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The Long Goodbye

A memoir

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The Long Goodbye

By: Meghan O'Rourke
Narrated by: Meghan O'Rourke
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About this listen

 From one of America's foremost young literary voices, a transcendent portrait of the unbearable anguish of grief and the enduring power of familial love.

What does it mean to mourn today, in a culture that has largely set aside rituals that acknowledge grief? After her mother died of cancer at the age of fifty-five, Meghan O'Rourke found that nothing had prepared her for the intensity of her sorrow. In the first anguished days, she began to create a record of her interior life as a mourner, trying to capture the paradox of grief-its monumental agony and microscopic intimacies-an endeavor that ultimately bloomed into a profound look at how caring for her mother during her illness changed and strengthened their bond.

O'Rourke's story is one of a life gone off the rails, of how watching her mother's illness-and separating from her husband-left her fundamentally altered. But it is also one of resilience, as she observes her family persevere even in the face of immeasurable loss.

With lyricism and unswerving candor, The Long Goodbye conveys the fleeting moments of joy that make up a life, and the way memory can lead us out of the jagged darkness of loss. Effortlessly blending research and reflection, the personal and the universal, it is not only an exceptional memoir, but a necessary one. Art & Literature Authors Grief & Loss Personal Development Relationships
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I found the first half of this book moving and engrossing with the details of her mother’s illness and loss. I found the second half tedious and skipped some as it was boring.

Reasonable

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I have listened to this book 4 times after my father passed away, it gives a sense of understanding and companionship during a very difficult time.

I have read many books on grieving a parent, this is one of the best.

Deep and meaningful after a loss of a parent

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