Mary Beth Keane – Cannonball Read 17

A Classic and a (Maybe?) New Classic

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

December 29, 2021 by Leslie Leave a Comment

This English professor finally got around to reading Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott’s classic book of advice about writing. In all honesty, when I read for fun I gravitate toward genre fiction–mysteries, detective novels, romance, etc. I like a good story. I was surprised, then, by how much I enjoyed just luxuriating in Lamott’s prose. It is by turns hilarious, touching, and, most importantly, honest. For example, she includes an entire chapter about professional jealousy that I at first found odd until I found myself relating […]

Shared Family Trauma

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

December 28, 2019 by Jen K Leave a Comment

Ask Again, Yes spans over four decades, and tells the story of two families, and how their lives have become tied together. It starts when the two fathers are rookie cops together on the force, though even from this very beginning, they have very different personalities. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are both beginning their careers in the force in the early 1970s, both are about to get married and start families, and as a result, it is not a surprise that both soon find […]

“We repeat what we don’t repair”

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

December 12, 2019 by badkittyuno Leave a Comment

This is a very sad book. It’s well-written, and I definitely wanted to find out what happened to each of the characters, but it was just such a beat-down that I would not say I enjoyed it. “There was no predicting where life would go. There was no real way for a person to try something out, see if he liked it…because you try it and try it and try it a little longer and next thing it’s who you are.” Ask Again, Yes starts […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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