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Original Essays | May 1, 2013

Josh Hanagarne: IMG Seven Books That Actually Changed My Life

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I'd predict that 99 percent of the small talk in the staff elevator at my library involves the following question and its answers: "Are you reading... Continue »
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Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship

by

Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship Cover

ISBN13: 9780812979114
ISBN10: 0812979117
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

They met over their dogs. Both writers, Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp, author of Drinking: A Love Story, became best friends, talking about everything from their shared history of a struggle with alcohol, to their relationships with men and colleagues, to their love of books. They walked the woods of New England and rowed on the Charles River, and the miles they logged on land and water became a measure of the interior ground they covered. From disparate backgrounds but with striking emotional similarities, these two private, fiercely self-reliant women created an attachment more profound than either of them could ever have foreseen.

The friendship helped them define the ordinary moments of life as the ones worth cherishing. Then, several years into this remarkable connection, Knapp was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

With her signature exquisite prose, Caldwell mines the deepest levels of devotion and grief in this moving memoir about treasuring and losing a best friend. Let's Take the Long Way Home is a celebration of life and of the transformations that come from intimate connection — and it affirms, once again, why Gail Caldwell is recognized as one of our bravest and most honest literary voices.

Review:

"A near-perfect memoir: beautiful, humble, intimate and filled with piercing insights. Meant to be savored and shared." Time

Review:

"Stunning...gorgeous....intense and moving....A book of such crystalline truth that it makes the heart ache." The Boston Globe

Review:

"[Let's Take the Long Way Home] left me intensely moved....Caldwell's greatest achievement is to rise above [death and loss] to describe both the very best that women can be together and the precious things they can, if they wish, give back to one another: power, humor, love and self-respect." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"[A] beautiful book....The losing isn't the exceptional part of this story; everyone loses something, sooner or later. The wonder lies in finding it in the first place." Salon

Review:

"A tribute to the enduring power of friendship....You can shelve Let's Take the Long Way Home...next to The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion's searing memoir about losing her husband to heart failure. But that's assuming it makes it to your shelf: This is a book you'll want to share with your own 'necessary pillars of life,' as Caldwell refers to her nearest and dearest....A lovely gift to readers." Washington Post

Review:

"[Their] relationship nurtured and inspired Caldwell and Knapp, and in reading about it, we feel enriched as well." Chicago Tribune

Review:

"A heartbreaker of a memoir....With humor and sadness....Caldwell gracefully weaves a thread of stories that describe and ponder friendship and loss." USA Today

Synopsis:

Let's Take the Long Way Home is a gorgeous memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner Gail Caldwell, a testament to the power of friendship, a story of how an extraordinary bond between two women can illuminate the loneliest, funniest, hardest moments in life, including the final and ultimate challenge.
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About the Author

Gail Caldwell is the former chief book critic for The Boston Globe, where she was a staff writer and critic for more than twenty years. In 2001, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. She is also the author of A Strong West Wind, a memoir of her native Texas. Caldwell lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:
Oleofox, August 24, 2012 (view all comments by Oleofox)
Strangely enough, despite being an avid dog lover since childhood, I had never read anything by or referring to Caroline Knapp until this book. What drew me to this particular book was a lovely review in The Bark magazine. It is truly a touching story/memoir of the author's life and her interactions and memories of her best friend. This book has it all: happiness, love, and yes sadness that will have you drying your eyes by the end of the book. Overall it is a truly satisfying read and one that I will definitely visit again in the future.
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Tira Meesu, January 19, 2012 (view all comments by Tira Meesu)
This book is a memoir written by the surviving friend of a unique duo. Both are successful journalists; both independent women. We can feel the way each expands the other's life; I learned more about the sport and art of rowing than I ever thought I'd find interesting (but I did). This book is a page-turner as well as a meditation on how to build and sustain important friendships.
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Johantgen, September 1, 2011 (view all comments by Johantgen)
I loved this book! Gail describes a friendship so intimate it awakened the ache in me for the same. This book has been compared to "The Year of Magical Thinking" but it's a million times more believable. Gail takes us with her as she walks her dog, rows her boat, and loves her dying friend. For anyone who has ever loved, or lost a dear friend, you will want to read this book.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780812979114
Subtitle:
A Memoir of Friendship
Author:
Caldwell, Gail
Publisher:
Random House Trade
Subject:
Biography - General
Copyright:
2011
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
20110831
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
224
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Related Subjects

Biography » General
Biography » Women
Featured Titles » Biography
Featured Titles » General
Health and Self-Help » Health and Medicine » Medical Biographies
Health and Self-Help » Recovery and Addiction » General
Health and Self-Help » Recovery and Addiction » Personal Stories

Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.50 In Stock
Product details 224 pages Random House Trade - English 9780812979114 Reviews:
"Review" by , "A near-perfect memoir: beautiful, humble, intimate and filled with piercing insights. Meant to be savored and shared."
"Review" by , "Stunning...gorgeous....intense and moving....A book of such crystalline truth that it makes the heart ache."
"Review" by , "[Let's Take the Long Way Home] left me intensely moved....Caldwell's greatest achievement is to rise above [death and loss] to describe both the very best that women can be together and the precious things they can, if they wish, give back to one another: power, humor, love and self-respect."
"Review" by , "[A] beautiful book....The losing isn't the exceptional part of this story; everyone loses something, sooner or later. The wonder lies in finding it in the first place."
"Review" by , "A tribute to the enduring power of friendship....You can shelve Let's Take the Long Way Home...next to The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion's searing memoir about losing her husband to heart failure. But that's assuming it makes it to your shelf: This is a book you'll want to share with your own 'necessary pillars of life,' as Caldwell refers to her nearest and dearest....A lovely gift to readers."
"Review" by , "[Their] relationship nurtured and inspired Caldwell and Knapp, and in reading about it, we feel enriched as well."
"Review" by , "A heartbreaker of a memoir....With humor and sadness....Caldwell gracefully weaves a thread of stories that describe and ponder friendship and loss."
"Synopsis" by , Let's Take the Long Way Home is a gorgeous memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner Gail Caldwell, a testament to the power of friendship, a story of how an extraordinary bond between two women can illuminate the loneliest, funniest, hardest moments in life, including the final and ultimate challenge.
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