Synopses & Reviews
Winner of a Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year Award
In 1967, Joan Didion wrote an essay called Goodbye to All That, a work of such candid and penetrating prose that it soon became the gold standard for personal essays. Like no other story before it, Didions tale of loving and leaving New York captured the mesmerizing allure Manhattan has always had for writers, poets, and wandering spirits.
In this captivating collection, 28 writers take up Didions literary legacy by sharing their own New York stories. Their essays often begin as love stories do, with the passion of something newly discoveredthe crush of subway crowds, the streets filled with manic energy, and the certainty that this is the only place on Earth where one can become exactly who she is meant to be.
They also share the grief that comes when the metropolis loses its magic and the pressures of New Yorks frenetic life wear thin on even the most fervent dwellers. As friends move away, rents soar, and lovestill remains just out of reach, each writers goodbye to New York is singular and universal, like New York itself.
With Cheryl Strayed, Dani Shapiro, Emma Straub, Ann Hood, and more.
Review
"Charming . . . New York's pull is evident throughout."
The New York Times
"The hip, witty, and sometimes heartbreaking essays in Goodbye to All That get to the bottom of most Big Apple miseries: big dreams cost big bucks to maintain. As many of these writers figured out, sometimes losing New York City is the only way to regain your credit rating, rent-stabilized living spaces, and sanity. From candid to kooky to classic, this collection sheds the love, light, and lyricism the gritty city deserves."
Susan Shapiro, author of Speed Shrinking and Five Men Who Broke My Heart
"New York City is like a lover who left you for the slightly younger, prettier girl: you can smell him, taste him, yearn to have him back in your life. All the stories in this collection recall that lover and his many faults, and then make you forget them, all over again."
Martha Frankel, author of Hats and Eyeglasses and executive director of the Woodstock Writers Festival
"Of course it would take more than one woman to capture the mythic, ever-shifting, exhilarating, and disappointing beast that is New York. The chorus of voices that is Goodbye to All That sings the cityboth of the pavement and of the mindto life, over and over."
Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
Twenty-eight of todays most extraordinary, diverse, uniformly interesting women writers revisit the eternal story of devotion and departure . . . An exquisite read.”
Maria Popova, founder of Brain Pickings
"The book's premise alone hooked most everyone I know who has even a passing fascination with living in the Big Appleor fleeing it for other parts."
DailyCandy
"[Gets] at the sense of hope (or ambition) with which New York seduces us, as well as how living in the city can turn, leaving us with wistfulness and regret."
Los Angeles Times
"Seriously impressive."
xoJane
"Speaks to every New Yorker, but more than that, it speaks to anyone who has loved and fallen out of love with a city."
AOL Recommends
Synopsis
Goodbye to All That is a collection of essays about loving and leaving the magical city of New York. Inspired by Joan Didions well-loved essay by the same name, this anthology features the experiences of 28 women for whom the magic of the city has worn offwhether because of loneliness after many friends marry, have kids, and head to the suburbs; jadedness about their careers; or difficulty finding true love in a place where everyone is always looking to trade up to a better mate, a better job, a better apartment.
With contributions from authors such as Cheryl Strayed, Ann Hood, Dani Shapiro, and Emma Straub, this collection is relatable to anyone who arrived with stars in their eyes, hoping to make it. Each essay reveals the authors own unique relationship with New York City, and together they encompass the complicated emotions all New Yorkers have about leaving.
Synopsis
From Roxane Gay to Cheryl Strayed, 28 groundbreaking writers share their visceral, heart-bending stories about the everlasting magic-and unavoidable misery-of living in New York City In 1967, Joan Didion wrote an essay called Goodbye to All That, a work of such candid and penetrating prose that it soon became the gold standard for personal essays. Like no other story before it, Didion's tale of loving and leaving New York captured the mesmerizing allure Manhattan has always had for writers, poets, and wandering spirits.
In this captivating collection, 28 writers take up Didion's literary legacy by sharing their own New York stories. Their essays often begin as love stories do, with the passion of something newly discovered-the crush of subway crowds, the streets filled with manic energy, and the certainty that this is the only place on Earth where one can become exactly who she is meant to be.
They also share the grief that comes when the metropolis loses its magic and the pressures of New York's frenetic life wear thin on even the most fervent dwellers. As friends move away, rents soar, and love-still- remains just out of reach, each writer's goodbye to New York is singular and universal, like New York itself.
With Cheryl Strayed, Dani Shapiro, Emma Straub, Ann Hood, and more.
Synopsis
From Roxane Gay to Leslie Jamison, 30 brilliant writers share their timeless stories about the everlasting magic -- and occasional misery -- of living in the Big Apple, in a new edition of the classic anthology
n the revised edition of this classic collection, thirty writers share their own stories of loving and leaving New York, capturing the mesmerizing allure the city has always had for writers, poets, and wandering spirits. Their essays often begin as love stories do, with the passion of something newly discovered-the crush of subway crowds, the streets filled with manic energy, and the sudden, unblinking certainty that this is the only place on Earth where one can become exactly who she is meant to be.
They also share the grief that comes like a gut-punch, when the grand metropolis loses its magic and the pressures of New York's frenetic life wear thin for even the most dedicated dwellers. As friends move away, rents soar, and love -- still -- remains just out of reach, each writer's goodbye is singular and universal, just like New York itself.
Synopsis
From Roxane Gay to Leslie Jamison, thirty brilliant writers share their timeless stories about the everlasting magic--and occasional misery--of living in the Big Apple.
In this classic collection, thirty writers share their own stories of loving and leaving New York, capturing the mesmerizing allure the city has always had for writers, poets, and wandering spirits. Their essays often begin as love stories do, with the passion of something newly discovered: the crush of subway crowds, the streets filled with manic energy, and the sudden, unblinking certainty that this is the only place on Earth where one can become exactly who she is meant to be.
They also share the grief that comes like a gut-punch, when the grand metropolis loses its magic and the pressures of New York's frenetic life wear thin for even the most dedicated dwellers. As friends move away, rents soar, and love--still--remains just out of reach, each writer's goodbye is singular and universal, just like New York itself.
Synopsis
Inspired by Joan Didions well-loved essay by the same name, this anthology features the experiences of 27 women for whom the magic of the city has worn offwhether because of loneliness after many friends marry, have kids, and head to the suburbs; jadedness about their careers; or difficulty finding true love in a place where everyone is always looking to trade up to a better mate, a better job, a better apartment. These heartfelt essays capture the mystery and beauty of the city while also acknowledging the pressure and heartache that comes with living there. Entirely honest and often poignant, the stories in
Goodbye to All That evoke a sense of loss and yearningalong with relief.
With contributions from authors such as Cheryl Strayed, Ann Hood, Dani Shapiro, Hope Edelman, Meghan Daum, Emily Carter Roiphe, and Emma Straub, Goodbye to All That reveals a variety of unique experiences in New York City, encompassing the struggle all New Yorkers face when leaving.
About the Author
Sari Botton is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in the
New York Times, New York Magazine, The Sun, The Village Voice, Harpers Bazaar, More, Marie Claire, WWD, W, The Rumpus, Memoirville, This Recording, xoJane.com, assorted anthologies, and other publications. She studied English and journalism at SUNY Albany, where years later she was an adjunct professor of undergraduate journalism. She also taught first-person essay writing at SUNY Ulster.
Sari is the editorial director of the TMI Project, a non-profit organization that holds true storytelling workshops in jails, shelters, veterans hospitals, schools, and other places where people dont usually get to tell their stories or be heard.