Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 15
 Heartbreakingly educational June 30, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
(...)Knapp's willingness to thoroughly examine herself and her demons-- drinking, anorexia-- has provided many of us with a precious resource and lifeline in dealing with our own troubles. Her insights on her relationship with her parents, and her close bond to her dog, provide the reader with thoughtful reflections on the nature of human connections.
 Why can't I find... June 21, 2004
Just Visiting (Seattle, WA USA)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
anything about HOW she died? I love this book and wish I had known her. Have found many references to her date of death but no mention of how. Anyone know? Thanks. Feel a bond as my middle name is Lucile...but I'm a cat person.
Wonderful Book! June 12, 2004
Lunimar (Southern California)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I love Caroline Knapp. I have read all of her books, including Drinking: A Love Story, despite not having any problems with alcohol.
These essays are insightful, poignant, and they wonderfully express emotions that everyone can connect with. Caroline Knapp wrote with humor and seemed to invest her whole soul into all of her writing.
I disagree with the reviewer who said that some of the lighter essays were out of place, each essay provided a broader look of the author and allowed me the connection of humor as well as other connecting on more serious levels.
I especially liked Lucille vs Stumpy, Letter to Zoe and Speaking out for shyness.
I believe that anyone who enjoys good writing, reflective thinking and has a sense of humor will enjoy these essays.
Essays for Intelligent Women June 6, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Merry Recluse shows Caroline Knapp at her best: writing about the highs and lows of addiction, humans bonding with dogs, the difficulties of being shy and the mixed blessings of time spent alone. Some of the essays are simply wonderful, such as "On Being a Twin," "My Canine, Myself" and "Speaking Out for Shyness." The quality of the book suffers from the inclusion of some her lighter lesser pieces that seem knocked off to fill a deadline for her column in the Boston Phoenix. The book would have been better if they'd been left out.Knapp is best when she's exploring her own insecurities and losses. I wish she was still around to articulate what it's like to be a sensitive flawed woman trying to live an intelligent life.
A Wonderful Reminder of a Talented Writer... May 9, 2004
Deborah A. Broeker (Mountain View, CA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Imagine having thought that a cherished friend was lost to you forever, and then to have her return unexpectedly for a brief time, knowing this is to be her last visit ever. For anyone who loved Caroline Knapp's writing, and mourned her premature death just two years ago, this book filled with her essays is just such a lovely gift. As with much of her other work, including "Drinking, A Love Story", and "Pack of Two", she had an amazing talent for intricately expressing her thoughts in an unusually accessible manner. While most of her essays focus on "women's issues", her reflections and sentiments are undoubtedly universal. Thank you to her editor, Sandra Shea, for giving us another chance to pull up a chair and share some intimate moments with this extraordinary writer.
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