I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death
In this astonishing memoir, the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage Portrait and Hamnet shares the seventeen near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her daughter from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers. Here, O'Farrell stiches together these discrete encounters to tell the story of her entire life. In taut prose that vibrates with electricity and restrained emotion, she captures the perils running just beneath the surface, and illuminates the preciousness, beauty, and mysteries of life itself.
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Community Reviews
I'm thisclose to chalking up my "meh-ness" for this memoir to me being in the wrong mood. I'm currently in the third trimester of pregnancy, and I'm often tired and agitated.
I read this in just a couple sittings and didn't find it to drag at all. Some "brushes with death" were more gasp worthy than others, but all the stories were interesting. I cannot believe some of the things she has lived through and how she has managed to keep going. I likely would have become a bona fide recluse after experiencing just one or two of these situations. While this book is about "seventeen brushes with death," it is about much more. It's full of thoughts and background about the author that don't always have to do directly with each situation but are skillfully tucked and woven into the chapters.
So what was the issue? I think it may have been the very thing that made me love her novel [b:The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox|250729|The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox|Maggie O'Farrell|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630472794l/250729._SY75_.jpg|3050927] so much - the absolutely gorgeous writing and beautiful language. I believe this is why numerous readers accused this of being embellished. The language often reads more like fiction than nonfiction/a memoir. I don't necessarily doubt what is being told, but I would have preferred more straight forward language for a memoir. It pains me to say this because I really do love her style of writing. That style just left me feeling a little disconnected in this case. There were a lot of things in here that would usually leave me feeling very emotional such as being a woman and motherhood, but I felt strangely detached.
Still glad I took the time to read and was able to get to know the author a bit better, as I fully plan to continue reading her books.
3 Stars
I read this in just a couple sittings and didn't find it to drag at all. Some "brushes with death" were more gasp worthy than others, but all the stories were interesting. I cannot believe some of the things she has lived through and how she has managed to keep going. I likely would have become a bona fide recluse after experiencing just one or two of these situations. While this book is about "seventeen brushes with death," it is about much more. It's full of thoughts and background about the author that don't always have to do directly with each situation but are skillfully tucked and woven into the chapters.
So what was the issue? I think it may have been the very thing that made me love her novel [b:The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox|250729|The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox|Maggie O'Farrell|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630472794l/250729._SY75_.jpg|3050927] so much - the absolutely gorgeous writing and beautiful language. I believe this is why numerous readers accused this of being embellished. The language often reads more like fiction than nonfiction/a memoir. I don't necessarily doubt what is being told, but I would have preferred more straight forward language for a memoir. It pains me to say this because I really do love her style of writing. That style just left me feeling a little disconnected in this case. There were a lot of things in here that would usually leave me feeling very emotional such as being a woman and motherhood, but I felt strangely detached.
Still glad I took the time to read and was able to get to know the author a bit better, as I fully plan to continue reading her books.
3 Stars
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