Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch

And at the end, I didn't feel as if I knew the author, her sister, or the author's grief much better than I had at the beginning. I finished the book for completion's sake, not because it compelled me. Her description of her life and the lives of her family never felt as if it delved below the surface, giving multiple dimensions to any of the characters. And her way of writing about other books didn't spur me to add any of the titles to my reading list.Īs a memoir, I didn't feel it had the kind of deep insight and universality that I most appreciate in those books. There were only a handful I'd read, but she didn't mention those or write about them in a way that added to my experience of them. Her choice of books didn't resonate with me either. Transitions were often abrupt, and I felt sometimes bewildered by the flurry of quotes, some from books she read during her year-long project, but others from hither and yon. The writing did not sparkle for me, and often had my editing fingers twitching to strike out words or sentences I found redundant.

What a great idea, I thought at the time, and was reminded of when I began to consume books in quick succession this winter after my father's death last year.īut when I read the book itself, it fell flat on multiple levels. I remember the profile of the author that the New York Times did on her book-a-day reading project as a way to work through her grief for her sister's recent death. Oh, I really wish I had liked this book more! I felt confident I would connect with it. But mostly I enjoyed reading how she tied the books she read into working through her grief while still being a mother of 4 and a wife of 1. Conveniently the author lists all 365 books at the end so you too can load up your TBR shelf with hidden gems.

Secondly, I found so many books to add to my TBR shelf that I may never work through them all. He sounds great and she is lucky to have him. Fortunately the author was a stay-at-home mom during this time and had 6-8 hours of time per day to knock out her books. I would love to have the ability to read a book a day. I know I shouldn't be since it took the death of her sister to help her reach this goal, but I am. She and her sister shared a love of books right up until the end, and she felt it would be a fitting tribute to their relationship while helping her heal.įirst of all, I'm jealous. In an attempt to work through her grief and terrible loss, she sets a goal to read and review a book a day for an entire year. Nina Sankovitch's sister was diagnosed with cancer and died four months later.

I love books about books, and I love books about grief.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch