Late Migrations, Margaret Renkl
Late Migrations, Margaret Renkl
2 Rating(s)
List: $35.99 | Sale: $25.20
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Late Migrations
A Natural History of Love and Loss

Author: Margaret Renkl

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Unabridged: 5 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/09/2019

Synopsis

Selected as a TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna book club pick, Late Migrations is an unusual, captivating portrait of a family―and of the cycles of joy and grief that inscribe human lives within the natural world―from beloved New York Times opinion writer Margaret Renkl.Growing up in Alabama, Renkl was a devoted reader, an explorer of riverbeds and red-dirt roads, and a fiercely loved daughter. Here, in brief essays, she traces a tender and honest portrait of her complicated parents―her exuberant, creative mother; her steady, supportive father―and of the bittersweet moments that accompany a child’s transition to caregiver.And here, braided into the overall narrative, Renkl offers observations on the world surrounding her suburban Nashville home. Ringing with rapture and heartache, these essays convey the dignity of bluebirds and rat snakes, monarch butterflies and native bees. As these two threads haunt and harmonize with each other, Renkl suggests that there is astonishment to be found in common things: in what seems ordinary, in what we all share. For in both worlds―the natural one and our own―“the shadow side of love is always loss, and grief is only love’s own twin.”Gorgeously illustrated by the author’s brother, Billy Renkl, Late Migrations is an assured and memorable debut.

About Margaret Renkl

Margaret Renkl is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, where her essays appear weekly. Her work has also appeared in Guernica, Literary Hub, Proximity, and River Teeth, among others. She serves as editor of Chapter 16, the daily literary publication of Humanities Tennessee, and is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Carolina. She lives in Nashville.

Reviews

Goodreads review by JanB on April 30, 2020

The seasons of life are so heartfelt and poignant. In my life I've experienced great joy and great sorrow. During the pandemic I find myself struggling to find balance in my life and in my reading. Too fluffy feels too lightweight for the seriousness of our situation. Too heavy weighs too heavily on......more

Goodreads review by Paul on July 22, 2019

Beautiful! 112 short and beautifully written ‘essays’ about nature, family, and life that are just captivating. I read it in one workday, forgoing my morning swim, blowing off my lunch, and finally having my afternoon break in the place that has the suckiest coffee and the least customers so I would......more

Goodreads review by Debbi on October 22, 2019

I loved this book! The author beautifully captures the natural world and navigates the complexity of loss and grief which in many cases is simply brought about by the passage of time. I never felt overwhelmed by the short exquisite essays, more often I felt my soul had met it's twin. This is my favo......more

Goodreads review by Cat on September 14, 2019

While I deadheaded zinnias this morning, I thought about Renkl's beautiful chapter about the zinnias in her backyard, which feed the butterflies in their blossoming and the birds when they go to seed. This book about Renkl's backyard observations and her close relationships with her parents, who bot......more

Goodreads review by rebecca on July 22, 2019

I absolutely loved everything about this book. The way that Renkl describes grief, gives softness to the world, draws parallels between the two, and has room to squeeze in both classic and contemporary references made me an instant fan. She accomplished these feats within the first dozen pages, prope......more

Quotes

"Joyce Bean's narrations are always genuine and down-to-earth, and this performance of Margaret Renkl's short essays on the natural world and her family is no different." —AudioFile Magazine

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