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All My Puny Sorrows

Miriam Toews

Discussion: New Book Group Read

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New Book Group Read

* New Book Read - July 2016 - A Little Life
By Dawn , Loves a Challenge · 95 posts · 41 views

last updated Sep 21, 2016 07:37AM

New Book Read - February 2016 - Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
By Sera · 93 posts · 39 views

last updated Nov 13, 2016 12:01PM

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What Members Thought

Feb 20, 2017 Petra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: canadian-author

Beautifully told. This is a heartfelt, touching story.
Every page tells a loving story of a wonderful relationship between two close, loving sisters. Their love for each other shines through always. They each wanted only what was best for the other. The agonizing decision comes when deciding what "the best" means and how to define it in a meaningful, caring, understanding way.
Miriam Toews has such grace and stamina. Her love and sorrow for her sister is always present and never once does she fo ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2016 Christopher rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, canadian, fiction

It's a downer sort of book to be sure, being a story about a terribly flawed woman who's going through a divorce and trying to fix her suicidal sister, but it's got a sense of humorous pathos about it. It'll make you feel feelings that you can't quite put your finger on. It's definitely somewhere in the melancholic range, but it skews toward hope and life, unless you yourself skew away from hope and life, in which case it won't tell you you're wrong for feeling that way.

Recommended for those loo ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2024 Irene rated it really liked it

This felt more like a memoir than a novel. The pain was raw, the love was tender, the intimacy was palpable. This is the story of the bonds between sisters and the way that bond can be stretched and twisted and tightened when one of them struggles with suicidal depression. The author finds humor, joy, doubt, determination, tension, unity, sorrow and even hope in the unfolding events.

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2014 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, read-in-2016, canada

I am not sure how I want to rate this yet (update: 3 1/2 stars). I liked it....but it was kind of weird and goofy (Not necessarily a bad thing, but it didn't really work for me in this case). And some things didn't make sense to me (like the alternate ending stuck on unexpectedly with no explanation...what was that?). ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2014 Gill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Listened to this on Audible. I had to take this in small doses, because I found it heartbreaking. Now to read a bit more about Miriam Toews and her background. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2014 Heather(Gibby) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-book

Miriam Toews has once again produced a masterful tale which explores the imperfection of human beings with a story that does not whitewash the realities of life. The story of how Yoli is dealing with her sister's wish to end her life. A tragic story which is written with humour and realistic human struggles. I really let like I was intruding on someone's diary when I read this, especially knowing that the book is very reflective of real life events.

We need to talk more about mental illness, and ...more

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