The Pharmacist's Mate
by Amy Fusselman
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 194)
Read in February, 2008
recommended to W. by:
chancerecommends it for: Everyone
It's a good read so far, but very sad.
I bought this book by almost complete chance and it turns out it's about her father dying at the same time she's trying to get pregnant.
This is weird, because her father and my father died in almost identical circumstances and I just realized (while reading this last night) that the previous day was the anniversary of my father's death. Strange how we miss these things for a moment when life gets so messed up with demands and details of the present....more
I bought this book by almost complete chance and it turns out it's about her father dying at the same time she's trying to get pregnant.
This is weird, because her father and my father died in almost identical circumstances and I just realized (while reading this last night) that the previous day was the anniversary of my father's death. Strange how we miss these things for a moment when life gets so messed up with demands and details of the present....more
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the marcel dzama cover on nice paper aside. this is the quietest book on the shelf. and the most powerful. the tiniest little book of beauty and sadness and goodness. it fills your heart up with handclaps and tambourines and perfect harmonies. i read this wrapped up in an afghan that my grandmother had made before she died. wrapped up against the winter coming in through the cracks of the windowsills. through the 1950s thin paned windows themselves. it came right through the window and walls. to...more
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Read in November, 2007
Amy Fusselman's Strunk & White must be very battered.
Her paragraphs are choppy and brief; poignant and memorable.
The afterword in this edition is an essential part of the text. Far more complete with it and adds context and resolve. It's an essential part of the book. I hope the first edition ( 0970335539 ) has it, but as it talks about the book tour, I imagine that it doesn'
Her paragraphs are choppy and brief; poignant and memorable.
The afterword in this edition is an essential part of the text. Far more complete with it and adds context and resolve. It's an essential part of the book. I hope the first edition ( 0970335539 ) has it, but as it talks about the book tour, I imagine that it doesn'
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recommends it for:
readers who want to start and finish a book in one sitting
I hate the star scoring system. This book was delightful: candid, moving, funny, excitingly structured, if not ruthlessly edited. Slender: 102 pages including the afterword. I liked holding it in my hand, so light! Dave Eggers called it "a brief miracle of a book." The Village Voice review said it was, ultimately, more like a stack of post-it notes by the phone than it was a book. Both are kind of right.
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Read in March, 2008
I was a little hesitant to read this book; it has the dubious honor of having recommendations from both Dave Eggers and Rosie O'Donnell on the back of the book. It was an interesting read, curiously devoid of too much emotion but not in an nihilistic way. Each chapter is almost like a haiku. It's beautifully matter of fact about the author's father dying while she is trying to conceive.
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Read in July, 2007
It only took me an hour and 20 mins...but I loved it. I think the front cover describes it well.."A Story of Birth, Death, Guitars and Goldfish" I really like when she talks abou the golfish in the end and how it made her think about her selfishness...it's an amazing, cute little book!
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Read in December, 2005
I read this book a few years ago upon the suggestion of one of my co-workers at the bookstore that I managed. I don't remember much about it except for that I thought it was a beautiful little book and I read it all in one sitting.
If Five gave it five stars though it had to be good!
If Five gave it five stars though it had to be good!
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Read in June, 2007
The title "Pharmacist's Mate" made me think it would be a Navy story but it's not. Actually, the book is a smathering of all sorts of emotoions, experiences, and day to day living. It was a little too feminine for me but, none the less, enjoyable and well written.
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gem of a book... funny, frank, off-handedly spiritual, touching without being saccharin. i wanted to write quotes down all the time in my journal as i read, but didn't know where to stop, so i gave up and decided it would just be a book i'd reread.
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I have given away more copies of this book than I can count. Short and heartbreaking and in its own way, a bit formal.
I'm finding it hard to classify, too, which is always a good sign. Quiet and sad and generous.
I'm finding it hard to classify, too, which is always a good sign. Quiet and sad and generous.
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Read in January, 2002
A Fantastic. My favourite book from Laird's class; the true, deliciously-written story of a woman trying to get pregnant, while dealing with her father's death. Beautiful prose.
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a nice, sweet lil book. I have it if any friends ever want to borrow it for a quick read.
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Read in August, 2007
I knew that it was a huge metaphor, but I had a hard time figuring out what for...
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It's so short, it's like one of those nice little dreams you have while napping.
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sparse, yet satisying, snippets of prose weaved together. breathtaking.
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Erica by:
goodreads
a short, sparse book that says so much... thank you, amy.
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