Fiction

The Hero of This Book

The Hero of This Book

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-11-15 06:51:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elizabeth McCracken
  • ISBN：0063267543
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Summary

A taut， groundbreaking new novel from bestselling and award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken， about a writer's relationship with her larger-than-life mother--and about the very nature of writing， memory， and art

Ten months after her mother's death， the narrator of The Hero of This Book takes a trip to London。 The city was a favorite of her mother's， and as the narrator wanders the streets， she finds herself reflecting on her mother's life and their relationship。 Thoughts of the past meld with questions of the future: back in New England， the family home is now for sale， its considerable contents already winnowed。

The woman， a writer， recalls all that made her complicated mother extraordinary--her brilliant wit， her generosity， her unbelievable obstinacy， her sheer will in seizing life despite physical difficulties--and finds herself wondering how her mother had endured。 Even though she wants to respect her mother's nearly pathological sense of privacy， the woman must come to terms with whether making a chronicle of this remarkable life constitutes an act of love or betrayal。

The Hero of This Book is a searing examination of grief and renewal， and of a deeply felt relationship between a child and her parents。 What begins as a question of filial devotion ultimately becomes a lesson in what it means to write。 At once comic and heartbreaking， with prose that delights at every turn， this is a novel of such piercing love and tenderness that we are reminded that art is what remains when all else falls away。

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Reviews

Deborah ，

This wonderful book is difficult to characterize—is it memoir or fiction？ The author has written a moving， engaging account of a trip she took to London shortly after her mother’s death， to recreate the time they had spent together there a few years earlier。 What emerges is a loving， grieving reminiscence of her mother’s life， by any measure a one-of-a-kind figure who had a powerful impact on her novelist daughter。 Hard to describe， but lovely to read—a warts-and-all tribute to a greatly loved a This wonderful book is difficult to characterize—is it memoir or fiction？ The author has written a moving， engaging account of a trip she took to London shortly after her mother’s death， to recreate the time they had spent together there a few years earlier。 What emerges is a loving， grieving reminiscence of her mother’s life， by any measure a one-of-a-kind figure who had a powerful impact on her novelist daughter。 Hard to describe， but lovely to read—a warts-and-all tribute to a greatly loved and admired parent。 。。。more

Kurt Neumaier ，

I think Elizabeth McCracken writes some of the best sentences I've ever read。 This book was fine-good but every 10 to 15 pages she would just have an absolutely perfect sentence。 I think Elizabeth McCracken writes some of the best sentences I've ever read。 This book was fine-good but every 10 to 15 pages she would just have an absolutely perfect sentence。 。。。more

Sophia Liao ，

Elizabeth writes about her parents but mostly her mother with vivid memories and love。 As a middle age woman with aging parents， it touches a special spot in my heart。 I thought my own parents as I listened to her memories of hers。 It is a touching tribute to her mother and highly recommended。

Sarah ，

What a moving tribute to her mom— a funny， steadfast and large-though-small presence。 I honestly loved this book。

Mary ，

Hmm。 This book seems unresolved to me。 I don’t feel like it was much of a memoir even if McCracken did describe her mother in an achingly beautiful way。 And a musings on what it is to write…。well， they were all over the place。So I guess it’s a fairly good portrait of the messiness of life。

Nicole ，

The Hero of This Book， by Elizabeth McCracken， is an interesting read to say the least。。 Is it a memoir or is it fiction？ The author says it isn’t a memoir but it reads like one。 Never the less it is a story about a woman and her parents and looking back on their lives。 The woman， a writer is in London after her mothers death and reminisces about how complicated her parents were。 She was loved， she know that for sure but they were quirky。 As an only child， she had come to help her parents more a The Hero of This Book， by Elizabeth McCracken， is an interesting read to say the least。。 Is it a memoir or is it fiction？ The author says it isn’t a memoir but it reads like one。 Never the less it is a story about a woman and her parents and looking back on their lives。 The woman， a writer is in London after her mothers death and reminisces about how complicated her parents were。 She was loved， she know that for sure but they were quirky。 As an only child， she had come to help her parents more and more。 Trips from TX to Boston were a frequent and her relationship with her parents morphs into something else。 Over all the author does a great job of telling this family’s story。 Whether they are a real family or not， doesn’t really matter in the end。 The writing was excellent and the characters were very interesting。 They were flawed but loving， which seems so honest。 This was a four star read for me。 I want to thank Netgalley & the author for my copy for an honest review。 It was my pleasure to read and review。 。。。more

Heather Hunter ，

I enjoyed this book about the life of the author’s mother， who led an inspiring， energetic life。 I enjoy the author’s writing style but I did feel a bit impatient at times about the stream of conscience moments which interrupted an interesting story。 As the reader， I felt like I was the butt of a joke: “this is true， no it’s a lie。” This back and forth plays out several times throughout the book and became quite tedious。

Ann ，

A beautifully written book that has readers questioning whether it is a memoir or fiction。 I have not read anything by Elizabeth McCracken before but will start now。 In this sweet little book， the narrator shares a weekend in London reliving her last trip there with her recently deceased mother。 There are so many poignant moments in it。 "All this history going on without her。 What would she have thought？ My mother's life is one of history: child of the Depression， of WWII， of the polio epidemic， A beautifully written book that has readers questioning whether it is a memoir or fiction。 I have not read anything by Elizabeth McCracken before but will start now。 In this sweet little book， the narrator shares a weekend in London reliving her last trip there with her recently deceased mother。 There are so many poignant moments in it。 "All this history going on without her。 What would she have thought？ My mother's life is one of history: child of the Depression， of WWII， of the polio epidemic， of the women's liberation movement， of the civil rights movement。 She wasn't special。 Everyone exists in history。 How strange that we have passed from one era into a different one since her death。 I am not being poetic。 Everything is different not because she is dead， though that would have sufficed， but because it is 2022 and everything is different。"Yet at times there is humor in this story。 " "The standing tickets are in the pit he said。。。。You will be amidst the action。 Part of the performance。 " There are no words more terrifying than audience participation。 If I run for president it will be with the slogan Rebuild that fourth wall。" 。。。more

Elaine ，

a novel？ a memoir？ doesn't matter。 An enjoyable read a novel？ a memoir？ doesn't matter。 An enjoyable read 。。。more

Roberta ，

A tiny， very beautiful novel/memoir about the author’s relationship with her mother。 A friend handed it to me; otherwise I don’t think I would have picked it up。 Pretend I’m handing it to you。

Madhusree ，

Loved this book。 Writing a book about someone， the writer's mother here， makes sure that one does not forget someone。I felt I knew the people talked about here。 This is memoir+ travelogue+ writing advice+ disability discussion+theatre description + the gentle art of death cleaning。I listened to this book & this was wonderful Loved this book。 Writing a book about someone， the writer's mother here， makes sure that one does not forget someone。I felt I knew the people talked about here。 This is memoir+ travelogue+ writing advice+ disability discussion+theatre description + the gentle art of death cleaning。I listened to this book & this was wonderful 。。。more

Lisa ，

Is it fiction or is it memoir？ The author keeps us guessing as she writes about a writer missing and remembering her recently deceased mother。 In the end， it doesn’t really matter but the author teases the reader with this issue throughout the book。

Elizabeth Scott ，

The author has gone to a totally different， wonderful new level in this book。 Reminds me of Brodsky’s Watermark。

Andrea （EvergreensAndBookishThings） ，

Thank you @bibliolifestyle @eccobooks #partner for the review copy of the latest @elizmccrack novel: The Hero of this Book！I’m not sure if it’s the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon of frequency illusion， but clearly books about death （and specifically death of a parent） are cropping up on my TBR unbidden。 My longtime library hold for Unlikely Animals came in just before my mother died， and I had Patchett’s These Precious Days on my shelf for ages but decided to snag the audiobook when I saw it was avai Thank you @bibliolifestyle @eccobooks #partner for the review copy of the latest @elizmccrack novel: The Hero of this Book！I’m not sure if it’s the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon of frequency illusion， but clearly books about death （and specifically death of a parent） are cropping up on my TBR unbidden。 My longtime library hold for Unlikely Animals came in just before my mother died， and I had Patchett’s These Precious Days on my shelf for ages but decided to snag the audiobook when I saw it was available - not really thinking about the themes。 On one hand it’s kind of unsettling， and on the other it’s rather comforting - as if the universe is looking out for me in someway。McCracken‘s latest novel seems to be really a memoir under the guise of fiction。 Either way， it is obviously very personal to the author in it’s intricate detail。 I found it relatable in many ways， and crackling with wry humor。 Although the haphazard， almost stream of consciousness， style was jarring from time to time， I’m glad to of been introduced to her work and I am curious to read more。 。。。more

Richard Lehingrat ，

Holy unreliable narrators， McCracken！ Is this fiction or memoir or an account of her mother’s life？ Is this the most creative book of 2022？Always interesting， this novella keeps you on your toes。 My guess is this mostly a memoir and that if you know McCracken and are looking for yourself in her stories you won’t find yourself in any。 Unique read。 I look forward to her next short ‘fiction’。 *****

Jeni ，

This is a （sort of） memoir written in a time of grief。

Karen Ackley ，

"We’re not our souls， we’re not our bodies; we’re the shimmering border between。" This passage from the book is representative of McCracken's memoir of her mother， although she claims it not to be。 While interesting， was not a compelling story to me。 McCraken's mother was a child of the depression， World War II， of the polio epidemic， of the women’s liberation movement， of the civil rights movement。 "She wasn’t special。 Everyone exists in history。" And perhaps that's my problem with the book。。。s "We’re not our souls， we’re not our bodies; we’re the shimmering border between。" This passage from the book is representative of McCracken's memoir of her mother， although she claims it not to be。 While interesting， was not a compelling story to me。 McCraken's mother was a child of the depression， World War II， of the polio epidemic， of the women’s liberation movement， of the civil rights movement。 "She wasn’t special。 Everyone exists in history。" And perhaps that's my problem with the book。。。she wasn't special except to the author and those who personally knew her。In addition to writing about her mother， McCracken also writes about writing。 She struggles to preserve her mother's privacy （saying in a stream of conciousness typical of her writing style in this book， "Only when in private， my mother thought—I think she thought—could you defy expectations。 Imagine what you can accomplish when strangers and parents and doctors and children leave you alone！ It’s good for you， intensely pleasurable， to have things you think about yourself that you don’t reveal to other people。 Things you hide in your fiction without claiming as your own。 Even your particular self-loathings are dear and useful。 Enlivening。 It’s called， my mother might have said， an inner life: the one thing nobody can take away from you。"） I don't much like these long， rambling paragraphs。She concludes the book by saying， "But it’s my story， too， I might tell her， even if you are the hero of it。 There are plenty of secrets I haven’t told。 Why are you writing about me？ Because otherwise you’d evanesce， and that I cannot bear。 Me， evanesce？ Not one of my talents。"I fear this book will evanesce （I did like having to frequently look up words like this， though） from my memory， so little did it move me。 Not a favorite。 。。。more

Sara ，

“All Cretans are liars。 I myself am a Cretan。”

Maureen ，

Without a doubt， the best book I’ve read this year…or last year。 So many truths， whether they are true or not。 My heart read this book， my brain is still absorbing。 Beauty。

Larry H ，

3。5 stars The Hero of This Book， the new novel from Elizabeth McCracken， is thought-provoking and emotional。“Once somebody is dead， the world reveals all the things they might have enjoyed if they weren’t。”When is a memoir not a memoir？ That is a question raised a lot during this book。 The narrator， a writer， is grieving following the death of her mother 10 months earlier。 She decides to take a trip to London， which was the last place she traveled with her mother a few years earlier。 As she w 3。5 stars The Hero of This Book， the new novel from Elizabeth McCracken， is thought-provoking and emotional。“Once somebody is dead， the world reveals all the things they might have enjoyed if they weren’t。”When is a memoir not a memoir？ That is a question raised a lot during this book。 The narrator， a writer， is grieving following the death of her mother 10 months earlier。 She decides to take a trip to London， which was the last place she traveled with her mother a few years earlier。 As she wanders the streets and sees the sights—some they visited on their trip—she thinks a lot about her mother and their relationship。 Her mother was tough， feisty， fiercely intelligent， and had to deal with multiple physical challenges which affected her ability to walk and stand。 But her mother was also a private person， and there are many things that she never truly knew about her。What’s interesting about this book is that Elizabeth McCracken’s mother died also， and there are similarities between the narrator and mother in this book and the mother and daughter in real life。 McCracken （or the narrator） spends much of the book considering whether writing about her mother’s life would be a violation of her privacy， even after death。 But someone who lived a life like her mother deserves someone to write about her。The very meta nature of this book made it both fascinating and a little bit frustrating。 The narrator’s mother was very vividly depicted in the book， but when the focus wasn’t on her， it wasn’t as interesting to me。See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria。blogspot。com。Follow me on Instagram at https://www。instagram。com/getbookedwithlarry/。 。。。more

Elizabeth Boquet ，

When I finish anything by Elizabeth McCracken， I seem to often be meh about it but later I remember liking it much more then my review suggests and， when she has new work out， I always want to read it。 So it goes。 Over the past decade， since my own mother died， I have read scores of dead-and-dying-mother books。 In this one， McCracken captures so much of the physicality of our mothers （especially if they were disabled）， aging parental relationships， and the deterioration and clearing out of famil When I finish anything by Elizabeth McCracken， I seem to often be meh about it but later I remember liking it much more then my review suggests and， when she has new work out， I always want to read it。 So it goes。 Over the past decade， since my own mother died， I have read scores of dead-and-dying-mother books。 In this one， McCracken captures so much of the physicality of our mothers （especially if they were disabled）， aging parental relationships， and the deterioration and clearing out of family homes。 I was annoyed by her toying with the fiction-memoir distinction， even as I understand what she was doing， and by the end I realized how much better this book would have been if it would have all been more like the last 2-3 pages， which is what I will likely remember most and will compel me to pick up whatever she does next。 。。。more

Peggy ，

This little book is full ideas about writing， storytelling， love， relationships， and grief。 The writing itself is beautiful and compelling， and I was especially drawn to the relationship between mother and daughter which was obviously deep; I found myself thinking over and over of my own mother and pondering my relationship with her， which was difficult for so many years。 She， too， was an extremely private person， and I’ve struggled with that sense of betrayal with my own writing。 Ultimately I c This little book is full ideas about writing， storytelling， love， relationships， and grief。 The writing itself is beautiful and compelling， and I was especially drawn to the relationship between mother and daughter which was obviously deep; I found myself thinking over and over of my own mother and pondering my relationship with her， which was difficult for so many years。 She， too， was an extremely private person， and I’ve struggled with that sense of betrayal with my own writing。 Ultimately I chose to write what I wanted because as the narrator points out， it’s my story， too。 A very satisfying read， one that I’ll keep in my mind for awhile。 。。。more

Evelyn ，

A clever and inventive novel， a delight to read

Jodell ，

Survivor gets to tell the story no matter how they want to tell it。 Plus， your mother is a tough act to follow for she is the love of your life。 My heart still shatter's every time someone ask me about my mother。 In life I ran from her， in death I run to her in every way。 Survivor gets to tell the story no matter how they want to tell it。 Plus， your mother is a tough act to follow for she is the love of your life。 My heart still shatter's every time someone ask me about my mother。 In life I ran from her， in death I run to her in every way。 。。。more

T ，

Although this is fictional it reads like a barely cloaked memoir。 We are told of a mother's life and dying process along with the death of the father。 The mother had a challenging， complex life that was sometimes joyful。 Their house was in shambles due to neglect and hoarding both exacerbated by disabilities。 The tone of this writing was angry and defensive， and I ended up skim/reading rather than quitting entirely。There was one exceptional bit of writing: "There are certain emotions available t Although this is fictional it reads like a barely cloaked memoir。 We are told of a mother's life and dying process along with the death of the father。 The mother had a challenging， complex life that was sometimes joyful。 Their house was in shambles due to neglect and hoarding both exacerbated by disabilities。 The tone of this writing was angry and defensive， and I ended up skim/reading rather than quitting entirely。There was one exceptional bit of writing: "There are certain emotions available to me only when I am alone， minor longings and notions， a wish to filch and misbehave。 This is either my truest self or my most artificial， constructed as it is without a fear of contradiction。"2。5 。。。more

Naomi ，

This felt like an homage to the author's mother。 Enjoyable。 This felt like an homage to the author's mother。 Enjoyable。 。。。more

Nan ，

A writing teacher （just like the author） whose mother has recently died （just like the author） takes a trip to London to reflect on their relationship。 So many details line up to Elizabeth McCracken's actual life， yet she insists on calling this a novel， not a memoir。 It was puzzling at first， but the author's delightful as well as bittersweet reflections ultimately make that detail irrelevant。 A touching reflection of grief and remembrance。 A writing teacher （just like the author） whose mother has recently died （just like the author） takes a trip to London to reflect on their relationship。 So many details line up to Elizabeth McCracken's actual life， yet she insists on calling this a novel， not a memoir。 It was puzzling at first， but the author's delightful as well as bittersweet reflections ultimately make that detail irrelevant。 A touching reflection of grief and remembrance。 。。。more

Jillian Monaghan ，

3。5

Sophy ，

This short， fiction/memoir mash-up is ultimately an exploration of how a writer processes grief following the death of her mother， and the role that writing about her mom plays in that long process。 I found it to be intelligently and tautly written， but so particular and personal to the author’s experience of her larger-than-life mother that it was perhaps not as relatable or universally applicable as I was expecting。

Kate ，

There's some lovely humor and writing about love and parents and memory in this book。 I wasn't as interested in whether it was memoir or fiction--the truth of the work to me was in the feelings it captured and I don't really care if McCracken is actually the writer/narrator of the book or if the mother was her mother。 That aspect of teasing about genre felt a little coy to me and not as interesting。 But it was a good read if you skim over those bits and dig into the rest。 There's some lovely humor and writing about love and parents and memory in this book。 I wasn't as interested in whether it was memoir or fiction--the truth of the work to me was in the feelings it captured and I don't really care if McCracken is actually the writer/narrator of the book or if the mother was her mother。 That aspect of teasing about genre felt a little coy to me and not as interesting。 But it was a good read if you skim over those bits and dig into the rest。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Hero of This Book

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Hero of This Book&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Hero of This Book&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0