di descrivere gli ultimi giorni della madre, duole peró notare, che ora non sarebbe poi molto diverso. La parte che comunque mi é piaciuta di piú é quella peró in cui la madre dice all'autrice che é vero che i genitori non capiscono i figli, ma che é vero anche il contrario.
kris_mccracken's review against another edition
2.0
I feel a bit harsh only giving this a two. I’d be more inclined to 2.5, but 3 is a bit much. It’s an interesting reflection on a depressing set of circumstances, and de Beauvoir makes a number of really good points; but on the whole it does seem a little self-indulgent.