Synopses & Reviews
From theand#160;belovedand#160;and acclaimed novelist, a collection ofand#160;witty, moving essays.In her two decades of writing, Elinor Lipman has populated her fictional universe with characters so utterly real that we feel like theyand#8217;re old friends. Now she shares an even more intimate world with usand#8212;her ownand#8212;in essays that offer a candid, charming take on modern life. Looking back and forging ahead, she considers the subjects that matter most: childhood and condiments, long marriage and solo living, career and politics.
Here youand#8217;ll find the lighthearted: a celebration of four decades of All My Children, a reflection on being Jewish in heavily Irish-Catholic Lowell on St. Patrickand#8217;s Day, a hilariously unflinching account of her tiptoe into online dating. But she also tackles the serious and profound in eloquent stories of unexpected widowhood and caring for elderly parents that use her struggles to illuminate ours. Whether for Lipmanand#8217;s longtime readers or those who love the essays of Nora Ephron or Anna Quindlen, I Can't Complain is a diverting delight.
Review
"Lipman's acuity as a social observer makes her voice seem to belong to a wise and funny friend." and#8212;The Boston Globe and#160; "More addictive than that bag of peanut MandM'sand#8230; [Lipman] is always in top form as an essayistand#8230;Her essays celebrate an uncommon virtue: common decency. Lipman is eloquent and loving." and#8212;The New York Times Book Review and#160; "Endearingly personaland#8230;The essays are full of wit and charm, along with some trenchant observations." and#8212;The Seattle Times and#160; "[Lipman's] good nature twinkles on virtually every page of I Can't Complainand#8230;Lipman is unfailingly funny, and comic flashes illuminate even her saddest essays...Lipman portrays our most painful emotions coexisting with the humor that makes them bearable." and#8212;The Washington Post "Engagingand#8230;Good-natured confessions run throughout the pieces in I Can't Complain." and#8212;The Miami Herald and#160;"Funny, witty, gracious and knowing personal essays that make a reader want to have lunch with the author." and#8212;Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "The essays in I Can't Complain bring warmth and insight to topics ranging from soap operas to the death of [Lipman's] beloved husband." and#8212;Parade "In each piece, no matter how brief, Lipman tackles the subject at hand with Dorothy Parker-esque wit and verve. The author's good-spirited openness and self-awareness shine throughand#8230;A feast of bite-sized morsels of humor and wisdom." and#8212;Kirkus Reviews "As if readers are sitting down to sip a glass of wine with their best friend (if that best friend happened to be incredibly witty, intelligent, self-aware and encouraging-and also a bestselling author), this collection feels like the very best gabfest imaginableand#8230;Very highly recommended." and#8212;Book Reporter "Charmingand#8230;Whether or not one is a Lipman fan before reading this collection, he or she most certainly will be by the time the final page is turned." and#8212;Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Pulitzer Prize-winner Anna Quindlen offers wisdom, opinions, insights, and reflections about current events and modern life in this provocative and inspiring book. "A tour de force for our time, Loud and Clear] is equally as compelling as a look at public events as it is a reflection on being a woman and on motherhood."--The Sunday Oklahoman With her trademark insight and her special ability to convey the impact public events have on ordinary lives, Anna Quindlen here combines commentary on American society and the world at large with reflections on being a woman, a writer, and a mother.
In these pieces, first written for Newsweek and The New York Times, Loud and Clear takes on topics ranging from social change to raising children, from the political and emotional aftermath of September 11 to personal values, from the impact on individuals of global events to the growth that can be gained by spending summer days staring into the middle distance. Grounding the public in the private, connecting people to each other and to the greater world, Quindlen encourages us to develop authentic lives, even as she serves as a catalyst for political and social change.
Synopsis
A winning collection of essays about home, love, cooking, politics, and the writing life from the acclaimed novelist.
About the Author
ANNA QUINDLEN is the bestselling author of four novels (
Blessings, Black and Blue, One True Thing, and
Object Lessons) and four nonfiction books (
A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Living Out Loud, Thinking Out Loud, and
How Reading Changed My Life). She has also written two childrens books (
The Tree That Came to Stay and
Happily Ever After). Her
New York Times column “Public and Private” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. Her column now appears every other week in
Newsweek.
From the Hardcover edition.