In 2010, Gail Caldwell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic, wrote Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship about her relationship with the writer Caroline Knapp. The two met in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they both lived, and bonded over dogs, a love of books, and the outdoors, as well as their respective sports: swimming (Caldwell) and rowing (Knapp.) The friends came from very different backgrounds but had deeply connected interests. Knapp grew up in Cambridge, the daughter of a famous psychiatrist, while Caldwell was born in the Texas Panhandle. Despite beginnings set widely apart, many common threads bound them together. Quitting drinking was a big part of their shared history, though each gave up alcohol separately, before they knew one another. Knapp's account of her addiction turned into the memoir Drinking: A Love Story , a 1996 New York Times bestseller. In addition to sobriety, the friends each started out their careers as columnists in Boston. Both...
"Like all great books, this one gets you thinking." And like enticing reviews, this one gets me thinking. Trees are like outer space or the deep sea -- so much vast mystery to explore.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me about "the chinaman?" Is that an actual character name in the book? Looking forward to our gathering today.