Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother’s Suggestions by Patricia Marx, Roz Chast
My rating: 4/5 cats
If you feel guilty about throwing out the leftovers, put them in the back of your refrigerator for five days and then throw them out.
it has been a long time since i have had a mother, and this is exactly the wrong time of year for me to be reading and reviewing a book celebrating that relationship, but when i was offered a copy of this book for review, i decided to THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND and so here we are.
it’s a slight book, but funny and sweet. and although i am very susceptible right now to the feels, this book did not send me into the emotional tailspin i had feared it would, because although patricia marx’s mother is full of advice i never got: Never wear red and black together or you will look like a drum majorette.
(oops)
some of it is very useful, and roz chast’s drawings are a delight:
The only men who can get away with short-sleeved button-downs are butchers.
like all advice, some of it is worth heeding:
Some people like meat well done, but they are wrong.
and some of it needs to be sent packing:
You don’t need to spend much time in San Francisco. It’s all frosting and no cake.
everyone knows frosting > cake.
…don’t go overboard in the number of dishes you serve or your table will look like a Las Vegas buffet.
if you see how i handle thanksgiving-for-two, you know i’m not in agreement with this particular sentiment:
http://bloggycomelately.com/thanksgiv…
so, yeah, it’s just a teeny little gift book, but it’s one of those books perfect for gifting to all the mothers and children-of-mothers in your life, especially the booky ones:
If your book club chooses Absalom, Absalom!, that will be the end of your book club.
If you are writing a novel, I’ll tell you what to do: Don’t make it boring.
this is advice that patricia marx took to heart.
many thanks to celadon for sending the book and for not making me cry all over it!
