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2 Beaverton Literature- A to Z


The Geography of Love: A Memoir

by Glenda Burgess

The Geography of Love: A Memoir Cover

ISBN13: 9780767928595
ISBN10: 0767928598
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

“If I had given it much thought, I might have hesitated to marry a man for whom at the age of 45 much of the past was too painful to consider--for either of us. Truthfully, thought had little to do with it.  Instinct did--the instinct to seize a sure and ebullient happiness or go down trying.”

Falling in love is arguably the greatest risk and leap of faith any of us take.  There’s no guarantee for future happiness, no protection from the ugly scars of the past, no shield from tragedy--this powerful memoir reminds us why we bother.

At a lakeside café in the summer of 1988, 31-year-old Glenda Burgess is sitting across from 44-year-old Kenneth Grunzweig and falling in love. Then Ken confesses that he has already been widowed twice, under harrowing circumstances. This tragic past, the age difference, Ken’s emotionally scarred teenage daughter--all might be enough to send anyone running, but Glenda believed in her instincts, believed more than anything that this lovely, generous man would shape her life. And Ken, who with his heartbreaking losses had long said that he’d given up on love, came to share a sense of their romantic destiny. The two embark on the sort of love affair that many of us don’t believe exist anymore--a grand romance that buoys them through the birth of two kids and fifteen magical years of marriage until tragedy strikes again in the form of a shadowy spot on Ken’s lung. The journey that follows will test their resilience and strengthen their devotion.

The Geography of Love is a book about believing in first instincts and second chances.

It is a poignant exploration of the depths of the human heart and our ability to love and to trust no matter the obstacles.

It is a reminder that “real” life is always richer, stranger, and more extraordinary than fiction.

It is the most moving love story you’ll read this year.

Review:

"Novelist Burgess's memoir of her idyllic 15-year marriage cut short by the death of her husband from cancer proves startling, memorable and deeply moving. Burgess (Loose Threads) moves backward in time before arriving at husband Ken's shattering diagnosis of lung cancer in November 2002. In the late 1980s, at age 31, she quit her job in government and moved from Washington, D.C., to Spokane, not far from her mother's eastern Washington farm. Burgess was determined to change her life and within a year had embarked on a fairy tale romance with an executive at the company she worked for, Ken Grunzweig, a twice-widowed (one of his wives was shockingly murdered) jet-setter 19 years older with a teenage daughter. Two children, a busy, prosperous life and several moves followed, until the family relocated back to Spokane before illness struck Ken. With gentle, deliberate strokes, Burgess portrays her love for her devoted, athletic husband and the seven months of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy that led to his crushing physical debilitation. Her narrative grows increasingly engrossing, yet difficult to read, as Ken, the fighter, is forced to constantly face death. Burgess's journey possesses bravery and open-eyed clarity." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"I read Glenda Burgess' poignant and harrowing memoir in one sitting—in one breath—and all I had ever felt about love's ability to vanquish everything, to swallow heartbreak, to correct history, Burgess makes us believe. And in a fashion that reads like a classic novel." —Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean

Review:

"A beautiful, eloquent, moving love story that shows that when we believe in love, we can reach heights we never imagined."

--Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, author of We Plan, God Laughs

"A courageous woman’s journey into love’s complexities, navigating what it means to be tied by blood or circumstance across distance and time, while revealing much about human resilience. Framed by spiritual and celestial contemplations, Burgess’ profound observations convince me to embrace and savor wholly each day, each moment, each love, before they, too, are gone."

--Katrina Roberts, author of The Quick and Friendly Fire, winner of the Idaho Prize for Poetry

"I read Glenda Burgess' poignant and harrowing memoir in one sitting–in one breath–and all I had ever felt about love's ability to vanquish everything, to swallow heartbreak, to correct history, Burgess makes us believe. And in a fashion that reads like a classic novel." –Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean

"Burgess' tender recollections…remind us all that we tend to be defined by our great loves well after we've lived them." --Elle Magazine

"Burgess lyrically and perceptively explores how the body, emotions and experiences are connected, how love and misfortune affect that landscape...Wrenchingly painful, but intensely affecting." --Kirkus

"Burgess’ journey possesses bravery and open-eyed clarity." --PW

"The resulting memoir...is truly a story of hope. It's the story of the hope that the Burgess family clung to along their journey and the faith they shared in the power and endurance of their love. But it is also a story of hope for the reader--the hope to have this kind of loving ally at one's side during any adversity that life may bring."

--The Tampa Tribune

Synopsis:

This poignant exploration of the depths of the human heart and the ability to love and to trust no matter the obstacles is a reminder that "real" life is always richer--and often stranger--than fiction.

Synopsis:

Glenda Burgess was in her early thirties when she fell head over heels in love with Kenneth Burgess, a twice-widowed man thirteen years her senior with a troubled teenaged daughter. Ken’s first wife died in a car crash; years later, his second wife was murdered in their home. Considered the prime suspect, Kenneth was living under a shadow of suspicion. But for Glenda, who believed in her instincts, and Ken, who found the resilience to take yet another chance on happiness, only one thing mattered: their love. It is a grand love that buoys them through thirteen magical years of marriage, two kids, and, ultimately, Ken’s battle with lung cancer.

The Geography of Love is Glenda’s remarkable tribute to the commitment, love, and trust that bound husband and wife together despite the shadows of the past and the uncertainties of the future. It is a profound exploration of the human heart and an inspiring journey into a relationship defined by resilience, passion, trust, and courage.

The Geography of Love reminds us that love is always a leap of faith—and beautifully illustrates why we take it.

About the Author

GLENDA BURGESS is the author of two novels, Exposures and Loose Threads. She lives in Spokane, Washington.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780767928595
Author:
Burgess, Glenda
Publisher:
Broadway Books
Subject:
Novelists, American
Subject:
20th century
Subject:
Personal Memoirs
Subject:
Novelists, American -- 20th century.
Subject:
Burgess, Glenda
Publication Date:
April 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
310
Dimensions:
8.40x5.86x1.08 in. .95 lbs.

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