The Year of Magical Thinking
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- Create Date：2021-12-28 00:22:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Joan Didion
- ISBN：1400078431
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Summary
'An act of consummate literary bravery， a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief。'
From one of America's iconic writers， a stunning book of electric honesty and passion。 Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage–and a life， in good times and bad–that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child。
Several days before Christmas 2003， John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their only daughter， Quintana， fall ill with what seemed at first flu， then pneumonia， then complete septic shock。 She was put into an induced coma and placed on life support。 Days later–the night before New Year's Eve–the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the hospital when John Gregory Dunne suffered a massive and fatal coronary。 In a second， this close， symbiotic partnership of forty years was over。 Four weeks later， their daughter pulled through。 Two months after that， arriving at LAX， she collapsed and underwent six hours of brain surgery at UCLA Medical Center to relieve a massive hematoma。
This powerful book is Didion's attempt to make sense of the "weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death， about illness 。 。 。 about marriage and children and memory 。 。 。 about the shallowness of sanity， about life itself。"
From one of America's iconic writers， a stunning book of electric honesty and passion。 Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage–and a life， in good times and bad–that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child。
Several days before Christmas 2003， John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their only daughter， Quintana， fall ill with what seemed at first flu， then pneumonia， then complete septic shock。 She was put into an induced coma and placed on life support。 Days later–the night before New Year's Eve–the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the hospital when John Gregory Dunne suffered a massive and fatal coronary。 In a second， this close， symbiotic partnership of forty years was over。 Four weeks later， their daughter pulled through。 Two months after that， arriving at LAX， she collapsed and underwent six hours of brain surgery at UCLA Medical Center to relieve a massive hematoma。
This powerful book is Didion's attempt to make sense of the "weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death， about illness 。 。 。 about marriage and children and memory 。 。 。 about the shallowness of sanity， about life itself。"
Reviews
Vittoria Bressan
，
Una scrittura sincera e limpida sul lutto， sulla pazzia e la devastazione che lascia。Bellissimi i capitoli 17 e 18。Joan Didion è stata una scrittrice incredibile。
Maansi
，
This book is a heartbreakingly beautiful tribute to her late husband that will make you pause to reflect on the fragility of life and hold your loved one a little closer at night。 It is a gentle prod to live each day with gratitude， a gut-wrenching reminder that the death of our loved ones is imminent， and a cautionary preview of how devastating a future without our loved ones can be。 Joan Didion’s tribute to her husband is exceptional， her thoughts and reflections are humbling， and her writing This book is a heartbreakingly beautiful tribute to her late husband that will make you pause to reflect on the fragility of life and hold your loved one a little closer at night。 It is a gentle prod to live each day with gratitude， a gut-wrenching reminder that the death of our loved ones is imminent， and a cautionary preview of how devastating a future without our loved ones can be。 Joan Didion’s tribute to her husband is exceptional， her thoughts and reflections are humbling， and her writing is moving and magnificent。In reading this just days after her death， I’m mourning the loss of an incredible writer， yet celebrating that she is reunited with her John and Quintana once more。 。。。more
Lucy Skyler
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Really liked the first third or so， but it understandably becomes less focused and more repetitive as it goes on （like grief itself）。
Samantha
，
absolutely phenomenal but really does start getting to the good stuff only about halfway through。 but when it comes it is SO profound that that alone could earn the 5 stars。 'How could I go back to Paris without him， how could I go back to Milan， Honolulu， Bogotá？I couldn't even go to Boston。" absolutely phenomenal but really does start getting to the good stuff only about halfway through。 but when it comes it is SO profound that that alone could earn the 5 stars。 'How could I go back to Paris without him， how could I go back to Milan， Honolulu， Bogotá？I couldn't even go to Boston。" 。。。more
sofia
，
“Life changes in the instant。 The ordinary instant”RIP JOAN 💔 like kaia gerber said， “you made the world have more sense to me”i like to believe that you are now in peace reuniting with John and Quintana
Joey Tran
，
Describing deep grief to a friend who hasn’t experienced it themselves can feel like describing a dream。 They’ll kindly nod along and feign “oh that sounds so scary” or “that must be so sad” but they don’t actually know until they go through it themselves。 They don’t know what it means to live with a split rationality that simultaneously accepts and understands the death of loved one while also holding on to some vestigial and zombified hope that maybe they’re alive after all and there was just Describing deep grief to a friend who hasn’t experienced it themselves can feel like describing a dream。 They’ll kindly nod along and feign “oh that sounds so scary” or “that must be so sad” but they don’t actually know until they go through it themselves。 They don’t know what it means to live with a split rationality that simultaneously accepts and understands the death of loved one while also holding on to some vestigial and zombified hope that maybe they’re alive after all and there was just some big mistake。Didion had lived this dream and describes her own experience with profound perception。 In her account is catharsis for anyone who’s gone months beyond the funeral and is still in the somnambulatory state of grieving which misses the overt episodes crying or being unable to eat in lieu of subtle social and cognitive deficiencies。 By the end， I came away understanding how deep grief becomes a mourning not just of the loved one but of the person you were before。An important book that I’ll always own for when I or a friend inevitably experience loss again。 。。。more
Crystal Wang
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Rest In Peace Joan your writing is beautiful
Kiki Larouge
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5
Gregory Duke
，
3。5Love her inability to maintain distance。 Her style is inimitable and is the blueprint for so much creative nonfiction that you literally cannot not appreciate her sentences， her structures， her lingualisms。 There's just too much in the middle about her daughter。 I didn't care lmao。 Love the beginning and ending sections immensely， but， for such a short work， it dragged a bit for me （I say as if I didn't read it all in one day）。RIP Queen of California 3。5Love her inability to maintain distance。 Her style is inimitable and is the blueprint for so much creative nonfiction that you literally cannot not appreciate her sentences， her structures， her lingualisms。 There's just too much in the middle about her daughter。 I didn't care lmao。 Love the beginning and ending sections immensely， but， for such a short work， it dragged a bit for me （I say as if I didn't read it all in one day）。RIP Queen of California 。。。more
Joanne
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3。5 Representative of the passing of an era。 Devastating loss yet undeniable privilege emanates from each page in a way that most likely might not be revered in the same fashion today。 RIP Joan Didion。
Rory
，
In a strange twist of Fate， Joan Didion died three days ago。 This speaks volumes about the processes of grief， and the shocks a person can go through while experiencing extreme loss。 I felt a camaraderie for Didion's grief， this story allows the reader to create such an inherent and human connection of empathy。 Didion's way of weaving recurring phrases into the text familiarizes the reader with important contexts of her experience， and allows us to really see the live-action process of her isola In a strange twist of Fate， Joan Didion died three days ago。 This speaks volumes about the processes of grief， and the shocks a person can go through while experiencing extreme loss。 I felt a camaraderie for Didion's grief， this story allows the reader to create such an inherent and human connection of empathy。 Didion's way of weaving recurring phrases into the text familiarizes the reader with important contexts of her experience， and allows us to really see the live-action process of her isolation from facts/reality， rabbit-holes into memory， and ways of processing her emotions。 Didion reflects often on her perception of time that is dilated by the intensity of her experience。 This is a current I have felt in my own life， not only for extremely sad event， but happy， strange， etc。 I think if I am to take anything from this book， it is a relinquish from control。 It makes me want to disconnect from my pride and hubris， to understand and really sit in the idea that I have to deal with the life I have been given， and bad shit is going to happen。 Good shit will happen too， but bad shit will happen， and I cannot prepare for that。 Reacting with dissociation from pain is something I have experienced much in my personal mental and physical states， and often stemmed from the violation of the expectation that I could mitigate every bad thing that happened to me or the people I love。 I interpret Joan as stating that this dissociation can be an initially vital coping mechanism， and a classic stage of grief， but no way to live。 It is because we love that we grieve， and those who we lose would want us to keep on living。 Letting go of our grief can feel like letting go of the people we lose， but Didion's true message is to continue living with these people inside us， so even as memories fade， the impacts they have on our lives can never be reversed。 。。。more
Nadia Candido
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Amazing
Dionne
，
I'd never heard of Joan Didion until Joe on the Netflix series "You" mentioned her。 I did a quick Google search to see if she was real， and indeed she was。 So I added one of her books to my reading list， which I enjoyed。 Saddened to hear of her recent passing three days ago。 I'd never heard of Joan Didion until Joe on the Netflix series "You" mentioned her。 I did a quick Google search to see if she was real， and indeed she was。 So I added one of her books to my reading list， which I enjoyed。 Saddened to hear of her recent passing three days ago。 。。。more
Adam Dalva
，
I had the pleasure of （briefly） talking about this book， which has always meant the world to me， on the BBC in commemoration of Didion's passing。 It retains its raw power， and the ending is an all-timer。 https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=1XuaQ。。。 I had the pleasure of （briefly） talking about this book， which has always meant the world to me， on the BBC in commemoration of Didion's passing。 It retains its raw power， and the ending is an all-timer。 https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=1XuaQ。。。 。。。more
Emily Polson
，
"Grief has no distance。 Grief comes in waves， paroxysms， sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate the dailiness of life。" "Grief has no distance。 Grief comes in waves， paroxysms， sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate the dailiness of life。" 。。。more
Grace
，
parsing through grief
Brian Yu
，
The most gripping elements of this were the clarity with which she described her recollection process （amidst a grief-stricken period of her life） and her ability to portray difficult themes in an easily understood yet beautiful manner。 Reading this， it is as if I were following her thoughts， as opposed to storytelling or the narration of a journal。She briefly touches on the topic of determinism versus free will， but also marital spats and budgeting concerns that could always be solved with a ni The most gripping elements of this were the clarity with which she described her recollection process （amidst a grief-stricken period of her life） and her ability to portray difficult themes in an easily understood yet beautiful manner。 Reading this， it is as if I were following her thoughts， as opposed to storytelling or the narration of a journal。She briefly touches on the topic of determinism versus free will， but also marital spats and budgeting concerns that could always be solved with a nice dinner （never lunch） or a trip to Hawaii/Paris。 While the subject matter was grave at times， The Year of Magical Thinking is a toast to lives enjoyed， memories unforgotten， and stories untold only because they are waiting to be written。 。。。more
Jack
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“No eye on the sparrow”
Dolf Haven
，
I did not know Joan Didion until an obituary of hers appeared in a newspaper a couple of days ago。I learnt a lot about the lavish lifestyle she lead and the high-brow society she dwelled in when reading this book。 I learnt a lot about all sorts of medical procedures as well。However， this book was supposed to be about her period of mourning after her husband died， of which I learnt bitterly little。 The problem with the book is really that it is written in a purely rational way， keeping a distance I did not know Joan Didion until an obituary of hers appeared in a newspaper a couple of days ago。I learnt a lot about the lavish lifestyle she lead and the high-brow society she dwelled in when reading this book。 I learnt a lot about all sorts of medical procedures as well。However， this book was supposed to be about her period of mourning after her husband died， of which I learnt bitterly little。 The problem with the book is really that it is written in a purely rational way， keeping a distance to actual mourning and shying away of anything close to feelings or emotions。It is a missed chance。 Supposedly a similar book she wrote after her daughter died is better， but I don't feel compelled reading it。 。。。more
Pavel G。 Vesnakov
，
A timeless exploration of emptiness and grief after someon’s passing and a study of what it takes to stay alive。 Sublime piece of art， completed in an unimaginable pain。
Maria
，
…fiquei com a certeza de que não estou louca…
Emily
，
This is the 100th book I've marked as "Read" on GoodReads。 I am writing this on Christmas Day， two days after Joan Didion's death and my first Christmas without my mom。I knew I wanted （needed） to read this book as part of grieving my mom。 "The Year Of Magical Thinking" stood out on our bookcases at home when I was in high school; my mom picked it up right when it was published （hardcover！ She never purchased hardcover！ So you *knew* she really wanted to read it）， a few years after my grandfather This is the 100th book I've marked as "Read" on GoodReads。 I am writing this on Christmas Day， two days after Joan Didion's death and my first Christmas without my mom。I knew I wanted （needed） to read this book as part of grieving my mom。 "The Year Of Magical Thinking" stood out on our bookcases at home when I was in high school; my mom picked it up right when it was published （hardcover！ She never purchased hardcover！ So you *knew* she really wanted to read it）， a few years after my grandfather died。 When my mom was in the hospital and my sister and I were experiencing the first days of our own year of Magical Thinking， this book was laying on top of a pile of odds and ends in her basement – it was staring at us when we walked through the door to pick up books we wanted to read to her in her final days。 My sister took it with us， but neither of us had the strength to read it then。 But I knew it was a nudge from my mom that I needed to。Reading this book so soon after experiencing immense， painful loss was not easy。 But it was worth it。 I knew Didion could better capture， for me， the both painfully individual yet shared experience of grief better than any self help book could。 I am grateful for her candor， honesty， and words。There was a part in the book that I read tonight， when Didion mentioned that she thought of John when Julia Child died， and that they would be together in heaven cooking a meal。 I had this same thought about my mom when I heard the news of Didion's passing。 A few sentences later she went on to note that John and Julia had actually met in real life， which my mom and Didion sadly， obviously never did – but I'd like to think they are having a chat together， anyway。Thank you， Joan Didion – and thank you， mom， for giving me a sign to read this book。 。。。more
Rebecca Jean
，
What I would have given to have read this book after my first big loss。 Didion speaks so eloquently to the experience of grief - an experience I found myself often lacking the words to express。 I would highly recommend this book to everyone， since at some point in time， everyone will experience grief。 It is rare to have someone speak to the unspeakable experience of loss so accurately。
Sara Muñoz
，
Una bella novela autobiográfica。 Su narrativa interesante cautiva， interesa y conmueve。 Interesante modo de acercarnos a los procesos de duelo， ya que son complejos y confusos。 La escritora nos lleva de la mano por los laberintos de su mente， de su memoria y de su corazón。
Julia Jenne
，
My first time reading Joan Didion after having this book and Slouching Towards Bethlehem on the shelf for a very long time， and I can understand now her reputation for being masterful but also very remote。 Heavy intellectualization of the grieving process， I was intrigued by the way she painted her denial as a kind of serious delusion， "magical thinking" as opposed to （what I would consider） a pretty natural / human response to lossAnd all the flying around and expensive hotels and casual eliten My first time reading Joan Didion after having this book and Slouching Towards Bethlehem on the shelf for a very long time， and I can understand now her reputation for being masterful but also very remote。 Heavy intellectualization of the grieving process， I was intrigued by the way she painted her denial as a kind of serious delusion， "magical thinking" as opposed to （what I would consider） a pretty natural / human response to lossAnd all the flying around and expensive hotels and casual eliteness！ That started to bug me。 Maybe my zilennial talking （lol）。 I appreciated the literary finesse， and everything it would have taken to write something like this within a year of a life partner's passing， also that their love language was reading each others' books "to figure out how something worked technically"。。 wowWill read another of hers and see 。。。more
Adam Wilburn
，
Loved it。 Extra special I decided to finally read it just a few days before her passing。 Such an American treasure。
mia
，
essa nova leitura do livro foi feita logo depois do falecimento da joan。 acabou parecendo um pouco paradoxal， mas a leitura não foi menos agradável por isso
David Northrup
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So glad I re-read this， to commemorate her deathJoan Didion wrote the best prose。 Her complicated thoughts were expressed In complicated sentences。 I wish I could write like that。The book is unsentimental， unwaivering， and important。
Jonathan Hernandez
，
“A single person is missing for you， and the whole world is empty。”“I could not count the times during the average day when something would come up that I needed to tell him。 This impulse did not end with his death。 What ended was the possibility of response。”
Svitani
，