kerry reviewed The faraway nearby by Rebecca Solnit
Review of 'The faraway nearby' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I feel churlish giving this collection of essays only 3 stars. Rebecca Solnit's mother has Alzheimer's, and Solnit herself touches on some medical issues she undergoes. These personal issues are addressed eloquently, but then we bounce off to read about Iceland and chess and Frankenstein and river rafting and Buddhism. It was a little like that James Burke series, "Connections," where one thing leads to another and another.
The writing style is lovely, and approaches poetic. As evident by the chapter titles, the book is structured like a set of nesting dolls. Actually, I think it's more of a labyrinth (which is yet another topic Solnit addresses). With a labyrinth, you find your way in, to the center, and then retrace your steps back out. Sadly, I had less of a sense of Solnit's "center." The first half of the book was engrossing, but I found myself skimming through the …
I feel churlish giving this collection of essays only 3 stars. Rebecca Solnit's mother has Alzheimer's, and Solnit herself touches on some medical issues she undergoes. These personal issues are addressed eloquently, but then we bounce off to read about Iceland and chess and Frankenstein and river rafting and Buddhism. It was a little like that James Burke series, "Connections," where one thing leads to another and another.
The writing style is lovely, and approaches poetic. As evident by the chapter titles, the book is structured like a set of nesting dolls. Actually, I think it's more of a labyrinth (which is yet another topic Solnit addresses). With a labyrinth, you find your way in, to the center, and then retrace your steps back out. Sadly, I had less of a sense of Solnit's "center." The first half of the book was engrossing, but I found myself skimming through the second half. The connections Solnit makes are interesting, but I would have liked more tie-in to her personal stories.