book data
240 ratings,
3.93
average rating, 28 reviews
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published
March 28th 2005
by Blackstone Audiobooks
(first published 1964)
details
Audio CD, 200 pages
isbn
0786180463
(isbn13: 9780786180462)
description
A poignant account of her mother's death from cancer.
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avg 3.93
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
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 “positiv...more
The collection aims to present an array of well-known women writers’ memories of their mothers depicted in “positiv...more
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7 comments
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
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Read in May, 2009
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 ...more
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Read in January, 2010
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...more
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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 ...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone
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...more
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Read in October, 2009
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...more
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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.
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Read in December, 2009
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.
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Read in April, 2008
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'...more
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Read in July, 2009
A short, crisp read. Keeps you actively engaged each step of the way. Insightful and introspective. Probably ill advised to gift to ones mother.
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this is my favourite writing by one of my 2 namesakes. this is a quick read, a 100-pg novella (a neglected form i think). she talks about her mother's death and effortlessly entwines existential philosophy and personal reflection together. i think that this book is an example of a truly feminist model of theory...the personal is political; our lives are the context for our beliefs. all that, and easy to devour.
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Zigforas by:
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Simone de Beauvoir's moving reflection on her mother's final illness.
When my father died I did not cry at all. I had said to my sister, "It will be the same for Maman." I had understood all my sorrows up until that night: even when they flowed over my head I recognized myself in them. This time my despair escaped from my control: someone other than myself was weeping in me.
When my father died I did not cry at all. I had said to my sister, "It will be the same for Maman." I had understood all my sorrows up until that night: even when they flowed over my head I recognized myself in them. This time my despair escaped from my control: someone other than myself was weeping in me.
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Read in June, 2008
An important book for me. I read it several years ago, and again recently (my mother passed away a little over a year ago). It helped me think through a lot of things that have been sort of dormant since her passing, and inspired me to write about my own experience in order to help sort out some thoughts and feelings.
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I read this in French many years ago, but I couldn't finish wading through the 18 pages of books on GR by & about her to find the French edition. I remember it was very beautiful and not difficult to read (both in terms of subject and use of language).
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Of course, a beautiful piece on death. De Beauvoir's voice is always very quiet, yet it stays with the reader long after the last page is turned. Her existential/philosophical comments are riveting and deserve an eternal return. . . .
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Read in January, 1990
One of the things that I learnt from this book was that if I wanted to go to Paris and didn't want to meet any French people, the best time to go would be August.
I'm just glad that I read this book before my mother dies.
I'm just glad that I read this book before my mother dies.
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I read this in French, so my understanding of it may be somewhat limited. I was just so grateful that I could understand it. It was a sad story, a memoir, and very sentimental in a way that bordered on annoying.
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