The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
- ISBN13: 9780446409483
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
The Gift of an Ordinary Day is an intimate memoir of a family in transition-boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a small
Poised on the threshold between family life as she’s always known it and her older son’s departure for college, Kenison is surprised to find that the times she treasures most are the ordinary, unremarkable moments of everyday life, the very moments that she once took for granted, or rushed right through without noticing at all.
The relationships, hopes, and dreams that Kenison illuminates will touch women’s hearts, and her words will inspire mothers everywhere as they try to make peace with the inevitable changes in store.
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
I didn’t care for this memoir. I found it overly earnest and plodding. When the author is discussing her son’s problems in school, and over-explaining that he *is* intelligent, I just found it cringeworthy.
Rating: 2 / 5
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
When I read a book knowing I am going to review it, and when I start to realize that it might not be a totally positive review, I start to feel guilty. Well, I felt guilty early on with this memoir. Katrina Kenison sounds like a wonderful mother, her husband and sons fine men. But this book was not an enjoyable read for me.
There are quite a few reasons for that. First of all, there isn’t much substance here. The book is about two things—a move from a Boston suburb to a small New Hampshire town, where a house is built for the family, and the teen years of the sons, Jack and Henry, with a lot of emphasis on Henry’s college search. That did not, in my eyes, need a close to 300 page book to tell. There was nothing terribly dramatic about either story—the house took a long time to built, Henry searched quite a while to find the right college for him, but those are not the stuff of compelling memoirs.
Therefore, two other themes fill up the book. The author has special, touching moments all the time, and they are described in lots of detail. Lots tie in with the houses—the last night in the old house, the first night in the new house, the last night in the grandparent’s house where they live while the old house is being built—you get the picture. The other theme is bringing up reflections from other authors of similar books. I don’t think Kenison ever read a self-reflecting book she didn’t like, and they all are mentioned here—spiritual teacher Joh Kabat-Zinn, Danwn Markova, Joseph Campbell,E.B. White, Mary Antin—and those are just a very few.
There were parts of this book that did engage me. Mainly they are the parts telling about conflicts and family life with her sons, without any stopping for deep reflection. Her son Jack goes through a tough period at 13, wearing black and getting a bit defiant and angry, and this is written about very clearly. It’s an encouragement how he comes out of this period, and I saw a glimpse of what this book could have been. However, I understand you can’t write about the personal parts of the lives of teens that much, and I respect that she didn’t, but that creates a dilemma—it’s hard then to write much of a book about parenting teens, or specific teens anyway.
I might look for this author’s book about her sons’ younger years. I have a feeling it will too annoy me a bit, but maybe there will be more of the kind of writing I did like here.
Rating: 3 / 5
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
What began as a book that I had looked forward to reading, quickly turned into a book that I thought would never end.
Like Kenison, I too was having a child go off to college and another starting high school, a job in transition, financial instability, the prospect of selling a home and moving into a new area. I felt that finally, a here is a woman’s book that I could relate too. But, unfortunately, this memoir has shown me that no two people live the same life. There was no learning or empathy for what she had gone through. Her bemoaning grew tiresome and quite irritating when she put more pages into a friend with shingles that needed her , which I still question, then into a friends child that was killed. The balance just wasn’t in this book.
Though memoirs can be a bit self indulgent, this one rattled on a little too long . What exactly was Kenison trying to convey to the reader. That you too, while living under someone else’s roof can send your children to private schools and build the home of your dreams. Sorry, but the oh poor me attitude was totally lost on me.
Rating: 3 / 5
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
I immersed myself into this book over the weekend. I knew I would be offering a giveaway today and wanted to include my review. Author, Katrina Kenison (40ish) is facing a time in her life when her sons are quickly running towards adulthood and there is a yearning in her to move from their technology driven, suburban home in search for a wider spaces and a reconnection of her family. She did not expect to sell her current house before buying a new house, moving back home with her parents, losing her job and dealing with teen-age angst. That goes a little beyond when it rains it pours. Yet, the struggles the family faces are exactly what is needed to bring them together.
Ms. Kenison describes her fears of an unknown future – where will we live, high school, college, finances – and how this time of upheaval can actually be viewed as a time of freedom, an opportunity to start over and live a fulfilled life. There are many instances of reflection to when her sons were young and so much time was devoted to fulfilling their days. Now, with her boys requiring less of her and beginning to live their own lives, she realizes her own thoughts on what she desires has changed.
Ms. Kenison’s writing is very poetic. Perhaps a little too poetic bordering on the very flowery. Mind you, I am not a flowery gal and while there were times I found my mind wandering during the story, I certainly appreciate the author’s meaning. I too am 40ish, lost my job and have a teen-age daughter who is ready to take on the world. This is a turning point in my life. This book did poke my brain and has caused me to take a look at what I want for my future. Do I take any job that comes my way or try to wait it out for a job I may actually enjoy most days? Should I go back to school? How much leeway and assistance do I give my daughter? How much do I insist she finds her own way? What do I want her to learn from me and how I handle this stressful period? I believe this book has fulfilled it’s mission!
Rating: 3 / 5
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
The Gift of an Ordinary Day is a thoughtful memoir of a mother who wants to slow down and take life day by day. She brings her entire family for the ride too although they are not as completely sold on the idea as she is.
The writing is thoughtful and at times I enjoyed it but the book was a little hard for me to get through because the author writes so flowery that her sentences go on and on, sometimes it was hard for me to stay focused.
Rating: 3 / 5
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir