You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2023-04-13 00:20:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Maggie Smith
- ISBN：B0B3Y8QQ6R
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Summary
An Atria Book。 Atria Books has a great book for every reader。
Reviews
Bianca Fahy
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Maggie Smith's ability to effortlessly write about even the most simple moments of her life， is nothing short of captivating。 Written with such fluid detail and raw emotion， this personal memoir， intertwined via scenes， chapters and poems， describes her heartships， second guesses and adjustments to new ways of life during a divorce。 Readers alike will be empathetic to Maggie's intimate triumphs and struggles as she finds balance as a mother， wife and a working woman。 Maggie Smith's ability to effortlessly write about even the most simple moments of her life， is nothing short of captivating。 Written with such fluid detail and raw emotion， this personal memoir， intertwined via scenes， chapters and poems， describes her heartships， second guesses and adjustments to new ways of life during a divorce。 Readers alike will be empathetic to Maggie's intimate triumphs and struggles as she finds balance as a mother， wife and a working woman。 。。。more
Jen
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3。5 stars， with moments of brillianceI definitely liked many moments of this book。 Overall， I do feel some of the structural and form elements of the book got in its own way。 However if you’ve been through a divorce or something of similar weight， the strong moments are likely to resonate。
Sara Anne
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I walked out of a bookstore with this at 3pm and it's 10:30pm and I have devoured it， read the whole thing。 So。damn。good。 I don't have any personal connection to her experience but her use of language to describe confusion and love and relationships and pain and life， all of it resonate。 Also there is a part in a bank where it， for me， was like reading a thriller， I was so anxious for her， even though it's a memoir， and I knew she had come through what she was writing about。 Her writing just hap I walked out of a bookstore with this at 3pm and it's 10:30pm and I have devoured it， read the whole thing。 So。damn。good。 I don't have any personal connection to her experience but her use of language to describe confusion and love and relationships and pain and life， all of it resonate。 Also there is a part in a bank where it， for me， was like reading a thriller， I was so anxious for her， even though it's a memoir， and I knew she had come through what she was writing about。 Her writing just happens to be that evocative is all！ 。。。more
Faith
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YOU COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL by Maggie Smith is a beautiful masterpiece。 Smith is a poet who demonstrates an adeptness with shaping words， lines， and sentences on a page， and she converts to writing a memoir naturally。 The repetition， the framing， the chapter breaks， the vulnerability -- all are artistically implemented， culminating in a powerful reading experience。The title is taken from the closing line of her viral poem "Good Bones。" As Smith's career took off， her marriage was falling YOU COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL by Maggie Smith is a beautiful masterpiece。 Smith is a poet who demonstrates an adeptness with shaping words， lines， and sentences on a page， and she converts to writing a memoir naturally。 The repetition， the framing， the chapter breaks， the vulnerability -- all are artistically implemented， culminating in a powerful reading experience。The title is taken from the closing line of her viral poem "Good Bones。" As Smith's career took off， her marriage was falling apart。 Infidelity， counseling， strained co-parenting， a worldwide pandemic， therapy: this is Smith's frank but measured take on that time。 Her words are raw， and as she shares about the layered grief， the discoveries， the evolution， she reveals enough to be relatable but also protects the privacy of her family， no simple feat。 Readers will ponder the tension in any relationship surrounding expectations and who is allowed and encouraged to take up time and space and who is typically expected to deal with all the details and any absence of theirs is seen as a burden; another unfortunate example of the mental load so often expected and shouldered by women。Some memoirs are dry and self-aggrandizing with little to recommend themselves beyond some biographical details， but Smith exposes her heart， and her love for herself， her children， and her friends is fierce。 Readers will find themselves wanting to comfort Smith and rooting for her to find wholeness。 We see her blossoming and flourishing， navigating the balance of hating what transpired while acknowledging it has led to a life she loves。 I am stingy in doling out five-star reviews， but this book is exceptional and I highlighted swaths of it。 We're lucky to live in the same world as Maggie Smith。（I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。） 。。。more
C
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The author made this book beautiful。 Kind of astonishingly， stunningly， well-written。 May be one of the best uses of language — making every word count — I’ve read in years。Also a distinct perspective of a relationship from an ex-wife’s perspective。 Didn’t want to put the book down or for it to end haha。
Jennifer
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This book is stunning， heartbreaking and gorgeous。 I’ll preface more review with the fact that I am a huge fan of Maggie Smith’s （I have a signed broadside of “Good Bones” framed in my yoga room）。 ”You Could Make This Place Beautiful” is a compelling memoir focused mainly on her divorce。 It’s not written as poetry per se but the language is incredibly lyrical and beautiful。 Divorce， particularly when kids are involved， is a sad， hard topic to talk about， but this book is hopeful and lovely。 I wo This book is stunning， heartbreaking and gorgeous。 I’ll preface more review with the fact that I am a huge fan of Maggie Smith’s （I have a signed broadside of “Good Bones” framed in my yoga room）。 ”You Could Make This Place Beautiful” is a compelling memoir focused mainly on her divorce。 It’s not written as poetry per se but the language is incredibly lyrical and beautiful。 Divorce， particularly when kids are involved， is a sad， hard topic to talk about， but this book is hopeful and lovely。 I would recommend it to anyone who feels like they are in a place emotionally where they feel like they can confront the inner workings of someone walking through the trauma of divorce。Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Erin M
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Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/One Signal Publishers for the ARC。I have mixed feelings about this book。 Maggie Smith knows how to write exquisite sentences so in that regard this book is compelling。 It’s a memoir of a divorce but the book relies way too heavily on repetition and belaboring the points she wants to make while eluding to points that we really would have benefitted from learning about。 The focus here， on divorce and its aftermath is truly the focus of the memoir， but there are gaps i Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/One Signal Publishers for the ARC。I have mixed feelings about this book。 Maggie Smith knows how to write exquisite sentences so in that regard this book is compelling。 It’s a memoir of a divorce but the book relies way too heavily on repetition and belaboring the points she wants to make while eluding to points that we really would have benefitted from learning about。 The focus here， on divorce and its aftermath is truly the focus of the memoir， but there are gaps in getting to the true story and focusing on the minute details that made me lose focus。 I liked the structure she used with vignettes and quotations and musings and reflecting on her past writings， as this is where the book really landed for me。 With more editing and focus， this would have really hit the mark for me。 。。。more
Sharon May
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Many thanks to NetGalley and One Signal Publishers/Atria for gifting me a digital ARC of this beautiful memoir by a favorite， Maggie Smith - 5 sparkling stars！This book is a compilation of thoughts， essays， quotes， and so much beautiful prose all about the good， bad， and ugly of a life well lived so far。 Keep Moving was Smith's journey through the ending of her marriage in poetry; here we get more of the story。 But we don't get what we don't need - this is not a trash-the-ex book; it's one her c Many thanks to NetGalley and One Signal Publishers/Atria for gifting me a digital ARC of this beautiful memoir by a favorite， Maggie Smith - 5 sparkling stars！This book is a compilation of thoughts， essays， quotes， and so much beautiful prose all about the good， bad， and ugly of a life well lived so far。 Keep Moving was Smith's journey through the ending of her marriage in poetry; here we get more of the story。 But we don't get what we don't need - this is not a trash-the-ex book; it's one her children will read one day and underscore all that she did for them。 I have purchased copies of Keep Moving and sent to grieving friends; You Could Make This Place Beautiful is for everyone。 Because everyone has stuff they are dealing with。 I will be going back and rereading this one many times。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Meghan ReadsBooks
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Powerful and effective， this book did make me feel beautiful and visible。 Thank you Atria for the review copy。You Could Make This Place Beautiful is a needed recognition that true beauty is in finding you again， to the power of grief but also the power reflection and openness to processing grief。 I resonated with the complicated feelings with pregnancy loss and how that very lonely and personal experience is hard to explain and navigate with others， even partners and spouses。 I appreciate that h Powerful and effective， this book did make me feel beautiful and visible。 Thank you Atria for the review copy。You Could Make This Place Beautiful is a needed recognition that true beauty is in finding you again， to the power of grief but also the power reflection and openness to processing grief。 I resonated with the complicated feelings with pregnancy loss and how that very lonely and personal experience is hard to explain and navigate with others， even partners and spouses。 I appreciate that honesty， the writing is brave and can be so empowering and helpful to so many women。I am beyond grateful to Atria for the review copy， thank you for entrusting me with a book that I read more to help process a friend going through a very complicated divorce and ended up being a book that helped me explore my own feelings around loss。 。。。more
Margaret
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The author describes this not as a 'tell-all' but more of a 'tell-mine' as she points out she can only tell her side of the story。 While she admits she is not totally open about everything， what she does write about is both thought provoking and beautifully written。 I am not generally a fan of poetry in general， but her piece “Good Bones“ which went viral is truly a wonderful poem。 This memoir touched me and was a pleasure to read。 The author describes this not as a 'tell-all' but more of a 'tell-mine' as she points out she can only tell her side of the story。 While she admits she is not totally open about everything， what she does write about is both thought provoking and beautifully written。 I am not generally a fan of poetry in general， but her piece “Good Bones“ which went viral is truly a wonderful poem。 This memoir touched me and was a pleasure to read。 。。。more
Ashley Dobson
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Heartbreaking and hopeful - Maggie Smith's writing is absolutely GORGEOUS and this book is so moving。 She chooses every word with such intention。 I really appreciated how she threaded the line between sharing so much and still protecting her kids。 It gives such an intimate look at her life and experiences while still giving the other people in her life agency， a really rare gift in a memoir。 Highly recommend！ Heartbreaking and hopeful - Maggie Smith's writing is absolutely GORGEOUS and this book is so moving。 She chooses every word with such intention。 I really appreciated how she threaded the line between sharing so much and still protecting her kids。 It gives such an intimate look at her life and experiences while still giving the other people in her life agency， a really rare gift in a memoir。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Ashley
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Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on 4/11/23。⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Maggie Smith is an American poet， and she has written a beautiful and heartbreaking memoir about love， marriage， motherhood， and divorce。 The chapters range from short to very short， as if each chapter is a poem。 I prefer prose to poetry， but I didn’t mind this author’s poetic style because her book i Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on 4/11/23。⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Maggie Smith is an American poet， and she has written a beautiful and heartbreaking memoir about love， marriage， motherhood， and divorce。 The chapters range from short to very short， as if each chapter is a poem。 I prefer prose to poetry， but I didn’t mind this author’s poetic style because her book is so lyrical and beautifully written。 It’s also raw and angry， private and hopeful。 I will probably take a look at some of her other books。 。。。more
Beth
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Thank you to Net Galley， Atria Books， and Maggie Smith for an ARC of this book。Like most of the world， I fell in love with Maggie Smith's writing when she wrote "Good Bones"， so I was eager to read her memoir。 It is the story of life through the ugly process of divorce， finding beauty wherever possible， and it is both intimate and guarded。 Her love for her children， her family， and herself is clear。 I loved the quotes and poetry that was interspersed throughout the story。 So good。 Thank you to Net Galley， Atria Books， and Maggie Smith for an ARC of this book。Like most of the world， I fell in love with Maggie Smith's writing when she wrote "Good Bones"， so I was eager to read her memoir。 It is the story of life through the ugly process of divorce， finding beauty wherever possible， and it is both intimate and guarded。 Her love for her children， her family， and herself is clear。 I loved the quotes and poetry that was interspersed throughout the story。 So good。 。。。more
Emily
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Not that Maggie Smith。 The American one。 This memoir by the poet Maggie Smith， who wrote the viral poems named in the title and Bride， is a story of a marriage falls apart and attempting to make sense of the collapse and to pick up the pieces afterward。 Lyrical short essays blend with a few poems and reflections。 Beautiful book。 Please note that I was gifted a free arc of this book by NetGalley。
Connie
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This is the first book I have read by this author， and I am already looking for more！ While I haven't experienced divorce， like the author has， I have had many years of being the parent who looked after the children， while my husband was the primary breadwinner。 I remember feeling baffled at times that he always took it for granted that he could do whatever he wanted when he wasn't at work， because our sons were my responsibility。 So I thoroughly understood where she was coming from in that rega This is the first book I have read by this author， and I am already looking for more！ While I haven't experienced divorce， like the author has， I have had many years of being the parent who looked after the children， while my husband was the primary breadwinner。 I remember feeling baffled at times that he always took it for granted that he could do whatever he wanted when he wasn't at work， because our sons were my responsibility。 So I thoroughly understood where she was coming from in that regards。It also made me sad to think that she felt responsible for the difficult situations like miscarriage and postpartum depression， and her husband pulling away because of things like that。 While new relationships are exciting， he missed so much growth by not being there for the long haul。 It seems like he was truly too selfish to be a good husband。I'm happy to see that Maggie is in a happier place now， and I feel it's wonderful to have the opportunity to read about such an inspiring female。 。。。more
Jenn
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Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 This memoir is emotional and beautiful。 Many highs and lows， and quite an emotional ride。 Although I am not going through the same things， you can connect to the author throughout her story。 Just beautiful and raw， do yourself a favor and purchase a copy。 I suggest reading it slowly in parts， as you just need time to reflect。 Just beautiful。 5 Stars。
Claire Wilson
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This was an absolutely beautiful memoir。 I loved Maggie Smith’s poem， Good Bones， when it went viral during the pandemic， so I was really looking forward to this， and it did not disappoint。 While the subject matter is tough – it covers the painful separation and divorce from her husband and the fallout affecting both her as well as her children – the writing is lyrical， gorgeous and thought-provoking。 While she withholds many of the details， it still felt very intimate， like having a conversatio This was an absolutely beautiful memoir。 I loved Maggie Smith’s poem， Good Bones， when it went viral during the pandemic， so I was really looking forward to this， and it did not disappoint。 While the subject matter is tough – it covers the painful separation and divorce from her husband and the fallout affecting both her as well as her children – the writing is lyrical， gorgeous and thought-provoking。 While she withholds many of the details， it still felt very intimate， like having a conversation with a good friend。 The focus here is on the emotions and feelings， not the facts。 Even though it’s not her primary genre of writing， her talent is really on display here。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an early digital copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Olivia
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DNFed this one- oops I have read the summary better when I requested a copy from Netgalley haha I just loved the cover and title but i’m not the target audience！ I did like how the book was set up and the writing was good！
Raeshonna
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First I have to say that I read this because I thought it was a memoir for British actress Maggie Smith （aka Professor McGonagall） so please don't judge me！ I was about 15% in when I realized that it definitely wasn't what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it anyway！ I really， really appreciated the pace of this memoir。 The short chapters made it a quick and easy read。 And it's not quite written as "traditional" poetry but definitely felt poetic in the delivery。 I f First I have to say that I read this because I thought it was a memoir for British actress Maggie Smith （aka Professor McGonagall） so please don't judge me！ I was about 15% in when I realized that it definitely wasn't what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it anyway！ I really， really appreciated the pace of this memoir。 The short chapters made it a quick and easy read。 And it's not quite written as "traditional" poetry but definitely felt poetic in the delivery。 I felt like Maggie was talking directly to me about her life while also revealing her innermost thoughts and experiences。 Reading this felt like a cautionary but loving tale of a woman who is learning how to be。 How to be。。。 everything she needs to herself。 How to learn her own value。 How to accept change and the constant flow of life。 Maggie Smith explores a journey of love and self-discovery and it's absolutely beautiful！ Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Abby
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A beautiful and thought-provoking memoir on infidelity， divorce and its aftermath filled with vignettes， musings， and quotes to create metaphors for it all， while also parenting in a pandemic。 Maggie Smith transfers her thoughts and observations to paper， even in the most stressful of circumstances， reminding us all why we fell in love with her writing the first place （look up her famous poem Good Bones， if you don’t know what I’m referring to）。 Wherever in life， there are so many moments in thi A beautiful and thought-provoking memoir on infidelity， divorce and its aftermath filled with vignettes， musings， and quotes to create metaphors for it all， while also parenting in a pandemic。 Maggie Smith transfers her thoughts and observations to paper， even in the most stressful of circumstances， reminding us all why we fell in love with her writing the first place （look up her famous poem Good Bones， if you don’t know what I’m referring to）。 Wherever in life， there are so many moments in this book the reader will relate to， reflecting on life with a renewed appreciation and understanding。 This is the perfect way to celebrate April Poetry Month。 Thank you Atra/OneSignal for the ARC！ 。。。more
Wesley Wilson
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Maggie Smith tells her story of learning of her husband’s affair and how that affected her life afterwards。 She does a fantastic job of telling her side of the story while setting boundaries， especially where her children are involved。 It’s challenging to take this hurt and pain and channel it creatively， and I imagine it took her a lot of courage。 It felt like a privilege to get these glimpses into Maggie’s life as it changed， in some ways for the worse but also for， the better。 I may not have Maggie Smith tells her story of learning of her husband’s affair and how that affected her life afterwards。 She does a fantastic job of telling her side of the story while setting boundaries， especially where her children are involved。 It’s challenging to take this hurt and pain and channel it creatively， and I imagine it took her a lot of courage。 It felt like a privilege to get these glimpses into Maggie’s life as it changed， in some ways for the worse but also for， the better。 I may not have experienced many of the things Maggie has gone through， such as being a mother or going through a divorce， but I think that’s part of what I love about memoirs。 It allows you to glimpse a life entirely separate from your own， and you can learn and appreciate their lives。I was impressed with Maggie’s drive and ability to raise her children and balance a demanding job during a strenuous divorce。 She also highlighted the importance of balancing your own personal successes in a relationship。 Lastly， I enjoyed the pieces of poetry thrown in throughout the prose。 Poetry is essential to the author， and I found this kept the material flowing quickly。 The short chapters also made this book a quick read。 The flow of the storytelling also felt quite poetic and original。 This is a remarkable memoir to pick up！I want to thank Netgalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC of this memoir in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
CR
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This memoir was an absolutely gorgeously written book， exploring the grief that follows a divorce in a way that only a poet could。 With repeating themes of exploring the events of her life as a play， a question that starts a book， a metaphor， Smith tells a story still happening as she is writing it， and as you are reading it， in a cutting manner appropriate for someone who has experienced such a loss of what was once so stable and meant-to-be。 If you read one newly released memoir this year， mak This memoir was an absolutely gorgeously written book， exploring the grief that follows a divorce in a way that only a poet could。 With repeating themes of exploring the events of her life as a play， a question that starts a book， a metaphor， Smith tells a story still happening as she is writing it， and as you are reading it， in a cutting manner appropriate for someone who has experienced such a loss of what was once so stable and meant-to-be。 If you read one newly released memoir this year， make it this one。 。。。more
Leah Odze Epstein
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The title of poet Maggie Smith's memoir is a line from her poem， "Good Bones，" which went viral， and attests to the power of finding the hope in sad situations。 Here， she excavates the aftermath of her divorce， and what led up to it， leaving her a single mother of two children。 Though this is a tale oft told， Smith makes it new with her shimmering language and insights like this: "We are all nesting dolls， carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside。。。I didn't lose these versions of myse The title of poet Maggie Smith's memoir is a line from her poem， "Good Bones，" which went viral， and attests to the power of finding the hope in sad situations。 Here， she excavates the aftermath of her divorce， and what led up to it， leaving her a single mother of two children。 Though this is a tale oft told， Smith makes it new with her shimmering language and insights like this: "We are all nesting dolls， carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside。。。I didn't lose these versions of myself。。。I carry them。 It's a kind of reincarnation without death: all these different lives we get to live in this one body， as ourselves。" This is not an airing of dirty laundry; here， Smith takes us on a poetic tour of the inside of her brain as she wrestles with the big questions: how can you love someone one day， and the next day want them gone from your life？ What does it feel like to wish your marriage never happened while still loving your kids fiercely？ How does one cope with grief and loss？ Does one move on， or metabolize it？ These are unanswerable questions， and she cops to all the ugly feelings while trying to find the lessons and the gold， taking us on a beautiful journey and I for one ended up wiser for it。 I loved this book and would highly recommend it。 。。。more
Shannon
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I LOVED Moving on and was so excited to see there was a new book coming from Maggie Smith！！She is an easy auto-buy author for me and I couldn’t wait to listen to this latest memoir。 Utterly relatable， she talks about how she navigated both a divorce and parenting during the pandemic and the challenges associated with both。 Great on audio narrated by the author herself。 I just wanted to curl up by her feet and soak in the wisdom。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for an early digital co I LOVED Moving on and was so excited to see there was a new book coming from Maggie Smith！！She is an easy auto-buy author for me and I couldn’t wait to listen to this latest memoir。 Utterly relatable， she talks about how she navigated both a divorce and parenting during the pandemic and the challenges associated with both。 Great on audio narrated by the author herself。 I just wanted to curl up by her feet and soak in the wisdom。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review and Librofm for an ALC！⚠️CW: miscarriage， infidelilty 。。。more
Sadie Young
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy。The prose？ Stunning。The topics？ Heavy。The story？ Repetitive。 I’m not the target audience for this book but I’m sure it will resonate with those going through similar challenges as the author。 Honestly: at times she comes across insanely bitter。 She’s mad at her husband for not staying with her even though neither of them were actually happy。 They were together out of habit and then he decides to look elsewhere and she’s mad that they Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy。The prose？ Stunning。The topics？ Heavy。The story？ Repetitive。 I’m not the target audience for this book but I’m sure it will resonate with those going through similar challenges as the author。 Honestly: at times she comes across insanely bitter。 She’s mad at her husband for not staying with her even though neither of them were actually happy。 They were together out of habit and then he decides to look elsewhere and she’s mad that they didn’t just stay together。 What is the point of life if you are gonna be miserable with someone instead of exploring other options？ She acts like she wasted 18 years of her life， yet she’s mad he left。 They were both unhappy， so isn’t it better they were given the chance to try again instead of wasting another two decades？ But then in the next instant she’s like: “ah， he gives me so much material for my work。” Whiplash。 I lost steam about 65% into this story。 Again， I wasn’t the target market and listening to her complain about her ex， continue to be the perfect parent， and of course drone on about the pandemic just became too much。 。。。more
Dena Berg
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Thank you so much to the publisher， to NetGalley and to Maggie Smith for this beautiful memoir。I loved this so much， and I could not write this review and do the writing justice。 Maggie’s story reminded me so much of many of my friends who have gone through divorce。 I loved the rawness of this， and I feel like she still protected her kids in a way that I appreciated。I recommend reading an excerpt or two from this if you’re interested in the memoir， but I think anyone will love！ Brilliant writing Thank you so much to the publisher， to NetGalley and to Maggie Smith for this beautiful memoir。I loved this so much， and I could not write this review and do the writing justice。 Maggie’s story reminded me so much of many of my friends who have gone through divorce。 I loved the rawness of this， and I feel like she still protected her kids in a way that I appreciated。I recommend reading an excerpt or two from this if you’re interested in the memoir， but I think anyone will love！ Brilliant writing as always， 。。。more
coolgirlsliketoread
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Exquisite & tender ！！ I’ve never felt so gripped by a memoir before & finished this in just a few sittings。 I want to read everything maggie smith writes。
Carrie
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I was introduced to Maggie Smith's work through her viral sensation poem， "Good Bones，" which perfectly encapsulates the simultaneous hopefulness and despair of parenting in dismal times。 When I saw that she had written a memoir about ending her marriage and rekindling her relationship with herself， I was so excited to read it。 It did not disappoint-- You Could Make This Place Beautiful， told in vignettes and snippets of beautiful insight， is a stunner。I love reading prose by poets， who are prac I was introduced to Maggie Smith's work through her viral sensation poem， "Good Bones，" which perfectly encapsulates the simultaneous hopefulness and despair of parenting in dismal times。 When I saw that she had written a memoir about ending her marriage and rekindling her relationship with herself， I was so excited to read it。 It did not disappoint-- You Could Make This Place Beautiful， told in vignettes and snippets of beautiful insight， is a stunner。I love reading prose by poets， who are practiced in the skill of distilling big， beautiful ideas into small but mighty packages。 In the same way that "Good Bones" so compellingly captures beauty and pain in nearly the same moment， so too does Smith's beautiful memoir。 I loved all of it-- her reflections on her marriage and on making herself smaller to fit inside it， on her evolving relationship with herself， on how we choose to value （or not value） caretaking and art-making， and on her relationship with her children。 Her love for her children shines through like a brilliant diamond。 This is one of those books that I can see myself turning back to at various points in my life and finding something new that would resonate with me。 Maggie Smith's You Could Make This Place Beautiful comes out on April 11。 Lovers of beautifully written memoirs should snatch it up。 I've preordered multiple copies to give as gifts！Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Michele
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https://www。thecut。com/article/book-e。。。 https://www。thecut。com/article/book-e。。。 。。。more
Mary Gonsiorowski
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In You Could Make This Place Beautiful， Maggie Smith writes her memoir with a sense of resilience and strength amid heartbreak。 She shares her story as a writer， wife， and mother and how she loses a sense of self as she struggles with demands on her time。 The author shows how her marriage ends in divorce and how she struggles to make a commitment to herself and to her writing while sharing custody of Rhett and Violet。 Maggie Smith unveils her life with reflective and poetic snapshots of moments In You Could Make This Place Beautiful， Maggie Smith writes her memoir with a sense of resilience and strength amid heartbreak。 She shares her story as a writer， wife， and mother and how she loses a sense of self as she struggles with demands on her time。 The author shows how her marriage ends in divorce and how she struggles to make a commitment to herself and to her writing while sharing custody of Rhett and Violet。 Maggie Smith unveils her life with reflective and poetic snapshots of moments in time。 By the end of the book the individual pieces of her life come together to create a beautiful story。 Maggie Smith’s memoir will resonate with women who balance both a career and family while trying to nurture their marriage。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles to be true to themselves amid the demands of life。 Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
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you could make this place beautiful a memoir