The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays
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- Create Date：2022-07-20 18:21:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：C.J. Hauser
- ISBN：0385547072
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Reviews
Lindsey Rinehart
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I love memoirs written in essay form and believe Hauser to be a beautiful writer。 At some points it felt like it was trying a little too hard to be clever for cleverness sake and the writing was slightly more literary than I prefer。
Bleu
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Presented through essays， Hauser has spent years considering how life is 'supposed to be' and what that means for her。 In her frank and humorous style， she delves into her life， considering her definitions and realisations of love and relationships。 After officiating a wedding， visiting a fertility clinic， rereading Rebecca and studying The X Files， she furthers her ideas on what she should be looking for from life。 If anything at all。 'She is meant to contain within her own self everything n Presented through essays， Hauser has spent years considering how life is 'supposed to be' and what that means for her。 In her frank and humorous style， she delves into her life， considering her definitions and realisations of love and relationships。 After officiating a wedding， visiting a fertility clinic， rereading Rebecca and studying The X Files， she furthers her ideas on what she should be looking for from life。 If anything at all。 'She is meant to contain within her own self everything necessary to be happy。' 25%Periodically， each essay delivers a profound phrase or concept。 It takes a journey to reach it， but， as 'Siberian Watermelon' explores， that is the point。 'I tried to learn from all the years of mistakes that had come before， even as I was sure I was making new ones。' 98%The language and structure create a broad and layered story in each essay， although the emotional connection can be inconsistent。 However， this is true of all such collections; topics and contexts resonant differently for different people。 As Hauser explores， it is impossible for all aspects of one person to align with all aspects of someone else。 Although， the insight into another's mentality and experiences is sharp and compelling。 As such， 'The Crane Wife' and 'The Second Mrs。 de Winter' struck a chord with me more than the others。 It is also because of this that， upon completing the book， I felt there were only a few points to take away from it。 Instead， after reading back on my highlights， I realised that I had internalised them so quickly， because they accurately reflected my experiences， that I hadn't needed time to process them。 Whether this is good writing or the right writing at the right time， I could not say; either way， it was good and right。 'What were you told had to happen in a story for it to feel complete？' 95% 。。。more
Kristi
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Some essays I loved， some not so much
Hillary Copsey
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Loved this from start to finish and devoured it through one rainy Sunday。 Sharp， smart and tender writing。 Familiar themes， but done so well it felt fresh。
LoneStarWords Deb Coco
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What stories were you told…about the shape of love， the shape of yourself， the shape of a happy life。。。。What were you told had to happen in a story for it to feel complete？The Crane WifeC。J。 Hauser•Absolutely floored。 I bought The Crane Wife on Friday after tracing its origins to @parisreview essay that went viral。 I read that essay on Thursday night （wondering how I'd missed it originally） and knew I needed this book in my life。•And then I read all weekend， stopping only for animal care and foo What stories were you told…about the shape of love， the shape of yourself， the shape of a happy life。。。。What were you told had to happen in a story for it to feel complete？The Crane WifeC。J。 Hauser•Absolutely floored。 I bought The Crane Wife on Friday after tracing its origins to @parisreview essay that went viral。 I read that essay on Thursday night （wondering how I'd missed it originally） and knew I needed this book in my life。•And then I read all weekend， stopping only for animal care and food。 My first thought is that I want to put these unabashedly honest essays into the hands of my three grown daughters and all their friends。 I want them to experience the way C。J。 Hauser takes us into the backstory of her life and loves and tells us to accept ourselves - to live our lives without the weight of others' expectations。 Whether that is marriage， or sexuality or the decision to have children， Hauser's meditations on these issues will resonate with so many women。 This is such an authentic memoir - a self-reckoning full of both humor and raw pain that comes full circle to say "it's ok to feel this way！" But it's so much more。。。•I love that Hauser wants others in her life to make room for dogs （because I do too）！ I love that her prose has an authentic， intimate and natural flow to it that feels as though you're listening to a friend。 I love that Yaddo played a role in this book， having lived just down the street from this beautiful， literary community for a decade。 I love her passion for Rebecca and how she masterfully wove it into her story。 But most of all I love that at its core， The Crane Wife is about our internal dramas and how to move beyond them without compromising who we are and what we want。 I don't think there's a better lesson out there and Hauser teaches it well。 And I wish she'd been my college English professor and wow， she’s clearly a great friend。•Thank you to C。J。 Hauser for bearing your soul！ It was a beautiful read。 。。。more
Andrea
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This is a delicately written and engaging memoir， told in a series of essays， dealing with love， friendship， and family。 It gives you lots to think about and some good takeaways: know your worth - never settle for less than you deserve！ It’s intimate， funny， candid and likeable vulnerable。 That’s it！ I really enjoyed it！ Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。 All views are my own。
Kerry
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The X-Files， gardening， dramatically bad relationships， and houses。 Of course I loved this！
Kara
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Like many others， I was enthralled with Hauser's 2019 essay published in The Paris Review。 Without having a mirrored experience to Hauser's， her essay felt so honest and relatable that it stuck in my mind for days。 I reread it several times。 I could hardly wait for this full collection， which bears the same name as her aforementioned essay。The Crane Wife （the collection） had everything "The Crane Wife" （the essay） had that I loved so much。 Hauser is readable and relatable （at least to me， admitt Like many others， I was enthralled with Hauser's 2019 essay published in The Paris Review。 Without having a mirrored experience to Hauser's， her essay felt so honest and relatable that it stuck in my mind for days。 I reread it several times。 I could hardly wait for this full collection， which bears the same name as her aforementioned essay。The Crane Wife （the collection） had everything "The Crane Wife" （the essay） had that I loved so much。 Hauser is readable and relatable （at least to me， admittedly in a demographic very similar to her own）， and I did not feel stuck in any individual essay， which happens to me quite often in collection。 There were a few essays where another piece of media served as an anchor， and they worked quite successfully without breaking stride。 I'm sure it didn't hurt that one of these was on du Maurier's Rebecca， one of my all time favorites。 As the autobiographical essay is prone to do， the stories in Hauser's collection are focused through her lens。 Her worldview。 I suppose if yours is somewhat similar， you may find additional resonance compared to those who find less commonality。 I mention this because the main critique I've seen of The Crane Wife is that it holds a certain repetitiveness， but I found this to be such a silly take！ Hauser is writing through moments in her life which greatly impacted her emotionally and mentally。 Many of them grapple with love， loss， finding home， and finding yourself。 Who isn't shaped by these？ Who doesn't fight to find their way through them？ Who isn't looking for a way to weave them through your experiences， learning something useful from your pain， your mistakes， your love？Regardless， if you've found yourself here because you loved "The Crane Wife" （the essay）， rest assured you will also love The Crane Wife （the collection）。 It's sharp， warm， and left me ready for more。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title for review。 。。。more
Liv Noble
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most interesting essays are the ones where she talks about working herself outside the romance box！！
Margaret
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Time Magazine
Steve Cripwell
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Ten days after calling off her wedding， the writer went on an expedition to study the whooping crane。 The Crane Wife is a book for anyone who’s life isn’t what they expected it to be。This is a life story told in a series of essays。 They are frank and honest。 Sometimes funny， often not， but always interesting。 I don’t think I have ever read a tale told this way but it certainly works well。 In fact， it's a wonderfully written piece of art。 Told in a down-to-earth fashion as the author bleeds her e Ten days after calling off her wedding， the writer went on an expedition to study the whooping crane。 The Crane Wife is a book for anyone who’s life isn’t what they expected it to be。This is a life story told in a series of essays。 They are frank and honest。 Sometimes funny， often not， but always interesting。 I don’t think I have ever read a tale told this way but it certainly works well。 In fact， it's a wonderfully written piece of art。 Told in a down-to-earth fashion as the author bleeds her emotions on to the page。 It does ramble a little， however， but quickly returns to the story。 On the whole， a good read。 。。。more
Steve Cripwell
，
Ten days after calling off her wedding， the writer went on an expedition to study the whooping crane。 The Crane Wife is a book for anyone whose life isn’t what they expected it to be。This is a life story told in a series of essays。 They are frank and honest。 Sometimes funny， often not， but always interesting。 I don’t think I have ever read a tale told this way but it certainly works well。 In fact， it's a wonderfully written piece of art。 Told in a down-to-earth fashion as the author bleeds her e Ten days after calling off her wedding， the writer went on an expedition to study the whooping crane。 The Crane Wife is a book for anyone whose life isn’t what they expected it to be。This is a life story told in a series of essays。 They are frank and honest。 Sometimes funny， often not， but always interesting。 I don’t think I have ever read a tale told this way but it certainly works well。 In fact， it's a wonderfully written piece of art。 Told in a down-to-earth fashion as the author bleeds her emotions onto the page。 It does ramble a little， however， but quickly returns to the story。 On the whole， a good read。 。。。more
Hannah Voss
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I’ll start this review the way everyone else likely has – by saying that in 2019 I read and reread CJ Hauser’s essay entitled ‘The Crane Wife’。 Seeing that she had transformed the essay into a book， I feverishly tried to boost my NetGalley rating in the hopes of getting a copy to review。 To my surprise， once I had my copy I found myself slogging through the book and struggling to write a review。 I find that my feelings about it are indeterminate， much like the book itself。The Crane Wife， Hauser’ I’ll start this review the way everyone else likely has – by saying that in 2019 I read and reread CJ Hauser’s essay entitled ‘The Crane Wife’。 Seeing that she had transformed the essay into a book， I feverishly tried to boost my NetGalley rating in the hopes of getting a copy to review。 To my surprise， once I had my copy I found myself slogging through the book and struggling to write a review。 I find that my feelings about it are indeterminate， much like the book itself。The Crane Wife， Hauser’s memoir-qua-essay-collection of the same name， constructs a narrative of the author’s experiences and thoughts on love， relationships， and motherhood via reflections on the externalities of her life: films， family histories， public figures， and coincidental architecture （her sister lives in Shirley Jackson’s old house）。 Hauser is a compelling writer: an acute observer with an eye for the details that transform life into literature。 At her best， she takes the mundane and makes it extraordinary， penning compelling essays with highly original insights。 And she is at her best when she takes on the subject of family at a slant — her experiences with her grandparents’ ashes and her creation of a found family of friends， alongside her lost family of the daughters of her ex-boyfriends， show another way to populate your life， when the traditional route of marriage and family fail to materialise。 The title essay remains the standout， and reminded me what I originally found so exciting about Hauser’s work。 I was especially moved to revisit it， having had my own experiences with the whooping cranes in south Texas since I first read her essay。 Coming back to it now reminded me of my own growth since 2019， which I saw beautifully reflected back at me in the essay itself。 Other strong essays are the ones in which Hauser interweaves her life with the media that shaped it — The Philadelphia Story， The X Files， Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca。 These essays are metatextual reflections on how the structures of relationships we witness form the relationships we enter， a reality Hauser’s book attempts to reflect in order to disrupt。 At times， however， the elements of Hauser’s writing that contribute to her success as an essayist translate poorly to a full-length memoir。 Her tendency to elevate the everyday can sometimes come across as an attempt to give meaning to things that simply aren’t that meaningful; her essay on Shirley Jackson and her niece is a particularly strong example of that。 Yes， it is strange that her sister lives in Jackson’s old house; however， the reflection on her own place in her sister’s family this fact sets up falls flat when Hauser reveals， after very little introduction， that the haunting presence of Jackson’s novels do not come to bear in this context; her niece loves her and her sister and brother-in-law welcome her。 （Oh， okay。） The essay has no stakes; this stakelessness reoccurs often in The Crane Wife。Moreover， Hauser favours punchy， short sentences which， again， are effective within the context of a single essay， but fall flat when repeated in many essays throughout an entire collection。 Once they start to feel repetitive， they lose their impact entirely and become annoying。 It’s this kind of aspect of the memoir that can make it veer into feeling like someone trying to make their life sound interesting， which is a shame， because I think Hauser’s life is interesting， and her insights important。Ultimately， I would still class Hauser as a brilliant author and after reading The Crane Wife I am keen to read her fiction。 However， The Crane Wife， to me， inadequately fulfils its purpose of constructing a memoir from disparate essays — it is best when it forgets to be a memoir; when it remembers， the keen observations that are Hauser’s gift have to be strong-armed into some overarching narrative of her life， often in ways that make the subject matter less compelling。 I once read a review of Joan Didion’s work that complimented her lack of fear of the ‘I’ when delving into the outside world。 Thinking in these terms， I would say that Hauser’s work suffers out of a need to reach for the ‘I’。 My recommendation， then， would be to read it slowly， absorbing one essay and then putting it aside until you’re feeling more of the itch that Hauser is so good at scratching。[The Crane Wife is out on 14 July 2022。 Thank you very much to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。] 。。。more
Julie
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Beautiful writing。 I appreciated the author’s willingness to be vulnerable and share her journey to figuring out who she is and who she wants to be and how she has moved through relationships。 It’s complicated！ I am a little older than the demographic for this book but really appreciated the writing。
BeautyntheBook
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The Crane Wife⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you @doubleday for my gifted ARC！“I’m starting to think that living a dramatic， story-worthy life and happiness are， at worst， mutually exclusive， and， at best， giving each other a run for their money。”Another day， another parking lot selfie with my last book。 I love a good memoir and I also love short essays so this packed the ultimate punch for me！ C。J。 Hauser includes the essay that went viral， The Crane Wife， along with many other poignant stories that are so well The Crane Wife⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you @doubleday for my gifted ARC！“I’m starting to think that living a dramatic， story-worthy life and happiness are， at worst， mutually exclusive， and， at best， giving each other a run for their money。”Another day， another parking lot selfie with my last book。 I love a good memoir and I also love short essays so this packed the ultimate punch for me！ C。J。 Hauser includes the essay that went viral， The Crane Wife， along with many other poignant stories that are so well-written， you are either laughing out loud and looking over your shoulder to see if anyone saw you， or you’re dropping your jaw like…did they really just say that？！ Here are some of my favorites from this collection:🦢The Crane Wife 💄Hepburn qua Hepburn🍉 Siberian Watermelon 💨 Newport🦊 The Fox Farm 。。。more
Alwynne
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I thought the label “memoir in essays” was a little misleading， some of the pieces collected here were presumably custom-made， and all are semi-autobiographical but a fair number， like the phenomenally-successful “The Crane Wife”， read as if they’re examples taken from C J Hauser’s greatest hits。 And， although there’s a sense of the author’s background， family， childhood etc， it’s really quite a fragmented self-portrait。 Instead， what stood out were recurrent themes revolving around the difficul I thought the label “memoir in essays” was a little misleading， some of the pieces collected here were presumably custom-made， and all are semi-autobiographical but a fair number， like the phenomenally-successful “The Crane Wife”， read as if they’re examples taken from C J Hauser’s greatest hits。 And， although there’s a sense of the author’s background， family， childhood etc， it’s really quite a fragmented self-portrait。 Instead， what stood out were recurrent themes revolving around the difficulties of negotiating a sense of self and attempting a successful， all-consuming relationship with another person。 This broadens out into musings on the nature of romance and the sorts of cultural expectations about love and marriage Hauser found herself caught up in。 Hauser was keen to avoid referring to “women” in the marketing for her book， and it’s true enough that the kind of writing featured here can cut across gender divides – Alexander Chee’s articles for example。 But even though Hauser vaguely refers to herself as queer/bi/pan my overwhelming impression was of being presented with the thoughts and experiences of a hetero woman grappling with her feelings about men， there’s just so much here about men， and men from a woman’s perspective。 I think this is part of the reason I found these difficult to connect with at times。 And identification is crucial for this kind of writing， an offshoot of the “intelligent” lifestyle feature commonly found in publications like Vogue， The New York Times or The Guardian， which largely depends on setting up moments of recognition for readers。 And， like those too， these are intelligent but not too weighty， filled with cultural reference points from books and films: Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz， the dynamic between Scully and Mulder in The X-Files and what The Philadelphia Story asserts about women’s choices when it comes to selecting a man。 They’re recognisably part of a tradition that harks back to Nora Ephron and Meghan Daum to Eula Biss and beyond。 Although they’re not as consistently witty as Ephron’s essays or as relentlessly incisive as the best of Biss。It’s not that I didn’t enjoy a number of the entries， I just rarely found myself fully engaged with them。 Apart from the title piece which skilfully weaves together Japanese legend， whooping cranes and ducking out of her wedding， I appreciated Hauser’s reflections on Shirley Jackson; her slightly absurdist take on John Belushi and family graveyards; her thoughts on what du Maurier’s Rebecca might teach us about encounters with the ghosts of someone’s former loves; and her frank depiction of the literal horrors of online dating。 There are some excellent passages， some pleasing dry humour， and some memorable lines， although the essay structure can start to seem a little formulaic after a while - unlike a conventional memoir that’s intended to be read as a continuous narrative， this would probably work best approached as a collection to dip in and out of。Thanks to Netgalley UK and publisher Penguin for an ARC 。。。more
Mairéad
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2。5/5 An interesting collection of essays detailling the authors experiences of love， friendship， family and life in general。 I've come to really that essay collections are not a format I particularly enjoy though there were definitely some that I found relatable and intriguing。 This is my first encounter with the author and I found her writing style didn't work well for me but I can see fans of her work loving this intimate look at her life to date。 Thanks to NetGalley。co。uk and Penguin Random 2。5/5 An interesting collection of essays detailling the authors experiences of love， friendship， family and life in general。 I've come to really that essay collections are not a format I particularly enjoy though there were definitely some that I found relatable and intriguing。 This is my first encounter with the author and I found her writing style didn't work well for me but I can see fans of her work loving this intimate look at her life to date。 Thanks to NetGalley。co。uk and Penguin Random House LLC for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sarah
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I read Hauser's essay The Crane Wife in 2019 and thought it was a beautiful piece of writing， so I was excited to read more of Hauser's essays。 The essays tell stories from her life through different lenses， such as the X Files， Shirely Jackson， and The Fantasticks。 One of my favorites was The Second Mrs。 de Winter which looked at a failed relationship through the lens of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier。 It was slow， contemplative， and occasionally a little sad， but I enjoyed all the essays。Thanks I read Hauser's essay The Crane Wife in 2019 and thought it was a beautiful piece of writing， so I was excited to read more of Hauser's essays。 The essays tell stories from her life through different lenses， such as the X Files， Shirely Jackson， and The Fantasticks。 One of my favorites was The Second Mrs。 de Winter which looked at a failed relationship through the lens of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier。 It was slow， contemplative， and occasionally a little sad， but I enjoyed all the essays。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Anne O'Connell
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I first encountered CJ Hauser when she was a guest on the Penguin podcast。 I don’t often read memoirs so I have little to compare this to; I wonder whether it’s normal to be quite so soul-baring and candid。 But what I can say is that it is captivating from the off。 The writing is so good as to be unnoticeable most of the time， except when it hits you in the solar plexus with its home truths。 Sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the second， it is always absorbing。There’s no linear narra I first encountered CJ Hauser when she was a guest on the Penguin podcast。 I don’t often read memoirs so I have little to compare this to; I wonder whether it’s normal to be quite so soul-baring and candid。 But what I can say is that it is captivating from the off。 The writing is so good as to be unnoticeable most of the time， except when it hits you in the solar plexus with its home truths。 Sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the second， it is always absorbing。There’s no linear narrative I could discern， with subjects and episodes being introduced organically， but I didn’t find that off-putting。 The range is wide。 Hauser’s description of the events and conversations that led to her deciding not to marry her fiancé quite close to the day is unflinching， and instructive， too – if only we all had the wisdom to make such clear-sighted decisions or， even better， not get ourselves into those situations in the first place。 And her dissection of the Philadelphia Story， from which my beloved High Society was adapted， is compelling and has made me want to re-watch with a feminist eye （that’s my excuse， anyway）。 There are some pretty profound reflections on self and family and death but it’s far from gloomy – I’d say the tone is more optimistic， even life-affirming。 However it’s described， it’s well worth a read。I received a free proof copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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An unusual and elegant memoir of relationships。 I， unlike many who will eagerly seize this book， missed the what I now know is the famous Crane Wife essay so this was a fresh and unexpected read for me。 That's a gorgeous essay， with imagery that sticks in the mind。 The other 19 essays both expand and go laterally on the themes of love， loss， and hope。 Hauser uses Rebecca， the Philadelphia Story， and， of all people， Jim Belushi as cornerstones。 I would caution that this should be read not in one An unusual and elegant memoir of relationships。 I， unlike many who will eagerly seize this book， missed the what I now know is the famous Crane Wife essay so this was a fresh and unexpected read for me。 That's a gorgeous essay， with imagery that sticks in the mind。 The other 19 essays both expand and go laterally on the themes of love， loss， and hope。 Hauser uses Rebecca， the Philadelphia Story， and， of all people， Jim Belushi as cornerstones。 I would caution that this should be read not in one sitting but rather one essay at a time a day at a time in order to more fully appreciate （and avoid a slight sense of repetitiveness） the work。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 Terrific read。 。。。more
Hannah Bae
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Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC。I've been looking forward to this book ever since I saw the news of its deal， following the electrified reception to C。J。 Hauser's title essay in The Paris Review。 This is a book that I needed to read right now， a book that takes readers on the author's journey to refuse to make herself small for the sake of a relationship。 Through these pages， Hauser reflects thoughtfully on failed past relationships， grants her younger self the kind of grace any memoi Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC。I've been looking forward to this book ever since I saw the news of its deal， following the electrified reception to C。J。 Hauser's title essay in The Paris Review。 This is a book that I needed to read right now， a book that takes readers on the author's journey to refuse to make herself small for the sake of a relationship。 Through these pages， Hauser reflects thoughtfully on failed past relationships， grants her younger self the kind of grace any memoir reader craves， especially when writing about her inability to accept her own queerness at an earlier age。 I loved the way this book dissects culture， from the Daphne du Maurier novel "Rebecca" to the films "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Philadelphia Story，" as a way of revealing truths about the narrator's conception of love and her self。 "The Crane Wife" will come as a comfort to many readers who may be experiencing some version of their own personal turmoil， with a winsome， funny， vulnerable， smart narrator serving as guide。 。。。more
Alwyn Duffy
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The Title essay 'The Crane Wife' came out a few years ago - I had not read it before now， and this essay was definitely brilliant。 A couple of the essays didn't capture me the same way （The X files and also Rebecca - now that ending is spoilt for me also） However those are minor complaints as each essay contains really wonderful reflections and universal experiences on womanhood， love， relationships and ultimately being true to oneself （even when you don't have it all figured out）。 I really enjo The Title essay 'The Crane Wife' came out a few years ago - I had not read it before now， and this essay was definitely brilliant。 A couple of the essays didn't capture me the same way （The X files and also Rebecca - now that ending is spoilt for me also） However those are minor complaints as each essay contains really wonderful reflections and universal experiences on womanhood， love， relationships and ultimately being true to oneself （even when you don't have it all figured out）。 I really enjoyed CJ's writing style and narrative voice and would recommend particularly if looking to read more female-authored essay collections。 Thanks to Netgalley for the arc！ 。。。more
Lisa
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book。I heard about the title essay "The Crane Wife" when it was read by so many people a few years back， but I never got around to reading it。 I should have， because it's brilliant， and several of the other essays collected here are satisfying in the same way。 A few of the essays were a bit of a struggle to get through （namely the X-Files one）， but each possessed at least some nugget of wisdom or clarity that made it worth the read。 In Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book。I heard about the title essay "The Crane Wife" when it was read by so many people a few years back， but I never got around to reading it。 I should have， because it's brilliant， and several of the other essays collected here are satisfying in the same way。 A few of the essays were a bit of a struggle to get through （namely the X-Files one）， but each possessed at least some nugget of wisdom or clarity that made it worth the read。 In her best work， Hauser does an incredible job of exploring what it's like to be a woman in the world， to figure out that the goals and dreams we've held onto might not have a strong foundation， to learn that friendship and knowing yourself and connecting with family members are more powerful than the drama and strife of romantic love。 It can be hard for me to connect to the voice of someone who grew up with as much privilege as Hauser seemed to （for example， she seems to have easily seen as many plays and shows in New York as she wanted as a teenager -- "I got tickets，" she says， so easily）， but enough of this felt universally relatable and wise that I got past that disconnect。 I love essay-style memoirs， and I would recommend this one to anyone who seeks out beautifully written essays that are painfully honest。 。。。more
Lu Etchells
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I have to be honest， there’s a part of me that wants to score this a three – but， I have to be equally honest and say that’s more of a reflection on me as a reader， than the author。I went into this blind， having never heard of CJ Hauser， let alone read any of her previous work。 Unlike many other reviewers， I’d not had the pleasure of stumbling across the title essay before， so I think， in some ways， I may have been at a bit of a disadvantage。The problem with a collection of anything – short stor I have to be honest， there’s a part of me that wants to score this a three – but， I have to be equally honest and say that’s more of a reflection on me as a reader， than the author。I went into this blind， having never heard of CJ Hauser， let alone read any of her previous work。 Unlike many other reviewers， I’d not had the pleasure of stumbling across the title essay before， so I think， in some ways， I may have been at a bit of a disadvantage。The problem with a collection of anything – short stories， essays etc is that the whole can be marked down by the few。 As is somewhat inevitable， some of these essays were infinitely superior to others。 Frankly， I really enjoyed the short and snappy， fast paced earlier essays in the collection， the familial recollections which were funny and insightful。 Many of the longer ones felt out of place as a result， and in part， bored me。Having not seen The Philadelphia Story （I no longer feel I need to – CJ Hauser proper plot spoilt that one） or read Rebecca （I tried， aged 13， and it overwhelmed me） – these two essays made me feel like the odd one out at a party。 I could listen in， and occasionally nod along， but for the largest part， didn’t feel I belonged there。 Though， plus side， I probably will try Rebecca again now as a result of that essay， so it’s not all bad。It was that realisation that bumped me from my mediocre three。 Not all of this was going to thrill me， and that’s OK。 It doesn’t have to。 However， there was enough content there that made me smile， laugh， nod along knowingly to or stop and reflect。 As someone who is currently trying to push herself out of her reading comfort zone， this definitely ticked the box for me。 I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who feels they should be doing something else with their reading time – this isn’t my kind of thing at all， and I think I am left with a sense of having enjoyed the journey overall。 。。。more
Clarisa Butler
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CJ Hauser's voice is self-deprecating， intelligent， honest （or so one thinks！） and definitely worth reading， regardless of where you are in your human development （I confess I am well passed CJH's generation）。 Yet， despite that gap， I have enjoyed hugely this collection of snapshots and reflections on the vagaries of love and relationships， on becoming the self one actually is， based （we are told and I believe） on the author's own history and family。 The writing is excellent: vivid， reflective， CJ Hauser's voice is self-deprecating， intelligent， honest （or so one thinks！） and definitely worth reading， regardless of where you are in your human development （I confess I am well passed CJH's generation）。 Yet， despite that gap， I have enjoyed hugely this collection of snapshots and reflections on the vagaries of love and relationships， on becoming the self one actually is， based （we are told and I believe） on the author's own history and family。 The writing is excellent: vivid， reflective， humorous， never obvious， always beautifully surprising。 The anecdotes which prompt each chapter range from the mundane to the bathetic， from the poignant to the hilarious， always keeping a sort of skepticism towards the narrator herself， which is ultimately the protagonist of most stories or has a close familiar connection with them。 They are all interesting， with unusually striking images （the titular crane plucking her feathers， a peripatetic plastic bag of human ashes。。。 which raise the impact of the biographical material to a far more universal plane。 These explorations of self， anchored on matters of progeny and mortality， love and identity， are compelling and enlightening about being a woman， but also and what makes them particularly successful， really entertaining （fun！） to read。 They provide excellent material for discussion and pondering and not only at a bookclub！！ - their ethical quality won me。 。。。more
Amanda
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I found the first section of essays to be the most compelling but each essay throughout the book gave me something to love， consider， remember。 I laughed， I cried。
Natalie Sanchez
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'The Crane Wife' is a book I typically go for when I want to read a memoir and reading it reminded me of why I love memoirs。 These series of essays reflects CJ Hauser's life as she remembers it。 She dissects every relationship from the idea of being a "Crane Wife' and shedding her feathers for love。 It was sad at some parts， it was funny and light in others。 The only downside to this book comes to me because while I was reading this novel I was doing a study abroad program in Peru。 I couldn't he 'The Crane Wife' is a book I typically go for when I want to read a memoir and reading it reminded me of why I love memoirs。 These series of essays reflects CJ Hauser's life as she remembers it。 She dissects every relationship from the idea of being a "Crane Wife' and shedding her feathers for love。 It was sad at some parts， it was funny and light in others。 The only downside to this book comes to me because while I was reading this novel I was doing a study abroad program in Peru。 I couldn't help but think that CJ Hauser was "complaining" about all her failed relationships。 I think if I was in a different state of mind I would have enjoyed this book a lot more。 。。。more
Des
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The Crane Wife starts brilliantly。 For me it then kind of lost its way。 I persevered but eventually at the 50% point， I decided to abandon the book。 I can't explain why this book just didn't work for me。 It is candid and raw and comes across as authentic enough。 I just could not connect enough to want to read any further， let alone finish it。 It kind of lacked coherence causing me to lose interest。 There is an excellent dissection of a movie （The Philadelphia Story） and some smart Scully/Mulder The Crane Wife starts brilliantly。 For me it then kind of lost its way。 I persevered but eventually at the 50% point， I decided to abandon the book。 I can't explain why this book just didn't work for me。 It is candid and raw and comes across as authentic enough。 I just could not connect enough to want to read any further， let alone finish it。 It kind of lacked coherence causing me to lose interest。 There is an excellent dissection of a movie （The Philadelphia Story） and some smart Scully/Mulder analysis but overall just not enough coherence to sustain my engagement。 。。。more
Jen Burrows
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The Crane Wife was one of those essays that I kept coming back to over the summer of 2019 - I had it bookmarked on my browser for weeks。 So when I saw Hauser was releasing a compilation book， I swooped to get my hands on a copy。There are a few essays that live up to the elegant masterpiece that is the title piece - I found Hauser's musing on friendship and familial love particularly poignant。 There's a fair amount of repetition， and it sometimes feels like Hauser is not entirely clear-eyed in he The Crane Wife was one of those essays that I kept coming back to over the summer of 2019 - I had it bookmarked on my browser for weeks。 So when I saw Hauser was releasing a compilation book， I swooped to get my hands on a copy。There are a few essays that live up to the elegant masterpiece that is the title piece - I found Hauser's musing on friendship and familial love particularly poignant。 There's a fair amount of repetition， and it sometimes feels like Hauser is not entirely clear-eyed in her constant battle between self-justification and self-flagellation， but there is something appealing about her honesty and wry humour。It may be best read in pieces， but The Crane Wife is a powerful collection of essays on the variegated nature of love。*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Roxane
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