A superb portrait of family life, THE TENDER LAND is a love story unlike any other. The Finnerans -- parents and five children, Irish Catholics in ...
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Jun 05, 2008
Brian
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What an absolutely gorgeous collection of writings. Centered entirely around the past suicide of her teenager brother, the golden child of her Irish-Catholic family, Finneran beautifully blends past triumphs and desolations with her present vacillating attitudes toward life and her immutable struggle to find contentment and acceptance, if not happiness. In Finneran's world, not only is the past inextricably linked with the present, but so is the yearning for life with the ever-present hand of d
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Oct 23, 2011
Donna
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This is undoubtedly the most touching memoir I've ever read. I felt the grief and loss of the author when her younger brother committed suicide. The details of his death are just tragic (he comes downstairs after and tells his mother in an attempt to live). I know how a death can just destroy a family. I have now lost two brothers. One when I was just born that I don't remember and one much later, but I know how the loss, self-inflicted or not (in my case not) can change the whole dynamic of
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Apr 26, 2008
Amy
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The telling of this terrible and sweet story is so effortless and seamless; I can't imagine a revision here. Past and present tumble out of Finneran with grace and honesty. Several times during the course of reading it, I felt such sudden gasps and heartbreak, I simply had to put the book down for a moment before continuing. Many scenes will stay with me, I know, and sharply. Oh, and the title is perfect.
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Aug 03, 2009
Zoe
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This book hit home for me, as I could relate somewhat with what this family was going through.
A memoir centering around the suicide of Kathleen Finneran's brother when he was fifteen, the book explores the family dynamic as well as a contemplative journey into the meaning and beauty of life.
It is beautifully written, moving me to both laughter and tears multiple times. It was (surprise, surprise) emotionally draining as I read it almost in one sitting. I felt as if I wa More...
A memoir centering around the suicide of Kathleen Finneran's brother when he was fifteen, the book explores the family dynamic as well as a contemplative journey into the meaning and beauty of life.
It is beautifully written, moving me to both laughter and tears multiple times. It was (surprise, surprise) emotionally draining as I read it almost in one sitting. I felt as if I wa More...
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Oct 30, 2010
Stacy
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As a teenager, the author's brother committed suicide. This book is the story of the family before and after that tragic event. It is told through a series of vignettes, each focusing on different family members or aspects of family relations. Through it all, the author tries to find her own way in life.
The writing can be a little stream of consciousness at times, which I've never really enjoyed reading, but that was the only thing I didn't like about this book. The title says " More...
The writing can be a little stream of consciousness at times, which I've never really enjoyed reading, but that was the only thing I didn't like about this book. The title says " More...
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Aug 21, 2007
Lara
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Very powerful memoir. Resonated with me as another Catholic girl from North St Louis county, but I highly recommend it for anyone. Beautiful.
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Jun 21, 2010
Donalee
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This memoir is an homage to the author's family through the eyes of the middle child of 5. The suicide of her 15 year-old younger brother begins the author's introspection, search into memories of childhood and family, and understanding of how grief and love shape us all. This is a beautiful history, written with deep affection and honesty. I don't know if one has to have lost a loved but troubled sibling to "get" this book, but I certainly recognize the questioning, the guilt, the
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Aug 23, 2007
Anne
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Depressing and ultimately without a point.
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Jan 28, 2012
Maureen
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This is a beautiful book in all ways, the writing, the sentiment, the story. Finneran portrays her family members with affection and honesty as she examines and grieves her younger brother's death by suicide. As a reader, we are brought into the family dynamics, not in a way that is intrusive, but instead respectful yet still intimate. By the end, I felt myself grieving, too, for the loss of a charming, curious, loving young man, while also astonished at how the ordinary moments of life can be
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Feb 05, 2012
Rhonda Rae
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This memoir was absolutely beautifully written. It could be my family, your family, any family...the heart of family and the dynamics between the members.
I was choked up and moved, encouraged and healed, from loss and misunderstanding to hope and comfort in family, this one will stay with me like no other memoir. It spoke to me about blood family and the ties that bind them together. Reminded me of my children, the first family of three and the second of two, when I had grown up More...
I was choked up and moved, encouraged and healed, from loss and misunderstanding to hope and comfort in family, this one will stay with me like no other memoir. It spoke to me about blood family and the ties that bind them together. Reminded me of my children, the first family of three and the second of two, when I had grown up More...
Nov 08, 2010
Elizabeth
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I found THE TENDER LAND a gorgeous and melancholic read. Finneran is deft at dream-like, associative writing that spirals around a central memory. Grief works this way, as does memory. While I occasionally wished Finneran would reach outside her small family story to bigger questions (for instance, what is it about our culture that contributes to teenage suicide? Or what role does faith play in teenage depression? Or in dealing with grief?), I still thoroughly enjoyed this memoir.
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Nov 14, 2010
Pat
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I think this book would be difficult for anyone in my family to read. Though the circumstances of death were different, we also lost a beloved brother at a much too early age. I already lived away from home during much of his illness, and because he wasn't part of my daily life, I could not miss him in the same way the rest of the family did. But my siblings who were still at home would probably identify with the intense pain, grief, and long-term loss described by the family in this book.
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Jan 06, 2009
Cheryl
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It was hard to understand how a book about teenage suicide could be described as a 'family love story' and yet it is an apt description. Kathleen recounts her youngest brother's life and ultimate suicide in such a way that I felt he was my brother by the story's end. The WHY of his suicide is revealed in the last pages and makes the story all the more sad because of the reason. What a tragic loss on so many levels.
Dec 23, 2008
Lydia
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Initially I didn't like this book because it's a bit slow to start and made me cry too many times by the end. But it haunts me: the narrator's personality, the love this very "average" American family manifests for each of its members, and the loss of its most innocent member, almost accidentally. Makes me want a bigger family.
May 14, 2011
The author was part of yesterday's book cruise and I was fortunate to have lunch at her table. One of the other author's at Left Bank Books highly recommended her book to me (not her own book, this author's book - a true sign of a recommendation) so of course I bought it. Looking forward to reading it and also to having found a Missouri author I did not know about.
Jan 06, 2010
Diana
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This memoir is so beautifully written--and so heartbreaking, and at the same time, life- and family-affirming. I was mesmorized by the story of this family's tragedy, and sad to have to leave the characters when the book ended.
Nov 22, 2009
Chris
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This is a profoundly sad but moving book (nonfiction) about a brother's suicide and what this does to the family. Wrenching.
May 16, 2008
Katherine
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Oh NO, I can hear my family saying, ANOTHER moving, meditative memoir about a relative's suicide. But The Tender Land stands out in one important aspect: it's an unambiguous portrait of a loving and supportive family. If you've spent much time lurking around reality, you'll know that this rarity cannot be overstated.
Recommended to me by Alison Bechdel, via her blog, where she stated "Maybe Tolstoy was wrong. Maybe unhappy families are all alike, and happy ones are special in the More...
Recommended to me by Alison Bechdel, via her blog, where she stated "Maybe Tolstoy was wrong. Maybe unhappy families are all alike, and happy ones are special in the More...
Oct 21, 2008
Christen
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This book told a very sad, moving story of a family who deal with the suicide of one of their members. It did a great job of describing the complex relationships between the members of the family and how their individual lives were each affected by their realtionships with one another. I have a lot of favorite "quotes" from the book, but one that really stood out was, "If you got good grades, you could fall apart and no one would notice."
Nov 19, 2008
Amy
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This was a book club pick, and definitely not one I would have picked up on my own. I was only able to read the first two chapters - the library had just one copy and I'm too cheap to buy books before I know I love them enough to keep them. What I did read was okay, and it did make for interesting discussion.
Nov 06, 2008
Tanya
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Such a touching account of life within a family and losing a major piece of yourself, as well as the whole, when a beloved brother dies. Sadness abounds in this story, but it's worth it - especially if you've ever known a family broken in this way.
Jan 29, 2009
Nikki
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beautiful, beautiful book that will make you reflect back on the seemingly mundane events from childhood and find new significance there. Incredibly poignant and very well-written. Loved it
Jun 26, 2007
medi
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Mom, if you're reading this review, you should read this book. It's really quite something (and, not that this should sway your decision, but cousin Julie is friends with the author).
Dec 21, 2007
Frank
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Perhaps my favorite book of all time. This is the fifth time I've read it, and its beauty and humanity still bring me to tears.
Jan 07, 2008
I came across this book on a list of the "best novels you've never read." I liked the description and I love memoirs.
Feb 06, 2012
