You Could Make This Place Beautiful
eBook - ePub

You Could Make This Place Beautiful

A Memoir

  1. 320 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

You Could Make This Place Beautiful

A Memoir

About this book

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NPR Best Book of the Year Time Best Book of the Year Oprah Daily Best Memoir of the Year

“A bittersweet study in both grief and joy.” ­—Time

“A sparklingly beautiful memoir-in-vignettes” (Isaac Fitzgerald, New York Times bestselling author) that explores coming of age in your middle age—from the bestselling poet and author of Keep Moving.

“Life, like a poem, is a series of choices.”

In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself. The book begins with one woman’s personal heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself. The power of these pieces is cumulative: page after page, they build into a larger interrogation of family, work, and patriarchy.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful, like the work of Deborah Levy, Rachel Cusk, and Gina Frangello, is an unflinching look at what it means to live and write our own lives. It is a story about a mother’s fierce and constant love for her children, and a woman’s love and regard for herself. Above all, this memoir is “extraordinary” (Ann Patchett) in the way that it reveals how, in the aftermath of loss, we can discover our power and make something new and beautiful.

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Yes, you can access You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Epigraph
  4. Prologue
  5. 1. Pinecone
  6. 2. Postcard
  7. 3. Grenade
  8. 4. A Note on Conventions
  9. 5. Sleight of Hand
  10. 6. Some People Ask
  11. 7. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  12. 8. A Note on Setting
  13. 9. How It Began
  14. 10. The Play
  15. 11. A Note on Plot
  16. 12. There’s Kubrick, and Then There’s This
  17. 13. Living in Sin
  18. 14. A Note on Foreshadowing
  19. 15. The Play
  20. 16. Half-Double
  21. 17. A Note on Foreshadowing
  22. 18. After Reading ā€œMock Orangeā€
  23. 19. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  24. 20. Bittersweet
  25. 21. Violet
  26. 22. Grounds
  27. 23. First Fall
  28. 24. The Play
  29. 25. A Note on Character
  30. 26. A Note on Betrayal
  31. 27. The Leap
  32. 28. The Material
  33. 29. Here We Go Again
  34. 30. Rhett
  35. 31. Here Comes the Sun
  36. 32. A Note on Inciting Incidents
  37. 33. A Note on the Author’s Intention
  38. 34. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  39. 35. An Offering
  40. 36. A Note on Foreshadowing
  41. 37. Hidden Pictures
  42. 38. Good Bones
  43. 39. This Wasn’t the Deal
  44. 40. On Second Thought
  45. 41. Some People Will Ask
  46. 42. The Bully Won?
  47. 43. Not That One
  48. 44. A Note on Foreshadowing
  49. 45. But Here’s the Thing
  50. 46. A Note on Betrayal
  51. 47. Clues to the Mystery
  52. 48. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  53. 49. Please Don’t
  54. 50. The Spreadsheet
  55. 51. On Second Thought
  56. 52. Bruises
  57. 53. In the Beginning
  58. 54. Pinecone
  59. 55. Crying on the Couch
  60. 56. The Play
  61. 57. A Note on Conflict & Crisis
  62. 58. The Material
  63. 59. The Last Family Vacation
  64. 60. It Isn’t About the Waves
  65. 61. The Water
  66. 62. Taking Down the Pictures
  67. 63. Something Like Relief
  68. 64. A Note on Plot
  69. 65. Some People Ask
  70. 66. Bank Lollipops
  71. 67. Grounds
  72. 68. This Moment Isn’t For You
  73. 69. Bittersweet
  74. 70. Keep Moving
  75. 71. Ghost Story
  76. 72. Lucky Thirteen
  77. 73. Updating and Unblurring
  78. 74. On Second Thought
  79. 75. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  80. 76. The Edits
  81. 77. Sad-Ass Divorce Dreams
  82. 78. About the Body
  83. 79. A Note on the Title
  84. 80. Ghost Story
  85. 81. The Stages
  86. 82. A Note on Character
  87. 83. A Note on Plot
  88. 84. On This Day
  89. 85. Picture of My Dress
  90. 86. Rewinding the Film
  91. 87. Some People Ask
  92. 88. Bittersweet
  93. 89. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  94. 90. Mother’s Day
  95. 91. About the Body
  96. 92. The Firsts
  97. 93. On Second Thought
  98. 94. Ghost Story
  99. 95. Sure You Are
  100. 96. It Wasn’t All Bad
  101. 97. A Note on Betrayal
  102. 98. Air Quotes
  103. 99. The Play
  104. 100. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  105. 101. Empire Builder
  106. 102. Gen X Forever & Ever, Amen
  107. 103. The Vision Part of the Board
  108. 104. Quarter Missing
  109. 105. Self-Portrait
  110. 106. The Profile
  111. 107. Ghost Story
  112. 108. Signing the Papers
  113. 109. The Poem
  114. 110. Lemonade
  115. 111. The Play
  116. 112. Photo Essay That Won’t Happen
  117. 113. Joke
  118. 114. The Second Christmas
  119. 115. A Note on Motifs
  120. 116. A Note on Setting
  121. 117. Quarantine Skate Club
  122. 118. Email, Subject Line: Update
  123. 119. It’s Still There
  124. 120. Some People Will Ask
  125. 121. What Now, Mom?
  126. 122. Because I Was a Beggar
  127. 123. A Note on Plot
  128. 124. Email, Subject Line: Update
  129. 125. This Is Where I Completely Freaked Out
  130. 126. Bubbles
  131. 127. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  132. 128. Keep Moving
  133. 129. Things I Know For Sure
  134. 130. The Sparks
  135. 131. A Half Hour to Cry
  136. 132. A Note on Betrayal
  137. 133. An Offering
  138. 134. Grenade
  139. 135. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
  140. 136. Sad-Ass Divorce Dream
  141. 137. When It Rains, It Pours
  142. 138. About the Body
  143. 139. I’m All Yours
  144. 140. Fathomed
  145. 141. An Offering
  146. 142. This Moment Isn’t For You
  147. 143. Tell-Mine
  148. 144. The Archive I Have
  149. 145. Some People Ask
  150. 146. Because You Can’t Misplace Your Earlobe
  151. 147. Hidden Valentines
  152. 148. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  153. 149. Home
  154. 150. Bittersweet
  155. 151. Well, He Should Know
  156. 152. But Here’s the Thing, Walt
  157. 153. An Offering
  158. 154. More Sad-Ass Divorce Dreams, Or the Little Red Hen in Reverse
  159. 155. The Slideshow
  160. 156. A Note on the Author’s Intention
  161. 157. Nostalgia
  162. 158. The Play
  163. 159. A Pantoum, a Villanelle, a Ghazal
  164. 160. Disposable
  165. 161. Ghost Story
  166. 162. Jackpot
  167. 163. On Second Thought
  168. 164. When the Metaphor Is Right There
  169. 165. Icarus Flew Before He Fell
  170. 166. About the Body
  171. 167. The Contract
  172. 168. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  173. 169. Some People Ask
  174. 170. Punching Bag
  175. 171. One Small Step
  176. 172. Birds
  177. 173. Bees
  178. 174. When the Metaphor Is Right There
  179. 175. Above the Real
  180. 176. Outrage
  181. 177. The Material
  182. 178. This Is What We Call a Full-Circle Moment
  183. 179. Caregiver
  184. 180. Forty Things
  185. 181. Postcard
  186. 182. The Things
  187. 183. Great White
  188. 184. The Intangibles
  189. 185. Joke
  190. 186. It Wasn’t All Bad
  191. 187. Another Mother’s Day
  192. 188. Some People Will Ask
  193. 189. Years That Question
  194. 190. The Play
  195. 191. The Material
  196. 192. The Scraps
  197. 193. A Note on Form
  198. 194. A Kind of Cento, Collaged from Pieces of the Whole
  199. 195. A Note on the Title
  200. 196. Magical Thinking
  201. 197. A Note on Plot
  202. 198. A Friend Says Every Book Begins with an Unanswerable Question
  203. 199. Golden
  204. 200. Rainbow Connection
  205. 201. It Gets Pretty Woo Here
  206. 202. Updating and Unblurring
  207. 203. Full Disclosure
  208. 204. Some People Will Ask
  209. 205. Magical Thinking
  210. 206. How It Ends
  211. 207. Calling Myself Darling
  212. 208. Bride
  213. Acknowledgments
  214. Reading Group Guide
  215. ā€˜Dear Writer’ Teaser
  216. About the Author
  217. Credits
  218. Copyright