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Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading
Nina Sankovitch
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Description for Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading
Paperback. In an era when we are constantly bombarded by technology and instant gratification is the norm, this work is a reminder of the wisdom to be found in books and proof of the all-encompassing power and delight of reading. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: BGA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 202 x 136 x 16. Weight in Grams: 196.
Words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living. (Cyril Connolly). After the death of her sister, Nina Sankovitch found herself caught up in grief, dashing from one activity to the next to keep her mind occupied. But on her forty-sixth birthday she decided to stop running and start reading. For once in her life she would put all other obligations on hold-a husband, four kids, three cats, and piles of dirty laundry would have to wait. Instead, she would devote herself to reading a book a day: one year of magical reading in which ... Read moreshe found joy, healing, and wisdom. With grace and deep insight, Sankovitch weaves together poignant memories from her family's history with the unforgettable lives of the characters she reads about. She finds a lesson to be learned in each book, ultimately realizing the ability of a good story to console, inspire, and open our lives to new places and experiences - reading as therapy. In an era when we are constantly bombarded by technology and instant gratification is the norm, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is a reminder of the wisdom to be found in books and proof of the all-encompassing power and delight of reading. Thoughtful, accessible, and moving, this book will touch the bibliophile in all of us. Show Less
Product Details
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Place of Publication
New York, United States
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
About Nina Sankovitch
Nina Sankovitch launched ReadAllDay.org in 2008, and at the end of her year of reading, she was profiled in the New York Times. She continues to review books on ReadAllDay.org and for the Huffington Post. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and four sons.
Reviews for Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading
The beauty of her project lies in seeing how books intertwine with daily life, how very much they affect our moods, interactions, and, especially important for Sankovitch, how we recover and process our memories...She makes reading seem accessible, relaxing, inspiring, fun.
Los Angeles Times Anyone who has ever sought refuge in literature will identify with Tolstoy and ... Read morethe Purple Chair.
O, The Oprah Magazine Sankovitch's memoir stands as a tribute to the power of books to enrich our daily lives.
Christian Science Monitor This graceful memoir describes a true love affair with books.
Boston Globe A beautifully fluid, reflective, and astute memoir that gracefully combines affecting family history with expert testimony about how books open our minds to 'the complexity and entirety of the human experience.' Sankovitch's reading list in all its dazzling variety is top-notch.
Booklist [Tolstoy and the Purple Chair] digs deep into that near-mystical connection between a reader and an author-that startling feeling that you are channeling someone you have never met...A gripping and inspiring book.
Connecticut Post What Sankovitch has accomplished in her first book is not only to celebrate the transformational, even healing, powers of reading, but to give the reader a feeling of reading those books as well, through the eyes of an astute reader.
Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Her deeply moving memoir artfully intertwines her immigrant family's history with the universal themes of hope, resilience, and memory. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair celebrates not only the healing power of literature but its ability to connect us to the best of ourselves - and each other.
American Way [An] entertaining bibliophile's dream...Sankovitch's memoir speaks to the power that books can have over our daily lives. Sankovitch champions the act of reading not as an indulgence but as a necessity, and will make the perfect gift from one bookworm to another.
Publishers Weekly Nina Sankovitch has crafted a dazzling memoir that reminds us of the most primal function of literature-to heal, to nurture and to connect us to our truest selves.
Thrity Umrigar, author of The Space Between us In Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, her affectionate and inspiring paean to the power of books and reading, Sankovitch gracefully acknowledges that her year of reading was an escape into the healing sanctuary of books, where she learned how to move beyond recuperation to living.
BookPage Tolstoy and the Purple Chair will transport you to a time before texts and tweets. Through the stories of her own family, Nina Sankovitch shows how books have the power to refresh, renew, and even heal us. I loved this memoir.
Julie Klam, author of You Had Me at Woof Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is original, uplifting and very moving: a unique celebration of life, love and literature.
S. J. Bolton, author of Now You See Me [A] brilliant and heartwarming book.
Ventura County Star An original and touching...account of one woman's lifelong affinity for books and her attempt to channel that affinity to deal with her grief after her sister dies. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is an understated but moving story about the effects of a 'year of magical reading.'
The Dartmouth Tolstoy and the Purple Chair masterfully weaves beloved and sometimes surprising books into central events in the writer's life. There is much to learn from this moving book. Sankovitch writes with intelligence and honesty, leading us to respond in a similar manner.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of One Amazing Thing Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is a must-read for anyone who adores books. It is also a primer on the healing power of taking time off to grieve by immersing oneself in a revered activity.
The Book Bully Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is an absolutely lovely account of the healing power of literature.
Devourer of Books Sankovitch's account works well because she uses her reading list to jump off into topics that are tangential, yet intriguing and often important.
Buffalo News A beautifully paced look at how mindfulness can affect the psyche.
Shelf Awareness (starred review) [Tolstoy and the Purple Chair] offers timeless wisdom, is uplifting and has a powerful message.
PsychCentral.com She is adept at stitching together musings about the books she is reading with memory and narrative from her own life.
The Christian Century What is best in Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, however, is not the author's literary criticism, but the way in which she blends her accounts of her reading with the story of her family and with broader human concerns.
Smoky Mountain News Show Less
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