Reviews
"Stunning. . .a book of such crystalline truth that it makes the heart ache." -The Boston Globe "So lovely and, somehow, so precise in its wisdom . . . I feel lucky to have met this graceful, piercing book." -Kelly Corrigan, author ofThe Middle Place "There are as many shadings to our griefs as there are lost loves to grieve over. Friendship, as Gail Caldwell's memoir gracefully testifies, asks a special, liberating eloquence."-Richard Ford "An exquisite testament to the bittersweet depths of love and loss. If you've ever had a soul mate, whether human or canine, this book was written for you. If you haven't, this honest and liberating memoir will help you find one."-Patricia B. McConnell, author ofFor the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend "Out of a great loss, Gail Caldwell has fashioned a great gift: an intimate memoir that somehow contains everything that really matters about life. Lucid, elegant, passionate, wise, and enormously moving-a book of rare and memorable beauty."-Joan Wickersham, author ofThe Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order "Caldwell has managed to do the inexpressible in this quiet, fierce work: create a memorable offering of love to her best friend, Caroline Knapp, the writer who died of lung cancer at age 42 in 2002. Caldwell is unflinching in depicting her friend's last days, although her own grief nearly undid her; she writes of this desolating time with tremendously moving grace."-Publishers Weekly& Pick of the Week "This elegiac memoir is a testament to the art of female friendship-and its necessity." -More "Poignant and powerful...Caldwell writes with deep feeling, but without sentimentality, about [a] life-altering friendship." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review, "There are as many shadings to our griefs as there are lost loves to grieve over. Friendship, as Gail Caldwell's memoir gracefully testifies, asks a special, liberating eloquence."-Richard Ford "An exquisite testament to the bittersweet depths of love and loss. If you've ever had a soul mate, whether human or canine, this book was written for you. If you haven't, this honest and liberating memoir will help you find one."-Patricia B. McConnell, author ofFor the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend "Out of a great loss, Gail Caldwell has fashioned a great gift: an intimate memoir that somehow contains everything that really matters about life. Lucid, elegant, passionate, wise, and enormously moving-a book of rare and memorable beauty."-Joan Wickersham,author ofThe Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order, "A near-perfect memoir: beautiful, humble, intimate and filled with piercing insights. Meant to be savored and shared." --Time "Stunning…gorgeous....intense and moving….A book of such crystalline truth that it makes the heart ache." --The Boston Globe "[Let's Take the Long Way Home] left me intensely moved….Caldwell's greatest achievement is to rise above [death and loss] to describe both the very best that women can be together and the precious things they can, if they wish, give back to one another: power, humor, love and self-respect." --Julie Myerson,The New York Times Book Review,Editor's Choice "[A] beautiful book….The losing isn't the exceptional part of this story; everyone loses something, sooner or later. The wonder lies in finding it in the first place." --Salon "A tribute to the enduring power of friendship….You can shelve Let's Take the Long Way Home…next toThe Year of Magical Thinking,Joan Didion's searing memoir about losing her husband to heart failure. But that's assuming it makes it to your shelf: This is a book you'll want to share with your own 'necessary pillars of life,' as Caldwell refers to her nearest and dearest….A lovely gift to readers." --Washington Post "[Their] relationship nurtured and inspired Caldwell and Knapp, and in reading about it, we feel enriched as well." --Chicago Tribune,Editor's Choice "A heartbreaker of a memoir….With humor and sadness….Caldwell gracefully weaves a thread of stories that describe and ponder friendship and loss." --USA Today "Acutely observed and beautifully written….If you have tears, prepare to shed them….What an astonishing friendship. What great women. What a stellar, unforgettable book." --The Huffington Post "A testament to the art of female friendship-and its necessity." --More "Revelatory, joyous and inspiring…. Intensely moving, without a hint of sentimentality, Let's Take the Long Way Home…should be read and cherished." --The BarkMagazine "High-spirited and heartrending." --People "Moving….As much an elegy as a remembrance of shared joys." --Richmond Times-Dispatch "Eloquent….A moving account of Caldwell's grief for her friend." --Cleveland Plain Dealer "Caldwell's graceful account ensures that Knapp will be remembered not just for her tragic death but for her vigorous, rich life." --ParadeMagazine "Gail Caldwell knows a thing or two about good writing….Sure to appeal to anyone who has ever experienced true friendship." --The Daily Beast "Poignant and powerful…Caldwell writes with deep feeling, but without sentimentality, about [a] life-altering friendship." --Kirkus Reviews "Luminous….spare but wrenching….[Readers will] find themselves moved by Caroline, and will almost certainly be moved to tears." --Bookpage "A gripping mix of confession, elegy, and resolve….An adroitly distilled memoir of trust, affinity, and love." --Booklist "Savor the this hard-hitting portrait of a friendship." --AARP The Magazine "Caldwell has managed to do the inexpressible in this quiet, fierce work: cre, "Stunning…gorgeous....intense and moving….A book of such crystalline truth that it makes the heart ache." --The Boston Globe "[Let's Take the Long Way Home] left me intensely moved….Caldwell's greatest achievement is to rise above [death and loss] to describe both the very best that women can be together and the precious things they can, if they wish, give back to one another: power, humor, love and self-respect." --Julie Myerson,The New York Times Book Review,Editor's Choice "[A] beautiful book….The losing isn't the exceptional part of this story; everyone loses something, sooner or later. The wonder lies in finding it in the first place." --Salon "A tribute to the enduring power of friendship….You can shelve Let's Take the Long Way Home…next to The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion's searing memoir about losing her husband to heart failure. But that's assuming it makes it to your shelf: This is a book you'll want to share with your own 'necessary pillars of life,' as Caldwell refers to her nearest and dearest….A lovely gift to readers." --Washington Post "High-spirited and heartrending." --People "[Their] relationship nurtured and inspired Caldwell and Knapp, and in reading about it, we feel enriched as well." --Chicago Tribune,Editor's Choice "Revelatory, joyous and inspiring…. Intensely moving, without a hint of sentimentality, Let's Take the Long Way Home…should be read and cherished." --The BarkMagazine "Acutely observed and beautifully written….If you have tears, prepare to shed them….What an astonishing friendship. What great women. What a stellar, unforgettable book." --The Huffington Post "A testament to the art of female friendship-and its necessity." --More "Moving….As much an elegy as a remembrance of shared joys." --Richmond Times-Dispatch "Eloquent….A moving account of Caldwell's grief for her friend." --Cleveland Plain Dealer "Luminous….spare but wrenching….[Readers will] find themselves moved by Caroline, and will almost certainly be moved to tears." --Bookpage "So lovely and, somehow, so precise in its wisdom . . . I feel lucky to have met this graceful, piercing book." -Kelly Corrigan, author ofThe Middle Place "There are as many shadings to our griefs as there are lost loves to grieve over. Friendship, as Gail Caldwell's memoir gracefully testifies, asks a special, liberating eloquence."-Richard Ford "An exquisite testament to the bittersweet depths of love and loss. If you've ever had a soul mate, whether human or canine, this book was written for you. If you haven't, this honest and liberating memoir will help you find one."-Patricia B. McConnell, author ofFor the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend "Out of a great loss, Gail Caldwell has fashioned a great gift: an intimate memoir that somehow contains everything that really matters about life. Lucid, elegant, passionate, wise, and enormously moving-a book of rare and memorable beauty."-Joan Wickersham, author ofThe Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order
