Little and Often: A Memoir
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-28 05:31:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Trent Preszler
- ISBN：0062976648
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Summary
“Little and Often is a beautiful memoir of grief， love， the shattered bond between a father and son， and the resurrection of a broken heart。 Trent Preszler tells his story with the same level of art and craftsmanship that he brings to his boat making， and he reminds us of creativity’s power to transform and heal our lives。 This is a powerful and deeply moving book。 I won’t soon forget it。” —Elizabeth Gilbert
Trent Preszler thought he was living the life he always wanted， with a job at a winery and a seaside Long Island home， when he was called back to the life he left behind。 After years of estrangement， his cancer-stricken father had invited him to South Dakota for Thanksgiving。 It would be the last time he saw his father alive。
Preszler’s only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father， who was a cattle rancher， rodeo champion， and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient。 This family heirloom befuddled Preszler。 He did not work with his hands—but maybe that was the point。 In his grief， he wondered if there was still a way to understand his father， and with that came an epiphany: he would make something with his inheritance。 Having no experience or training in woodcraft， driven only by blind will， he decided to build a wooden canoe， and he would aim to paddle it on the first anniversary of his father’s death。
While Preszler taught himself how to use his father’s tools， he confronted unexpected revelations about his father’s secret history and his own struggle for self-respect。 The grueling challenges of boatbuilding tested his limits， but the canoe became his sole consolation。 Gradually， Preszler learned what working with his hands offered: a different perspective on life， and the means to change it。
Little and Often is an unflinching account of bereavement and a stirring reflection on the complexities of inheritance。 Between his past and his present， and between America’s heartland and its coasts， Preszler shows how one can achieve reconciliation through the healing power of creativity。
Trent Preszler thought he was living the life he always wanted， with a job at a winery and a seaside Long Island home， when he was called back to the life he left behind。 After years of estrangement， his cancer-stricken father had invited him to South Dakota for Thanksgiving。 It would be the last time he saw his father alive。
Preszler’s only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father， who was a cattle rancher， rodeo champion， and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient。 This family heirloom befuddled Preszler。 He did not work with his hands—but maybe that was the point。 In his grief， he wondered if there was still a way to understand his father， and with that came an epiphany: he would make something with his inheritance。 Having no experience or training in woodcraft， driven only by blind will， he decided to build a wooden canoe， and he would aim to paddle it on the first anniversary of his father’s death。
While Preszler taught himself how to use his father’s tools， he confronted unexpected revelations about his father’s secret history and his own struggle for self-respect。 The grueling challenges of boatbuilding tested his limits， but the canoe became his sole consolation。 Gradually， Preszler learned what working with his hands offered: a different perspective on life， and the means to change it。
Little and Often is an unflinching account of bereavement and a stirring reflection on the complexities of inheritance。 Between his past and his present， and between America’s heartland and its coasts， Preszler shows how one can achieve reconciliation through the healing power of creativity。
Reviews
Kelly Ulmer
，
Good read。 A little too detailed with woodworking。 But a very nice story。 I love how the ending wrapped all the pieces together。
Kathleen Gray
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A beautiful memoir。 Preszler left his small town in South Dakota （so far from everything） snd didn't look back until his father called to ask him to come home for Thanksgiving because he was dying。 How they reconciled after years of estrangement is at the heart of this but it 's also about Preszler's reconciliation with himself。 His inheritance from his father was a toolbox， which he used to build a canoe。 It's told in flashbacks that weaves the tale of both men into a coherent narrative。 Preszl A beautiful memoir。 Preszler left his small town in South Dakota （so far from everything） snd didn't look back until his father called to ask him to come home for Thanksgiving because he was dying。 How they reconciled after years of estrangement is at the heart of this but it 's also about Preszler's reconciliation with himself。 His inheritance from his father was a toolbox， which he used to build a canoe。 It's told in flashbacks that weaves the tale of both men into a coherent narrative。 Preszler's life on Long Island cold mot be more different than his upbringing but building the canoe， a reflective process， makes him realize how important even the bad things were。 I often find it difficult to review memoirs because it feels as though I'm judging someone's life or life choices but that's not the case here。 The writing is terrific and I learned something。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 Great thoughtful read。 。。。more
Carol Wit
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I won this book thru Goodreads giveaway's。 Thank youBeautifully written memoir， the author definitely captures you and takes you on a journey with him。 This story was an account of how， after his father’s death， Preszler built a canoe with his inheritance—his father’s tools。 I thought it was quite moving and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 I won this book thru Goodreads giveaway's。 Thank youBeautifully written memoir， the author definitely captures you and takes you on a journey with him。 This story was an account of how， after his father’s death， Preszler built a canoe with his inheritance—his father’s tools。 I thought it was quite moving and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 。。。more
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Little and Often is an honest memoir that is as simple and simultaneously as complex as life。 Due out 27th April 2021 from William Morrow/Harper Collins on their Custom House imprint， it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。This is Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Little and Often is an honest memoir that is as simple and simultaneously as complex as life。 Due out 27th April 2021 from William Morrow/Harper Collins on their Custom House imprint， it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。This is a deeply moving and personal memoir about family， grief， loss， honesty， and growth。 The author has a clear and engaging voice and writes openly about difficult and painful periods in his own life。 I found myself drawn into his story and I experienced some of the same with my own not-always-easy relationship with my own father。 The author uses an interwoven flashback type narrative to retell stories from his past alongside relevant important moments from his father's passing and his own adulthood and careers （he's also a vintner whose merlot was served at Barack Obama's 2013 inaugural luncheon; he picked up a doctorate along the way and has led an otherwise remarkable life）。 Beautifully written and moving。 I enjoyed it a lot。 I recommend it to readers of memoir and personal stories。 The author is erudite and fascinating。 Five stars。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Temple
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The structure of this memoir is so exciting。 It’s not a linear narrative in the， “this happened， and then that happened， and then this” format。 More interestingly， Trent shares his stories like a friend does over a bottle of wine- conversationally and intimately。 His stories are natural and fluid in their telling。 He gracefully weaves together past and present， and manages to tie each time leap together with perfect insight。 As someone with an estranged father， I was particularly moved by Trent’ The structure of this memoir is so exciting。 It’s not a linear narrative in the， “this happened， and then that happened， and then this” format。 More interestingly， Trent shares his stories like a friend does over a bottle of wine- conversationally and intimately。 His stories are natural and fluid in their telling。 He gracefully weaves together past and present， and manages to tie each time leap together with perfect insight。 As someone with an estranged father， I was particularly moved by Trent’s relationship with his father and how that inspired a life changing project of building a canoe by hand。 To say I’m inspired is an understatement。 Not to build my own canoe， but to build an acceptance， little by little， with my father’s choices。 Highlights during this read include:- Trent’s inheritance and what he felt moved to do with it - All of Chapter 18， Branding Day， particularly the scene of Trent with the nut bucket， the vivid scene of Herman the bull’s offing， and Trent’s reflections on “worthless bulls that don’t breed”- The “pop！。。。 pop！。。。 pop！” scene toward the end of chapter 19- “The forest was calling， and I had to go” page 162 - Chapter 21， “I had to learn from the bitterness of my disaster。 My instructor was not a book this time; instead， it was failure， an exacting teacher whose methods sometimes involved the cracking of wood and the spilling of blood。” - Chapter 26， Trent’s musings on wabi-sabi。- The theme of “little and often” throughout and how Trent pulled it together on the final page。 Cue the waterworks！ 。。。more
Connie
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I loved this book！ Trent talks through and comes to terms with the events of his life。
Sonee
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I don’t normally read memoirs but I enjoyed this one。 I decided to read it because the author is a fellow Cornellian。 It provides an interesting contrast between the author’s life growing up in a ranch in South Dakota and his current life as a winery manager in New York。 The story lays out the complex family dynamics and tragedies in layers so it gets more intricate as new information is revealed。
Sara Rishforth
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I really loved this memoir！ I savored every story Preszler told about his childhood and also enjoyed the woodworking。 My husband is a woodworker， and he loved that I was reading a book about it。 Preszler was honest， interesting， and the kind of person I want to meet。 His canoes on his website are absolutely gorgeous， and I'm in awe of his talent。 Keep tissues handy！ I really loved this memoir！ I savored every story Preszler told about his childhood and also enjoyed the woodworking。 My husband is a woodworker， and he loved that I was reading a book about it。 Preszler was honest， interesting， and the kind of person I want to meet。 His canoes on his website are absolutely gorgeous， and I'm in awe of his talent。 Keep tissues handy！ 。。。more
LeeAnn
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I liked this book。 It was okay。 I didn't have any overwhelmingly positive or negative feelings about it。It was a good read。 Maybe not in the "feel good" category， but not in the "depressing" category either。Would I recommend it？ Possibly。 Others may love it。 I liked this book。 It was okay。 I didn't have any overwhelmingly positive or negative feelings about it。It was a good read。 Maybe not in the "feel good" category， but not in the "depressing" category either。Would I recommend it？ Possibly。 Others may love it。 。。。more
Nayeli
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Touching and well told。
Sunni Parker
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Excellent story- thank you for the opportunity to read this， Trent Preszler！
Jennifer
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A truly beautiful memoir about love and family and grief and boatbuilding; about working through the grief of the loss of a parent。
Cathy
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Little and often was the way I read Trent Preszler’s memoir of the same name， an account of how， after his father’s death， Preszler built a canoe with his inheritance—his father’s tools。 Reading a few pages each night for a month， I journeyed with Preszler into grief mitigated by the power of memory， loss transformed by the mastery of craft， and a relationship healed after death。 The beautifully worded narrative moves seamlessly through time， weaving Preszler’s childhood on a ranch in the Dakota Little and often was the way I read Trent Preszler’s memoir of the same name， an account of how， after his father’s death， Preszler built a canoe with his inheritance—his father’s tools。 Reading a few pages each night for a month， I journeyed with Preszler into grief mitigated by the power of memory， loss transformed by the mastery of craft， and a relationship healed after death。 The beautifully worded narrative moves seamlessly through time， weaving Preszler’s childhood on a ranch in the Dakotas with his adult life as a New York winemaker living on Long Island。 As he recounts his experiences during the course of building the canoe， Preszler’s introspection reveals unexpected connections between these two radically different experiences， shifting his perception of events and self， and enriching his understanding of family relationships， especially his relationship with his father。 A rich and satisfying read。 。。。more
TK
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I highly recommend this magnificent memoir。 Trent Preszler reconciles his estranged relationship with his father by building a wooden canoe with his father's tools， a perplexing inheritance。 Moving back and forth in time， Trent relates memories of his early life to moments spent working on the canoe。 In the hands of a lesser writer， and a less thoughtful human， this story could have been one giant cliche， but Trent transcends all of that with his unflagging honesty and strength of character。 Whi I highly recommend this magnificent memoir。 Trent Preszler reconciles his estranged relationship with his father by building a wooden canoe with his father's tools， a perplexing inheritance。 Moving back and forth in time， Trent relates memories of his early life to moments spent working on the canoe。 In the hands of a lesser writer， and a less thoughtful human， this story could have been one giant cliche， but Trent transcends all of that with his unflagging honesty and strength of character。 While Trent's precise experience as a gay man separated by time and place from his stoic， rancher dad is nothing like mine， I found myself relating to his story nevertheless。 And isn't that what turns memoir into something more than an autobiography -- the moments in our specific lives that reveal our common struggles and triumphs？ Now I must go google images of Trent's canoe。 Read this book！ 。。。more
Carrie Seim
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