Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship

by Gail Caldwell

Book Overview

"NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER They met over their dogs. Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp (author of "Drinking: A Love Story")" "became best friends, talking about everything from their love of books and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400067383
• ISBN13: 9781400067381
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Loving Tribute to Friendship

This beautiful memoir of friendship could only come from someone who has experienced an intimate emotional connection of the highest level with another human being. Gail Caldwell had that connection with fellow writer Caroline Knapp, then lost it when Knapp died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. I was consumed by Knapp's own memoir, Drinking: A Love Story many years ago. I remember reading of Knapp's death not long after that and feeling so pained by the fact that she had survived alcoholism only to be robbed of her life just a few years later. Caldwell's book was like finding a missing piece for me, an intimate look into the lives of Knapp and Caldwell and the tremendous friendship they wove together through walks in the woods, long summer vacations together and countless hours on the phone. A friendship that close changes lives forever, but neither was prepared for what lie ahead. It seemed perverse almost, that fate would tear these two souls apart and Caldwell chronicles her private suffering with unrelenting candor and despair. Not only could I see the hole in her heart, her brilliant storytelling allowed me to feel it to some degree. That's the mark of excellence in a good memoir. Let's Take the Long Way Home doesn't just tell a story. It takes us along for a walk in the woods and like Caldwell, at journey's end, we're never the same. Highly recommended, esp. after reading Knapp's memoir.

An Intimate Look at Deep Friendship

"I wanted the warmth of spontaneous connection and the freedom to be left alone." ~ Gail Caldwell From the start of this profoundly beautiful story we know that Gail Caldwell loses her best friend Caroline Knapp. As she puts it so precisely, you can't "sidestep the cruelty of an intolerable loss." For about a third of this book the words were blurry because it is so moving. Just when I thought I had composed myself enough to read on, I cried again. Sometimes I'd read a sentence and reread it again and again because it was so true. This is the story of two soul mates who love dogs, swimming and sculling. In some way it doesn't matter what they were doing, they just loved being together. After an outing they would find themselves both at home calling each other on the phone. Their friendship is deep, meaningful and essential! There are some surprising details like how they both dated the same man. What are the chances of that happening? Then there is the fact that they both loved drinking at one point in their lives and overcame their addiction before meeting. Gail Caldwell talks briefly about her own drinking problem but mostly focuses on the friendship. "Let's Take the Long Way Home" is a book that will work its way into your heart in ways few books ever will. I loved the warmth of Gail Caldwell's writing style and how she expresses such honest feelings in lucid prose. This is one of the best books I've read this year! ~The Rebecca Review