reviews
Jan 26, 2010
Ellen
rated it: 
I encountered A Very Easy Death twice before actually reading it. The two encounters amounted to radically different readings of the same text. My first encounter with A Very Easy Death was not exactly a reading but an abridgment of the book that appeared in an anthology entitled Mothers: Memories, Dreams and Reflections by Literary Daughters edited by Susan Cahill.
The collection aims to present an array of well-known women writers’ memories of their mothers depicted in “positive to More...
The collection aims to present an array of well-known women writers’ memories of their mothers depicted in “positive to More...
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Jul 03, 2011
Tim
rated it: 
The relationship between Simone De Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre (and the latter’s various lovers) is the stuff of philosophical soap opera. All great soap operas have to deal eventually with the death of a leading character – in this particular case, it is De Beauvoir’s mother.
This is a very well written account of the death of an aged person under relatively comfortable circumstances. It is ‘a very easy death’, a phrase written with irony as we think of the conditions of the majori More...
This is a very well written account of the death of an aged person under relatively comfortable circumstances. It is ‘a very easy death’, a phrase written with irony as we think of the conditions of the majori More...
May 08, 2011
Everett
rated it:
Not just about the death of her Maman, but about her own death, which I imagine must have been as cathartic-if not anxiety inducing-to get off her chest as it was for me to read it. Title-wise, A Very Easy Death is a bit ironic since no death is easy, and unjustifiably unfair! but she´s also sincere, as de Beauvoir imagines slow and torturous deaths, which her mother didn´t really suffer through. But it´s honest and it comes from the heart as much as from the head and makes a worthy read for peo
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Feb 03, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I read this last year, and it was the first piece of literature that got me interested in existentialist fiction (I'm not an existentialist, but I love their literature).
The book is about De Beauvoir trying to cope with her mother's death. De Beauvoir's feelings are ambivalent about the death of her mother.
Throughout the book, the doctors try to console the De Beauvoir sisters, and the doctors deal with the slow death of their mother in a very rational manner. (They've More...
The book is about De Beauvoir trying to cope with her mother's death. De Beauvoir's feelings are ambivalent about the death of her mother.
Throughout the book, the doctors try to console the De Beauvoir sisters, and the doctors deal with the slow death of their mother in a very rational manner. (They've More...
May 10, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
I read this book in French: "Une morte très douce." That means I chewed it over a bit more than I would have in English, since I still read French rather slowly. It is a brilliant book, and I want to reread it in English to see if the English translation would be suitable to pair with something like Phillip Roth's account of the death of his father ("Patrimony") in a class on death and dying. Simone de Beauvoir had a troubled relationship with her mother, but she was at h
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Jan 25, 2010
Tee
rated it:
I would love to read this book in it's original French but that aside, it was still a ... well, it sounds morbid and inappropriate to describe it as an enjoyable read - but it was, in a way. It was short, which I thought was a blessing - any longer and it would have become harrowing and tedious. De Beauvoir's writing is beautiful (though surely missing a lot of it's beauty having been translated), she conveys her emotions and thoughts so fluidly, it almost feels as though you are right there wit
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Mar 28, 2009
Judy
rated it: 
We all have to face it--the death of our mothers. And for people, like me, who have had a strained, if not outright difficult, relationship with our mothers, this book hits home. Simone de Beauvoir recounts the last month of her mother's life as she dies from the cancer that she was never told that she had. The author recalls episodes from her life with her mother that capture the essence of their relationship and the relationship that the mother has with Simone's sister. Not having a close
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Sep 17, 2010
Jennifer
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I am not sure what to say about this book quite yet, but I do know one thing for sure--it was not what I expected. Her experiences with her mother's illness and death and the subsequent "grief" were very different from my own experiences with my father's death, and as a result, much of what de Beauvoir had to say seemed very foreign to me. The almost cold and without a doubt detached observations about her mother were hard for me to handle, and the conclusion almost set me back a few
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May 22, 2011
Elliot
rated it:
At times subtle, profound, gripping, and disenchanted, de Beauvoir's memoir concerning her mother's death from cancer is at once a kind tribute to motherhood and a documentation of the ultimate horror of death. This duality - dramatic ambivalence, really - allows de Beauvoir to explain her admittedly irrational reaction both to her mother's passing and her own inevitable cessation.
From what I've heard, my translation of the text (Patrick O'Brian's 1965 version) is less graphic than t More...
From what I've heard, my translation of the text (Patrick O'Brian's 1965 version) is less graphic than t More...
Mar 07, 2008
Alison
rated it:
This was such a touching book. I identify strongly with de Beauvoir's very practical view of life and death, and so was quite taken with the strong affect that her mother's death had on this view (even though her mother's death was not the first she had had to deal with). It really made me think two things. First, that it's funny how we can think that we have it (that is, ourselves and our views) all figured out until something out of nowhere takes over to remind us that there are pieces of o
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Mar 30, 2011
Astrid
rated it:
I read it just to familiarize with de Beauvoir's writing before I read another book of her. That's why I choose the thinnest book. (Although I'm not sure if her other books would have the same type of writing).
Anyway .. she told the story of her mother's sickness trough her final day (even after that) so beautifully. In a simple way she could sum up how her relationship with her mother was from when she was a child until then.
We also got the picture clearly about how her mother was a More...
Anyway .. she told the story of her mother's sickness trough her final day (even after that) so beautifully. In a simple way she could sum up how her relationship with her mother was from when she was a child until then.
We also got the picture clearly about how her mother was a More...
Oct 28, 2009
K.D.
rated it: 
I had the feeling that this book was written by Simone de Beauvoir just for the sake of coming up with a book out for her mother's death. I found nothing special about the whole event; something that was remarkable, touching or heartwarming at least. I have also experienced losing a parent and sure it was one of the life experiences that I will always remember and I am sure it was the same case with Ms. Beauvoir. However, had I also been a writer, I would think twice about recording a personal e
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Jul 23, 2011
Florence
rated it:
A detailed chronicle of Madame de Beauvoir's last 30 days as well as a philosophical treatise on death, religion, and family. This is a subject that troubles me but I am interested in hearing more personal accounts. Interestingly, Mdm de Beauvoir was devoutly religious throughout her life. At its end, she wanted no Catholic rituals and declined to pray or see a priest.
Jun 02, 2011
Leonie
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Written in a very sensitive yet honest way, de Beauvoir shares openly her feelings about her mother, her mother's life and her mother's death. Dealing with death can be a particularly hard thing and yet she does not hesitate to share her innermost feelings. Although this was a sad topic, it was a topic and book that I enjoyed very much.
Oct 04, 2010
Louise
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Having been with my mother through the dying process- I was hoping for more from Simone de Beauvoir. Her writing is beautiful and her descriptions of her mother interesting but I don't think she ever got to the heart of what it means to loss one's mother and more pointedly what it meant to her to become an orphan.
Apr 10, 2009
Thampy.2
rated it:
a moving and sensitive potrayal of her mother born out of intelligence and deep empathy with her. Describes in detail her death from cancer and the conflicting emotions concerning decisions that could result in death now or death later. Offers a critical view of the medical establishment's treatment of a dying person.
Dec 31, 2009
Sarah
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I was expecting more from this. I first read it in college, but didn't remember much about it. Found it again when my mom was dying and set it aside to read when I felt ready. I was surprised that I wasn't more moved by it, other than the final chapter, which was the highlight of the book by far.
Apr 07, 2008
Chelsie
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A beautiful and touching memoir of Simone De Beauvoir's experience dealing with her mother's death. The story takes up from a fall, that leads to a hospital visit, to a discovery of a tumor. It flashes back to the story of her mothers life and then takes us through the last 30 days of this poor woman's life. Simone De Beauvoir's honest and haunting memories of the events are perfectly described with no embellishments, just the facts and human emotion. This is the first memoir I have read of her'
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Apr 07, 2011
Gord
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Excellent read, sometimes harrowing, about De Beauvoir's experiences tending after, and dealing with, her mother who is dying from stomach cancer. We also get to know her mother and their sometimes stormy relationship, along with her relationship with her father (to a lesser extent).
Mar 17, 2011
Kris
rated it:
I feel a bit harsh only giving this a two. I’d be more inclined to 2.5, but 3 is a bit much. It’s an interesting reflection on a depressing set of circumstances, and de Beauvoir makes a number of really good points; but on the whole it does seem a little self-indulgent.
Aug 19, 2010
Cherie
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B+ A very quick read - the sad story of the death of SDB's mom. Touching, sad - she gets at it when you love someone and hate seeing them suffer so you want it to just end.
Jul 07, 2009
Leo
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A short, crisp read. Keeps you actively engaged each step of the way. Insightful and introspective. Probably ill advised to gift to ones mother.
Aug 06, 2011
Alma
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Very powerful. I wish I could have read the book in it's original language in order to get even deeper into what Simone was observing..
Aug 04, 2011
Stacey
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I don't know how this translation is. I read it in French. Very touching.
Mar 09, 2011
David
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The always rational Beauvoir recounts, with frightening detachment, events from the final weeks of her dying mother's life. An insightful read.
