In this remarkable book, Anna Quindlen, one of America's favorite novelists and a Pulitzer Prize- winning columnist, once again gives us wisdom, op...
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Dec 17, 2009
Lisa
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I adore Anna Quindlen. My favorite books are her compilations of columns, such as this one. (The only novel of hers I’ve thought was spectacular is Black and Blue.) She writes very well, thoughtfully and often with humor about everything personal, cultural, political, etc. in such a way that it’s easy for (so many, not just me) to feel as though she’d be a wonderful friend. I highly recommend these columns to all except those who are extremely conservative perhaps.
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Feb 02, 2010
Rachael
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I've heard Anna Quindlen quoted so many times, I wanted to read the direct source. This particular book is a collection of her essays, speeches and columns (from Newsweek and the New York Times). I was looking for more of the down-to-earth wisdom on motherhood, but what I got was a broad view of her opinions and ideas on everything from gun control to alcohol, from feminism to motherhood and the dangers of over-scheduling. I LOVED some essays - ones on her mother, her children, alcohol abuse,
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Jun 03, 2008
Nomanisan
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What a brilliant writer/observer this woman is! This collection of her columns and a few speeches span the years from about 1993 through 2003 or 2004, and cover a great many topics which were current during those times as well as topics about issues which concern her. Anyone who enjoys strong, cogent analysis and thought would enjoy reading Loud and Clear.
Feb 17, 2008
Kay
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 20, 2010
Kierstin
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I admit that I am a staunch conservative, so it is no surprise that I didn't enjoy this book. I didn't like the tone the author used to address a whole host of issues facing our nation. She was indifferent and nonchalant towards many deeply felt issues, including issues on morality, even though she is a born and raised Catholic.
She did little to address the other side of the issues, making her arguments very shallow. I had to close the book after reading her argument for a univer More...
She did little to address the other side of the issues, making her arguments very shallow. I had to close the book after reading her argument for a univer More...
Aug 15, 2011
Sara
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I picked this up because I enjoyed Quindlen's novel "One True Thing" so much and assumed that my appreciation for her writing style would easily transfer to this collection of articles. It was interesting to hear her views on various things, but I found her tone to be offensively flippant at times and thought that she occasionally oversimplified weighty issues that should probably not be the topic of a 2-page article in the first place.
Some of the pieces were written 15+ More...
Some of the pieces were written 15+ More...
Jan 15, 2009
Sara
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I experienced this book on tape, read by Quindlen. Many of her stories had to do w/ family & loss. I was particularly touched by her post 9-11 stories, she cuts right to the heart of things.
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Aug 30, 2011
Ronald
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A collection of columns Quindlen has written during the past ten years for Newsweek and the New York Times. A feminist mother's perception of newsmaking events during the decade — sometimes expressing impatience with the political bullshit, and otherwise celebrating the accomplishments of a progressive society. The latter part of the book focused primarily on the 9/11 attacks on her city of New York. I learned of this one through a tribute to her birthday (8 July 1953) on Garrison Keillor's Writ
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Apr 17, 2011
Rayni
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This book is awesome. You know how people are always clipping newspaper articles or saving a magazine article of something they really like? Then, unless those scraps of paper are filed in some sort of order, they are very hard, if not impossible to find. Well, here are lots columns, articles, editorials, whatever, all compiled between the covers of a hard-bound book.
I picked up this book because of name recognition. I've read a couple of her novels & liked them well enough to pick up More...
I picked up this book because of name recognition. I've read a couple of her novels & liked them well enough to pick up More...
Jul 10, 2008
Wendy
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This was not what I expected. I picked the book up on a whim because Elder M. Russell Ballard quoted from her book in his recent talk "Daughters of God" and in Jane Clayson Johnson book "I am a Mother" she also references a quote from Quindlen. Boy was I surprised.
I was expecting a book about life, motivation, mothering & it's okay if you're not perfect. The quotes I knew and had felt moved by were there, buried, like needles in a haystack, but they were there. T More...
I was expecting a book about life, motivation, mothering & it's okay if you're not perfect. The quotes I knew and had felt moved by were there, buried, like needles in a haystack, but they were there. T More...
Nov 30, 2011
Kricket
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this is so, so good but it's going to be impossible to review because she covers pretty much every issue facing the US in the last 20 years. there are also graduation-type speeches as well as personal essays about her family, friends and work. they are brief, beautifully written, and extremely thought-provoking. quindlen is a feminist and has liberal beliefs, but i don't agree with *everything* she says. that said, she did make me reconsider some topics.
one essay that particularly got More...
one essay that particularly got More...
Oct 09, 2011
Tam
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I love this book. No real start or finish, just moments in time captured by Anna. It's a personal book of hers - not fictional. She has a nice cadence that feels like nurturing story-telling for adults. I recommend it to Mums, because a good part of it is about her life as a mother - either working or working from home or deciding how to work while being a Mum. Everything you think about in a coherent fashion - she really embraces the internal dialogue.
Sep 17, 2011
Yvonne
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I was torn between giving this book two or three stars. There is much to like about this book. I had high hopes for it when I started reading. I liked the consice clean writing. Some of the reasoning made not sence to me and some of the essays seemed as though they had been written without adequate information so they came across as first thought reactions. There were too many things that set my teeth on edge for me to give it three whole stars.
Jul 26, 2011
Martha
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I just love Anna Quindlen. I have read most of her novels, including her latest, which threw me for a loop - very heavy. This book is a compilation of her columns from the late 90's through early 2000's - some seem dated, but most are still right on. I enjoy her voice - it's clear minded, and often with a practicality that seems pedestrian but is actually unique.
Oct 11, 2010
Ray
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I love Anna Quindlen's essays. I have not read Newsweek regularly, so these essays were all new to me. Politically, I am right on track with her. I imagine that this causes me to like her - as much as other reviewers with opposing beliefs don't like her. I also love when she writes about her family and her views on the responsiblily of parents.
Jan 30, 2009
Janet
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Anna Quindlen is my favorite columnist. Her columns about her family resonate with me in a powerful way. Perhaps it's simply because I share some fundamental values with her and so she's "preaching to the choir" with me, but I find I pick up her collections every few years and read them all over again.
Mar 21, 2011
Jonathan
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Anna Quindlen is an excellent writer and clearly pulls her material from a genuine personal source. This is a collection of her columns and painfully covers the Sept 11, 2001 tragedies as well as a number of other topical items from 1999-2003. Enjoyable book for what it is, but the fact that it is made up of columns rather than a continuous narrative puts it at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of flow.
Aug 31, 2010
Nancy
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Anna Quindlen is my personal role model as writer. Elegant, lithe prose wrapped around profound ideas. I'd read many of these pieces as columns, but it was nice to revisit them again, especially since many of them--although written 15 years ago--were fresh and important.
Apr 12, 2009
Nancy
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Another reread that I wanted to go back to after reading Living Out Loud. A lot of this book concerned the after days of September 11, from this New Yorker’s perspective. I enjoyed this, but not as much as LOL
May 08, 2010
This book just didn't do it for me. It is a series of articles from the New York Times and Newsweek. Although some of them were interesting, I like a book with a plot!
Mar 29, 2010
Heather
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I really enjoy Quindlen's novels but I LOVE her essays. This is a really good collection, particularly the essays about September 11.
Sep 21, 2008
Mary
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Not life changing, but thoughtful and well written. She had a lot of great things to say and a lot of things I didn't agree with. I realized after reading this that a lot of times we hold these people (good writers, columnists, etc) and their thoughts as truth. Knowing that I did not agree with all that she said helped me realize that it is her writing talent that is so convincing but the ideas themselves are subjective. They are merely opinion and as such, my opinion is just as valuable as he
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Sep 27, 2011
Lhymowitz
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Great collection of essays by Anna Quindlen. I laughed and cried repeatedly. This is fabulous - get this book!
May 28, 2009
Lindsay
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This book was published a lot longer ago than I realized, and was too dated to enjoy. I found her lacking humor.
Feb 18, 2009
Laurie
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Intelligent, wise essays that made me nod my head vigorously - Yes! - and fell like marching, for something.
Oct 03, 2011
Skye
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Didn't agree with every single column but liked her writing. Enjoyed her columns on motherhood a lot.
May 09, 2009
Megan
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I enjoy her columns on parenting, even though I don't always agree with her. A nice collection of essays.
Nov 20, 2010
Cathy
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Of-course I enjoyed this collection of columns because I agree with nearly everything AQ writes.
Jun 18, 2009
Deborah
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Loved these collected gems by Anna Quindlen. The selection about her mom makes me cry everytime I read it.
