I adored Sandwich, but I am probably the exact target audience. I’ve been married 40 years, I’m close to my adult children, I’ve been through menopause, I worry about my aging parents. I wish I knew what scene you’re talking about. More information, please.
My daughter got Sandwich as part of a book subscription. She says I can read it when she is done, but given her age, I am not sure if it will speak to her, so it may be a while
I read In This House of Brede (which I may have already mentioned) as part of a church course, and I can't believe I never read it before. A quiet book yet so much happens.
I am currently reading Mastering the Art of French Eating. I am enjoying I, but it isn't the best advertisement for French food for this American! But I will soon be heading to a French Canadian huge event/reunion, and I think their food is even worse.
I liked but didn’t love Sandwich. There were moments that had me cackling but it also felt disjointed, which could be taken as style representing subject but makes for hard reading. THE scene bugged me endlessly for being unearned and then forgotten. But, it could also be interpreted as “this is actually how some people deal with trauma”. In both instances, the things that I liked but didn’t love have me still thinking about the book so kudos to an author who keeps me hooked after the book is done.
Yeah. That did seem to come out of the blue. What I found confusing was the idea that she had never put 2 and 2 together before this? But I also felt that Sandwich was very autobiographical, so maybe this was an actual realization she had at some point?
My sense is maybe this was a way of showing the larger idea of how so much of what you think you know about yourself seems to go out the window as you get older and especially during menopause (something that I have definitely experienced and hadn’t been completely prepared for).
Thank you! I even called my mom and our friend from book club (we read it together last month) and we couldn't figure it out. I didn't experience it as disconnected but I can see what you're saying.
So I absolutely loved Newman's first novel (We All Want Impossible Things) and really wanted to love Sandwich so much - I am literally in the same chapter of my life - but it felt a little....thin?
I'll add Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming which is so outside of a typical Hollywood memoir and perfect for listening on audio as he narrates it himself.
Sarah, not sure if you ever read comments this far back but what else would be on your list to read before a trip to Japan? I bought your itinerary and will be planning a trip soon! :)
I adored Sandwich and didn’t feel like that part was unearned. To me, it felt like how families and family narratives work… some stories are endlessly shared as the lore of kinship, other (often big!) stories are buried and emerge suddenly when you least expect them in the middle of daily life. Grated, I think I was exactly the target audience for this novel, but I felt like sending Catherine Newman a thank you note when I finished it.
Speaking of cults and TBR piles, I read a book called The Burning Season by Alison Wisdom. It was in my TBR so long that I forgot what it was about and was expecting something about a resort? maybe? It was the opposite of that.
Also, I read a book called Night Film which I guess was a mystery. There was a mysterious death, plus a little occult and filmmaking thrown in. It was very long and would probably make a good film itself.
Offal soup sounds kind of awful, but I'm glad you had a good time in Japan.
I loved Convenience Store Woman! I read some really great books in July, but I think my favorite was the new Rainbow Rowell, Slow Dance, which I listened to on audio. I also really loved All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle and The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. Looking forward to reading Sandwich, but there's a long wait list at my library so it won't be for a while.
My two favorites from July are The French Lieutenant’s Woman (published in 1969!) - a deconstructed take on the Victorian novel and simply fantastic (I found it through Sara Hildreth’s @fictionmatters paperback summer reading guide) and Clear by Carys Davies - a short novel set in 1843 Scotland that tells a lovely story about human longing and connection set against the backdrop of the Great Disruption in the Scottish Church AND the Clearances.
I read The French Lieutenant's Woman repeatedly in high school and college--and was chuffed when it was in the syllabus of my Film Literature Adaptation class.
I adored Sandwich, but I am probably the exact target audience. I’ve been married 40 years, I’m close to my adult children, I’ve been through menopause, I worry about my aging parents. I wish I knew what scene you’re talking about. More information, please.
My daughter got Sandwich as part of a book subscription. She says I can read it when she is done, but given her age, I am not sure if it will speak to her, so it may be a while
I read In This House of Brede (which I may have already mentioned) as part of a church course, and I can't believe I never read it before. A quiet book yet so much happens.
I am currently reading Mastering the Art of French Eating. I am enjoying I, but it isn't the best advertisement for French food for this American! But I will soon be heading to a French Canadian huge event/reunion, and I think their food is even worse.
I liked but didn’t love Sandwich. There were moments that had me cackling but it also felt disjointed, which could be taken as style representing subject but makes for hard reading. THE scene bugged me endlessly for being unearned and then forgotten. But, it could also be interpreted as “this is actually how some people deal with trauma”. In both instances, the things that I liked but didn’t love have me still thinking about the book so kudos to an author who keeps me hooked after the book is done.
I'm clearly missing something. I read the book and I can't pull out what scene you're both referencing. Please give me a hint or code word.
Same!
ok since this is buried in a thread... the scene where her dad revealed the family history about her grandparents!
Yeah. That did seem to come out of the blue. What I found confusing was the idea that she had never put 2 and 2 together before this? But I also felt that Sandwich was very autobiographical, so maybe this was an actual realization she had at some point?
My sense is maybe this was a way of showing the larger idea of how so much of what you think you know about yourself seems to go out the window as you get older and especially during menopause (something that I have definitely experienced and hadn’t been completely prepared for).
Thank you! I even called my mom and our friend from book club (we read it together last month) and we couldn't figure it out. I didn't experience it as disconnected but I can see what you're saying.
So I absolutely loved Newman's first novel (We All Want Impossible Things) and really wanted to love Sandwich so much - I am literally in the same chapter of my life - but it felt a little....thin?
I loved We All Want Impossible Things too!!!!!!!!
Since you mentioned you love memoirs and as the memoir/true story queen of all my friend groups, it is my duty to recommended some of my favorites:
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero
Dead Run: The Murder of a Lawman and the Greatest Manhunt of the Modern American West (this happened in my area when I was in high school)
I'll add Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming which is so outside of a typical Hollywood memoir and perfect for listening on audio as he narrates it himself.
Sarah, not sure if you ever read comments this far back but what else would be on your list to read before a trip to Japan? I bought your itinerary and will be planning a trip soon! :)
I adored Sandwich and didn’t feel like that part was unearned. To me, it felt like how families and family narratives work… some stories are endlessly shared as the lore of kinship, other (often big!) stories are buried and emerge suddenly when you least expect them in the middle of daily life. Grated, I think I was exactly the target audience for this novel, but I felt like sending Catherine Newman a thank you note when I finished it.
Speaking of cults and TBR piles, I read a book called The Burning Season by Alison Wisdom. It was in my TBR so long that I forgot what it was about and was expecting something about a resort? maybe? It was the opposite of that.
Also, I read a book called Night Film which I guess was a mystery. There was a mysterious death, plus a little occult and filmmaking thrown in. It was very long and would probably make a good film itself.
Offal soup sounds kind of awful, but I'm glad you had a good time in Japan.
I loved Convenience Store Woman! I read some really great books in July, but I think my favorite was the new Rainbow Rowell, Slow Dance, which I listened to on audio. I also really loved All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle and The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. Looking forward to reading Sandwich, but there's a long wait list at my library so it won't be for a while.
My two favorites from July are The French Lieutenant’s Woman (published in 1969!) - a deconstructed take on the Victorian novel and simply fantastic (I found it through Sara Hildreth’s @fictionmatters paperback summer reading guide) and Clear by Carys Davies - a short novel set in 1843 Scotland that tells a lovely story about human longing and connection set against the backdrop of the Great Disruption in the Scottish Church AND the Clearances.
I read The French Lieutenant's Woman repeatedly in high school and college--and was chuffed when it was in the syllabus of my Film Literature Adaptation class.