The Year of Magical Thinking
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- Create Date：2021-03-29 14:17:25
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Joan Didion
- ISBN：0007216858
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Summary
'The Year of Magical Thinking' is an intensely personal and harrowing memoir from revered American essayist and prose stylist Joan Didion。
Reviews
Jessica
，
Väldigt fin i början och i slutet， däremellan lite svävande。 Lättläst på engelska， rekommenderar att läsa på originalspråk。
Rosa
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El mejor retrato del proceso de un duelo que he leído jamás。
David Macpherson
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Joan Didion deals with the death of her husband。 I did not love it like I thought I would。 It was well written and I liked a great deal， but I didn't love it。 Maybe she kept me at arms length as well as the reality of her situation。 Joan Didion deals with the death of her husband。 I did not love it like I thought I would。 It was well written and I liked a great deal， but I didn't love it。 Maybe she kept me at arms length as well as the reality of her situation。 。。。more
Renee Butler
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I had to stop this half way though。 I confess。 I made a mistake。 Didion is indeed a good writer but this book should not be anyone’s entre to her work unless they themselves are grieving。 As a twice-divorced single woman without children， I just couldn’t sympathize with this book enough to make it a good read for me。 It is clear that Didion is a talented writer， skilled at giving just enough detail to guide the conversation without ever taking it over， I just couldn’t relate。 I cried through the I had to stop this half way though。 I confess。 I made a mistake。 Didion is indeed a good writer but this book should not be anyone’s entre to her work unless they themselves are grieving。 As a twice-divorced single woman without children， I just couldn’t sympathize with this book enough to make it a good read for me。 It is clear that Didion is a talented writer， skilled at giving just enough detail to guide the conversation without ever taking it over， I just couldn’t relate。 I cried through the first few chapters， imagining a big love now gone and felt isolated talking about her daughter， having had none of my own。 While I do agree that the best writers transcend the reader， to explain universal truths， this book is a nonfiction account of grief。 It is meant for those who are grieving or to explain a particular type of grief。 The book was never meant for me except as a means for understanding someone’s pain。 It is wonderful at explaining loss and describing those indescribable feelings， the struggles， and the inconsistencies， and I imagine it to be a very good book for someone experiencing grief or one who wants to understand the loss someone felt。 As I do not have anyone in my life with these particular issues and limited time， I am shelving this book for the time being。 I highly recommend it for anyone experiencing grief or seeking to understand sudden grief， but I recommend something else if you just aren’t in that place。SIDE NOTE: I’ve read some other reviews that criticize Didion for name dropping。 Personally， I read halfway through the book and didn’t get that impression。 Didion writes like the reporter she is， and here， she is reporting on her personal experience and grief。 If you can sympathize and need to feel heard or need to understand someone’s grief， this is the book。 For that， I give it 5 stars。 Sadly， I was expecting more self-discovery and adventure， and so， I was disappointed。 That’s on me for reading the title， recognizing the author， and not reading a synopsis。 。。。more
Nád！a
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"Esta dor não tem distância。 A dor chega em ondas， paroxismos， ansiedades súbitas que enfraquecem os joelhos e cegam os olhos e obliteram a qualidade quotidiana da vida。" "Esta dor não tem distância。 A dor chega em ondas， paroxismos， ansiedades súbitas que enfraquecem os joelhos e cegam os olhos e obliteram a qualidade quotidiana da vida。" 。。。more
Amy Plum
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Masterful。 Her musings on death brought back so many memories of my own mother's death that I was able to understand the points of commonality that all those who grieve share。 Masterful。 Her musings on death brought back so many memories of my own mother's death that I was able to understand the points of commonality that all those who grieve share。 。。。more
False
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This must be the fifth time I have read this book。 The first time you read it， there is the shock value of losing a husband and an （adult） child within less than a year of each other。 You read it for her history， you read it for relationships， and you read it again and again for the subjects of mourning and loss and moving on。 The pain can be so deep， you can barely stand to read the words， anymore than she could stand to write them。 A woman known for her concise use of language--wordless。 And t This must be the fifth time I have read this book。 The first time you read it， there is the shock value of losing a husband and an （adult） child within less than a year of each other。 You read it for her history， you read it for relationships， and you read it again and again for the subjects of mourning and loss and moving on。 The pain can be so deep， you can barely stand to read the words， anymore than she could stand to write them。 A woman known for her concise use of language--wordless。 And that's how it is。 You live shut off from the world。 Pick your metaphor: wrapped in cotton wool， sealed in a chamber， soundless， sightless， numb。 。。。more
vvn
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I didn‘t know if reading this book while we are going through a pandemic is a good idea。 After having finished it， I think it is， even if it is a hard read at times for anyone with even an ounce of empathy。 I was especially taken with Joan Didions reflection on the notion of self-pity in grief and how much of it we are allowed。 How even as we are mourning the death of our loved ones we are comparing it to the loss of others and asking ourselves if we even deserve to feel this devastated。 The hor I didn‘t know if reading this book while we are going through a pandemic is a good idea。 After having finished it， I think it is， even if it is a hard read at times for anyone with even an ounce of empathy。 I was especially taken with Joan Didions reflection on the notion of self-pity in grief and how much of it we are allowed。 How even as we are mourning the death of our loved ones we are comparing it to the loss of others and asking ourselves if we even deserve to feel this devastated。 The horrible sense that we didn‘t enjoy everyday moments we had enough - „I had not sufficiently appreciated it“ is a sentence that recurrs。 My favourite scene is when Didion thinks it would be a nice touch to her garden party to float candles and gardenias in her pool - only for them to get sucked into the filter moments later， clogging it and leaving behind sad piles of browning gardenias and drowned candles。 What a striking metaphor for life。 。。。more
Evelyn
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As a prominent writer， Didion so accurately depicted the journey of grief over sudden loss of beloved one， no matter who that is。 I know and I feel it because I’m currently still in the process of such grief。
Bruce
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Didion is a writing magician。
A Wright
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"Life changes in the instant。 You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends。" I had to read this book after reading Blue Nights。 I enjoyed this book much more Than Blue Nights as Didion's intent was clearer。 Maybe I knew better what to expect from her writing style。 An open essay on her year-long journey through personal mourning/grief， peppered with lots of personal history。 "Life changes in the instant。 You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends。" I had to read this book after reading Blue Nights。 I enjoyed this book much more Than Blue Nights as Didion's intent was clearer。 Maybe I knew better what to expect from her writing style。 An open essay on her year-long journey through personal mourning/grief， peppered with lots of personal history。 。。。more
Andy Dollahite
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If you'll pardon my insensitivity， this is only an average memoir of grief。 I did find the opening third particularly good。 And the mechanics of Didion's writing are generally pleasing。 Still， the majority of the narrative is not noteworthy。 It struck me that her magical thinking could be interpreted as a yearning for the reality of resurrection。 Also， I don't begrudge that Didion's career enabled her to enjoy a frankly incomprehensible level of luxury， but this necessitates that the colors and If you'll pardon my insensitivity， this is only an average memoir of grief。 I did find the opening third particularly good。 And the mechanics of Didion's writing are generally pleasing。 Still， the majority of the narrative is not noteworthy。 It struck me that her magical thinking could be interpreted as a yearning for the reality of resurrection。 Also， I don't begrudge that Didion's career enabled her to enjoy a frankly incomprehensible level of luxury， but this necessitates that the colors and textures of her memories （the details of the year） read like one enormous humble brag。 。。。more
Julie
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Why was I completely unimpressed with this book？
Elif Erışık
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im an emotional wreck 🤠
Camila Caamaño
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Después de leerlo de un saque y quedar totalmente perpleja acabo googleando y me entero que Quintana finalmente murió y Didion tiene esclerosis múltiple desde hace más de 50 años。 De dónde sacás fuerza para seguir viviendo y encima escribir así？
PB
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I wanted to like it more than I did。 It got such great reviews， and it was raw and honest。 But I found the prose too repetitive， and unnecessarily detailed， esp。 with the medical events/terms。 I also didn't quite grasp what is magical about this sort of thinking。 But maybe at this point in my life， I didn't understand her grief to not notice the little things that annoyed me about the narrative。 Maybe someday， I'll pick it up again。 I wanted to like it more than I did。 It got such great reviews， and it was raw and honest。 But I found the prose too repetitive， and unnecessarily detailed， esp。 with the medical events/terms。 I also didn't quite grasp what is magical about this sort of thinking。 But maybe at this point in my life， I didn't understand her grief to not notice the little things that annoyed me about the narrative。 Maybe someday， I'll pick it up again。 。。。more
Hannah Rao
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I thought this was a beautifully written and extremely raw reflection on grief。 It is real and hard to read at times， but overall a very helpful glimpse into how complex the grieving process is。 Would def recommend this book to anyone who has lost someone（normalizes the process - you are not alone！） and to anyone interested in thinking through what loss has looked like for another person。 “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it。 We anticipate that someone close to us cou I thought this was a beautifully written and extremely raw reflection on grief。 It is real and hard to read at times， but overall a very helpful glimpse into how complex the grieving process is。 Would def recommend this book to anyone who has lost someone（normalizes the process - you are not alone！） and to anyone interested in thinking through what loss has looked like for another person。 “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it。 We anticipate that someone close to us could die， but we do not look beyond the few days or weeks that immediately follow such an imagined death。 We misconstrue the nature of even those few days or weeks。 We might expect if the death is sudden to feel shock。 We do not expect this shock to be obliterative， dislocating to both body and mind。” 。。。more
Heather Holmes
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I appreciate her methodical approach to grief。
Julia
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Incredibly impactful， I already know I'll be rereading this throughout my life Incredibly impactful， I already know I'll be rereading this throughout my life 。。。more
Isaac Lambert
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Grief， loss， death， memory， 'magical thinking'。。。 is all beautifully addressed here， in this extremely personal read。 I quote one of my favorite pieces:'Was that what he experienced as he himself died？ "A moment of terror as he realized the inevitable outcome of the accident， then an instant later the eternal dark"？ In the sense that it happens one night and not another， the mechanism of a typical cardiac arrest could be construed as essentially accidental: a sudden spasm ruptures a deposit of p Grief， loss， death， memory， 'magical thinking'。。。 is all beautifully addressed here， in this extremely personal read。 I quote one of my favorite pieces:'Was that what he experienced as he himself died？ "A moment of terror as he realized the inevitable outcome of the accident， then an instant later the eternal dark"？ In the sense that it happens one night and not another， the mechanism of a typical cardiac arrest could be construed as essentially accidental: a sudden spasm ruptures a deposit of plaque in a coronary artery， ischemia follows， and the heart， deprived of oxygen， enters vertricular febrilliation。But how did he experience it？'Now， we know how she experienced it- in the moment， and after a brief time in the future。 Before， I didn't know much about Didion; and now I have a new glimpse into another life。 。。。more
El Topo
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Put me on my feet then broke me to pieces then put me on my feet again。
Mike Solimani
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By chronicling her grief in real time， Didion paints a raw and immersive portrait of her suffering after the loss of her husband。
Benedetta
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Brutalmente onesto， analitico，donna sofferente che scrive tutto ciò che gli viene in mente， ogni suo pensiero affrontato durante il periodo del lutto， dall’evutare si ricordare a chiedersi il perché。 Bellissimi in “ vortici di pensieri” ricordano la Madlaine di Proust e i flussi di coscienza di Joice。 Avvolgente semplicemente per la sua realtà， ricorda nei minimi dettagli il rapporto con il marito e i momenti che hanno pesato insieme e separati， ricorda con tenerezza il passato ma lo analizza og Brutalmente onesto， analitico，donna sofferente che scrive tutto ciò che gli viene in mente， ogni suo pensiero affrontato durante il periodo del lutto， dall’evutare si ricordare a chiedersi il perché。 Bellissimi in “ vortici di pensieri” ricordano la Madlaine di Proust e i flussi di coscienza di Joice。 Avvolgente semplicemente per la sua realtà， ricorda nei minimi dettagli il rapporto con il marito e i momenti che hanno pesato insieme e separati， ricorda con tenerezza il passato ma lo analizza oggettivamente e a volte aggiunge una vena triste。L’unico modo per salvare la figlia e la sua anima è conoscere la medicina quindi cerca di informarsi su tutto per tenere sotto controllo。 Ricorda i sogni， le cene， il cinema， l’adozione， l’hotel a Beverly Hills， Honolulu。Libro estremamente personale e intimo， la memoria è collegata a attimi e cose materiali。Finisce con una realtà in sospeso。Diario dei sentimenti 。。。more
Dodi
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Very well written account of a tough time in the author's life。 While the grief and concern for her daughter's health are relatable， her lifestyle is not。 Very well written account of a tough time in the author's life。 While the grief and concern for her daughter's health are relatable， her lifestyle is not。 。。。more
Aimie Sullivan
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Beautiful poetic intimate portrait of grief
Sergio
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La vida cambia deprisaLa vida cambia en un instante Te sientas a cenar y la vida que conocías se acabaLa cuestión de la autocompasiónEstos versos articulan El año del pensamiento mágico， libro de Joan Didion escrito el 2004， publicado el 2005。 Crónica personal sobre la familia， la enfermedad y el duelo。El libro comienza con la repentina muerte de su esposo， y también escritor， John Gregory Dunne， mientras， su hija Quintana se encuentra hospitalizada por una neumonía。 Estos dos sucesos funcionan La vida cambia deprisaLa vida cambia en un instante Te sientas a cenar y la vida que conocías se acabaLa cuestión de la autocompasiónEstos versos articulan El año del pensamiento mágico， libro de Joan Didion escrito el 2004， publicado el 2005。 Crónica personal sobre la familia， la enfermedad y el duelo。El libro comienza con la repentina muerte de su esposo， y también escritor， John Gregory Dunne， mientras， su hija Quintana se encuentra hospitalizada por una neumonía。 Estos dos sucesos funcionan como el disparador a un viaje al pasado， retratado por las dinámicas del matrimonio， algunas provechosas， felices y otras destructivas; la infancia y crianza de su hija y el oficio de la escritura。 También asistimos a los primeros días de duelo， días cargados por cuestiones de procedimiento， por preguntas sobre el dolor y el futuro。 La viudez。 El gran acierto de este libro es evadir la autocompasión al momento de escribir sobre un tema tan doloroso como el duelo y los mecanismos de defensa que establecemos para protegernos。 。。。more
Victoria Catonio
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Mitigée de cet ecrit。。。 il est bien écrit on ne peut pas lui enlever ça mais même en connaissant la thématique et les évènements puisque c'est autobiographique。。 mais la façon d'aborder le thème et la façon même de traiter le thème du deuil reste tout de même bien trop clinique， froid， et sans larmes au final。 L'auteur va chercher dans les livres et les écrits les étapes du deuil， les phases par lequel elle passe et nous livre de longs extraits。。。 ça met une barrière entre elle et nous。。。 elle s Mitigée de cet ecrit。。。 il est bien écrit on ne peut pas lui enlever ça mais même en connaissant la thématique et les évènements puisque c'est autobiographique。。 mais la façon d'aborder le thème et la façon même de traiter le thème du deuil reste tout de même bien trop clinique， froid， et sans larmes au final。 L'auteur va chercher dans les livres et les écrits les étapes du deuil， les phases par lequel elle passe et nous livre de longs extraits。。。 ça met une barrière entre elle et nous。。。 elle s'isole dans une bulle。。。 comment lui en vouloir。。。？ comment aurait on réagi à sa place？ Mais de par cette action elle ne nous inclut pas dans son expérience personnelle et sa douleur。。。 tout ça reste un récit expiatoire selon moi。。。 。。。more
Jude Bayton
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A touching， intimate glimpse into a time of loss， sorrow and mourning。 Deep reflections as a mind grapples to accept the horror and finality of loss。 Poetic， sad， honest。
Sarah S
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Didion’s use of language is beautiful。 Her prose has a poetry quality to it， when you read her aloud it almost has a cadence。 Every word is essential。 I have never married but I have and continue to grieve many。 This book is cathartic in that way。
Sue Gabianelli-danneker
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