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Journal Entry 1 by  Flight from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, October 23, 2008
 From the back of the book: 'From one of America's iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage-and a life, in good times and bad = that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child.'
An exploration of life and death, of grief and mourning.
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Journal Entry 2 by Flight at Crown Hotel/Upstairs Library Bar in Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Released 3 yrs ago (11/10/2008 UTC) at Crown Hotel/Upstairs Library Bar in Sydney, New South Wales Australia WILD RELEASE NOTES:
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
To be released at Sydney November 2008 MeetUp.
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Journal Entry 3 by  tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Snapped this book up almost before it even hit the table. :)
I was on a bookring for this, but had to skip when it was my turn because I had no free reading time, and I wasn't sure I wanted to read about grieving with a small baby. Small baby is now a tough independent pre-schooler and Flight gave this a good recommendation. I look forward to finding the time to read it!
UPDATE 31 March 2009: And donated to Freelunch's Oz VBB. I'd better get around to reading it!
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Journal Entry 4 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Friday, August 21, 2009
I've had this one kicking around for a while. And it's also the second copy to have passed through my hands, the first one unread. I was obviously reluctant to read it, given its subject matter. Joan Didion, an American journalist and writer, describing her year of grief - and inability to think, behave, or act one hundred percent rationally - following the sudden death of her much loved husband. Whoa, barrel of laughs there.
Of course, it wasn't a barrel of laughs at all (spot on the money there), and I was reduced to tears on a number of occasions (picture if you will, me sitting on the sofa, saying "and... and... and... *sob* she kept his shoes because he might... might... might... *hiccup* need them when he came back, and he's never coming back... *wail*" etc).
But, while it was obviously an exercise in coming to terms with her deep grief at such a loss (and at a time when her entire life seemed to be going pear-shaped around her), it was also a paean to her husband, to their long marriage and life together. She didn't flinch from the hiccups that occur in any long-term relationship, but it was a wonderful marriage and a wonderful description of what I hope many people get to experience in their life.
Being a bit of a data-freak myself (and coming from a science background), I enjoyed her "research" side of things, when she got waylaid by facts and scientific papers about grief and mourning.
Being the sister of a doctor, I will never lend this to my sister, as she would loathe Didion's need to control everything in the hospital, and her positive smugness when she "won" the minor battles. While it was good reading about it (from the point of view of having been a patient myself, and dealing with the occasional doctor who treats you as if you have the IQ of a retarded amoeba), overall I had more sympathy with the medical profession in this case.
Finally, I thought this was a positively necessary book, given our modern society's need to sanitise death and to be rather embarrassed by other people's grief. I'm still embarrassed by other people's grief (it'll take more than one book to undo that bit of my anal buttoned-down personality), but I hope in the future I will not be mortified by my own grief, should I ever have to go through what Didion did.
And sending this one off to froggirlwendy, who requested it from the Oz VBB many (many) weeks ago.
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Journal Entry 5 by tqd at Balmain, New South Wales Australia on Friday, August 21, 2009
Released 2 yrs ago (8/21/2009 UTC) at Balmain, New South Wales Australia CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Into the post to froggirlwendy this evening!
Happy reading!
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The Year of Magical Thinking
