The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir
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Product Description
The Gift of an Ordinary Day is an intimate memoir of a family tree in transition-boys apt teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a tiny
Poised on the threshold between family tree life as she’s permanently known it and her older son’s departure for college, Kenison is surprised to find that the times she treasures most are the ordinary, everyday moments of everyday life, the very moments that she once took for granted, or rushed right through lacking 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.
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I didn’t care for this memoir. I establish it overly earnest and plodding. When the leader is discussing her son’s problems in school, and over-explaining that he *is* intelligent, I just establish it cringeworthy.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
When I read a book knowing I am going to review it, and when I start to realize that it might not be a really positive review, I start to feel guilty. Well, I felt guilty early on with this memoir. Katrina Kenison sounds like a wonderful mother, her spouse and sons fine men. But this book was not an enjoyable read for me.
There are reasonably a few reasons for that. First of all, there isn’t much substance here. The book is about two things—a go from a Boston suburb to a tiny New Hampshire town, where a house is built for the family tree, 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 tale—the house took a long time to built, Henry searched reasonably a while to find the right college for him, but persons are not the stuff of compelling life tale.
Therefore, two additional themes fill up the book. The leader 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 ancient house, the first night in the new house, the last night in the forerunner’s house where they live while the ancient house is being built—you get the picture. The additional theme is bringing up reflections from additional authors of similar books. I don’t reflect Kenison ever read a self-shiny 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 persons 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 tree life with her sons, lacking any stopping for deep reflection. Her son Jack goes through a tough period at 13, wearing black and getting a bit defiant and mad, 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. But, I know you can’t write about the personal parts of the lives of teens that much, and I respect that she didn’t, but that makes a dilemma—it’s hard then to write much of a book about parenting teens, or point teens anyway.
I might look for this leader’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.
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
I immersed myself into this book over the weekend. I knew I would be offering a giveaway today and wanted to include my review. Leader, 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 go from their equipment driven, suburban home in search for a wider spaces and a reconnection of her family tree. 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 small beyond when it rains it pours. Yet, the struggles the family tree 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 disruption can really 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 small too poetic bordering on the very flowery. Mind you, I am not a flowery gal and while there were times I establish my mind wandering during the tale, I certainly appreciate the leader’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 really delight in most days? Should I go back to school? How much leeway and help 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 judge this book has fulfilled it’s mission!
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
have not yet had time to read. looking forwards to sitting down after the holidays with a cup of tea to read
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
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 tree for the ride too although they are not as completely sold on the thought as she is.
The writing is thoughtful and at times I loved it but the book was a small hard for me to get through because the leader writes so flowery that her sentences go on and on, sometimes it was hard for me to stay all ears.
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5