I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it...
Continue »
I read this when I was only a few weeks postpartum and it is about, in part, the grief of losing a child -- which I thankfully did not do. At the time I picked the book up, I thought, "I'd better wait on this. This is going to be too heavy." But there it was by the side of the bed each night, the stark and oddly inviting cover winking up at me. Saying, "You are strong enough to read this, girl." And though I think it would have been an incredibly powerful read no matter when I picked it up, I am glad now for the timing. My head was in some kind of flushed, netherworldly state and some of this book's powerhouse images are now burned in deep. If you are ever in need of a cathartic, rending read, pick up this book. And even if you're not in need of that, pick up this book.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Customer Comments
Sara Guest has commented on (2) products.
The Chronology of Water: A Memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch
Sara Guest, January 29, 2012
I read this when I was only a few weeks postpartum and it is about, in part, the grief of losing a child -- which I thankfully did not do. At the time I picked the book up, I thought, "I'd better wait on this. This is going to be too heavy." But there it was by the side of the bed each night, the stark and oddly inviting cover winking up at me. Saying, "You are strong enough to read this, girl." And though I think it would have been an incredibly powerful read no matter when I picked it up, I am glad now for the timing. My head was in some kind of flushed, netherworldly state and some of this book's powerhouse images are now burned in deep. If you are ever in need of a cathartic, rending read, pick up this book. And even if you're not in need of that, pick up this book.What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng (Vintage) by Dave Eggers
Sara Guest, January 1, 2010
I think this was the best book written all decade. It was the highlight of my reading experience since my late 20s.(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)