Be Specific About Based On Books The Foremost Good Fortune
| Title | : | The Foremost Good Fortune |
| Author | : | Susan Conley |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 288 pages |
| Published | : | February 8th 2011 by Knopf |
| Categories | : | Autobiography. Memoir. Nonfiction. Cultural. China. Travel. Biography Memoir |
Susan Conley
Hardcover | Pages: 288 pages Rating: 3.64 | 965 Users | 225 Reviews
Ilustration In Pursuance Of Books The Foremost Good Fortune
“The Foremost Good Fortune is a beautiful story of womanhood, motherhood, travel and loss, written by an author of rare and radiant grace.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.) In 2007, American writer Susan Conley moves to Beijing with her husband and two young sons. Six months later, she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Set against the fascinating backdrop of modern China and full of insight into the trickiest questions of motherhood, this wry and poignant memoir is a celebration of family and a candid exploration of mortality and belonging.
Present Books To The Foremost Good Fortune
| Original Title: | The Foremost Good Fortune |
| ISBN: | 0307594068 (ISBN13: 9780307594068) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Travel & Outdoors (2011) |
Rating Based On Books The Foremost Good Fortune
Ratings: 3.64 From 965 Users | 225 ReviewsCritique Based On Books The Foremost Good Fortune
This memoir really fell short of my expectations. The first third of the book the author complained about not fitting in in her new country, China. She actually begrudged her sons, 4 and 6, for mastering Mandarin faster than she did. It is horrible for me to admit this, but when Conley finally went to the doctor's (around page 100), I thought, "Oh, good. She's finally going to get to the cancer part." Bad, I know, but thus far the book was just another "ugly American" whining. The unfortunateUntil the last few chapters, I hadn't planned on rating this book so highly. It seemed a little too introspective and, well, navel-gazing at times to me. The author moves to Beijing with her husband and two sons, experiences difficulties in adjusting to life there, and then discovers she has breast cancer. But in the last few chapters, I ended up being glad the author had been so very honest, so transparent. I really felt like I'd experienced and learned some of what she had experienced and
The Foremost Good Fortune is a testament my belief that the best storytellers begin as poets. After earning an MFA in poetry and going on to publish poems in some of the nation's best journals, Susan Conley has written a memoir that can feel like a poem in its exploration of language and voice, yet the book also bears the virtues of creative non-fiction: strong stories and reader friendly writing. This mix makes for a fascinating ride through modern China! --and also through the mysterious,
Conley agrees to relocate her family to Beijing for two years as her husband Tony introduces credit-rating systems to state-run banks. He's excited to travel back to the country he'd backpacked through in the mid 80s, and he knows the language. She doesn't, and she's in charge of the minutiae of their daily lives-- caring for their young sons, shopping(including locating $10 a box Honey Nut Cheerios), managing the household (hiring a competent ayi who can cook and clean), and navigating the
I must start by saying that I usually don't love memoir so was skeptical when a friend in the states pointed me to the video on susan conley dot com The video immediately drew me in, I read the first chapter on line, ordered the kindle version and could not put it down after that.I have lived in China for six years and can say that this book vividly captures Beijing on the eve of the Olympics and the feelings that every foreigner has when living in a new environment as an ex-pat. It brought back
I was really looking forward to reading this book, and I was hoping I would like it, because I will soon be transplanted into Chinese culture/country where I plan to raise my children. My future husband is a native, and I know my children will soon be overtaking my Chinese level by the time they're in kindergarten. So in this book I wanted to catch a glimpse of how the author felt lost/disoriented/isolated in the new country. I felt like I could really relate with all that (except for the cancer
Reading this book made me consider the definition between a diary and a memoir. Overall my impression is that a memoir is more polished and cohesive. Perhaps unfortunately, many of the elements of this book were diary-like in the accounting the day-to-day life of the author and her family. There were definitely themes that emerged, but sometimes I felt like the words were more a rehashing of her time in China than a reconstruction of a seminal period of her life. I thought it was interesting
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.