A very enjoyable memoir. Philpott is an innately funny writer despite complex and deep topics. Her style is unique and memorable.

I want Mary Laura Philpott to adopt me, and if not adopt me, be my mentor of my friend. This book is filled with so many gems and written with so much heart and humor. I could not recommend this book enough - it is the equivalent of chicken noodle soup for the soul.

Mary Laura Philpott weighs in on a variety of subjects in her engaging and entertaining collection of essays, "I Miss You When I Blink." The title is a sentence that Philpott's six-year-old son said to himself one day. She realized he had inadvertently captured an attitude that she had about herself, and his words became her mantra, like "certain phrases handy in our minds—hanging on hooks just inside the door."

The author, who is married with two children, is a cartoonist and freelance writer who, she reveals, has sometimes felt like an underachiever whom the world had passed by. She describes herself as a type A personality who is "addicted to getting things right," and declares, "I hate that I can't relax." Whatever happened to that ambitious college student who looked forward to fulfilling herself professionally? The answer is that she was there all along, waiting to be acknowledged. Mary Laura's comments reflect her self-deprecating honesty, humor, and insight into human nature. We can identify with this down-to-earth and witty individual who chats with ease on such topics as parenthood, perfectionism, volunteerism, and even the perfect murder weapon. Her appealing prose style ranges from breezy to biting, and she lucidly and succinctly puts her finger on issues that women often think about but do not always choose to air in public.

Philpott is embarrassed to admit that she became depressed at a time when she had much to celebrate: a nurturing family, nice home, and good physical health. Unfortunately, she was "staggering under the weight of a dull, constant dread" in spite of having "the luck and support that should have made [her] feel safe and happy and secure." She wisely sought the help of a therapist and eventually found her voice. This book makes us laugh out loud and also reminds us that it not necessary to excel at everything one undertakes. The cliché holds true: the things that we take for granted are often the most significant of all. If only we were all blessed with the wisdom, presence of mind, and perspective to see not just the trees, but the forest as well.

I MISS YOU WHEN I BLINK is a collection of meaningful essays touching on themes from childhood and parenting to work and perfectionism. The author describes her encounters and experiences with full transparency.
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I couldn’t entirely relate to each essay because the author makes it clear that she has a “Type-A” personality and I have always been chill as a cucumber. I was grateful that Philpott opened up about living with depression despite having a seemingly fulfilling life and happy, healthy family.
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This essay collection is entertaining, authentic and honest. Philpott’s voice is warm, comforting and reading this book feels like you’re having a chat with a close friend.

I enjoyed this book of personal essays and found that it had many important messages. The author tackles topics such as parenting, work, and perfectionism with both humor and honesty, which I appreciated.

I could relate to many of the struggles that Philpott faces, and could understand her feelings of restlessness and wondering if there's more to life than the daily grind. She also struggles with identity, wondering: can I be the same person I was before and also the person I am now? Motherhood has made me wonder about my own identity, questioning how I can be this NEW person that motherhood has made me, while also retaining the person I was before. I feel like Mary could totally understand me, and that made me feel less alone!

All in all, I liked this collection and the variety of stories it offered up. It's written in a casual, friendly, and light manner. It's definitely not a memoir, in that it's not a linear story, but rather a collection of life stories from various stages in her personal timeline. I'm rating it a 3 because I enjoyed it enough and found quite a bit of it relatable, but it's simply not a favorite for me.

I really loved this collection! They were the perfect length, as well as so smart and funny and charming. I think everyone can find something to relate to here.

This read made me realized how powerful, understated and important well written essays are. I probably have the exact opposite approach
to life as the author and no similar life experiences. (I would however love to spend my days at Parnasus Books!) Given that, I took away wisdom from almost all the missives and got the same feeling of how wonderful reading good writing is as when the Iowa Workshop was turning out amazing fiction writers and first time publications.. I also found myself staying up at night composing my own little essays when
I felt strongly about random issues.

I really enjoyed reading Philpott's collection, but I think this one was a case of expectations vs. reality for me. The blurb for this book talks a lot about Philpott's realization that her life had gone down a path she no longer enjoyed, even though she had checked all the necessary boxes (marriage, home, children, pets, career, etc). I assumed that the majority (if not entirety) of this collection would focus on that realization and what came after, but it only really started to come up in the second half of the book, and even toward the second half of the second half. The rest of collection, while well-written and, again, enjoyable to read, felt disjointed and I thought a few of the essays ended quite abruptly. An overall witty collection, but one I felt could have used a bit more focus.

Brilliant book! Funny, thoughtful, and moving. My only criticism is that I wish it had come out sooner so that I could give it to EVERYONE for Christmas.

Loved talking to Mary Laura on my podcast about the book. Check out the episode with our conversation below.