Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC of this book.

Aside from a desire for this to be longer, judged as it is this is beautiful short story about death and tying up loose end. It was beautifully written and I enjoyed reading it.

I love the title of this short story and as a long time fan of Cheryl Strayed I was eager to start reading. It's short, but it packs a punch as it deals with end of life moral decisions. Strayed addressed her relationship with her mother-in-law with tenderness and understanding, which at times was tenuous and conflict was avoided in more than one instance when holding her tongue showed great restraint! Again, understanding and tenderness shine. Very well written, I highly recommend.

This was the perfect remedy to a bit of a reading slump I've had since early January. The story was interesting as Strayed weaves her somewhat strained relationship with her MIL Joan between stories of Joan's background. Joan is both complex and off-putting, but her backstory reveals some reasons Joan is the way she is. The writing is so concise but doesn't feel spare or choppy. I finished truly not understanding how Strayed told a story about such a big relationship in a matter of so few words.

Strayed excels in the human story, feelings, complexities, love with all its faults and foibles, and this short novella is full of all of that goodness. Highly recommend this as a one sitting, less than an hour read, that is well worth the investment of time - this novella delivers much more than it seems it would in such a short package.

Two Women Walk Into a Bar by Cheryl Strayed

This short story popped up on my NetGalley options yesterday shortly after I had finished my other read. Since I enjoyed reading Wild, I thought I’d give another one of @cherylstrayed stories a chance. I’m glad I did.

This short story is a peek at what happens when someone is at the end of their life, and family comes together to mend relationships and make things better. I also felt like it was a tribute to her mother in law, a woman who she admired but had a difficult relationship with.

If you’re someone dealing with this stage of life, death and grief, I feel like this would be a very relatable and comforting story. Thanks again @netgalley

A short sweet recount of Cheryl’s relationship with her mother-in-law Joan against the backdrop of Joan’s impending death. This served as a lovely reminder that all relationships are complex and filled with so many emotions that show themselves in a multitude of ways. It was so touching to see that, despite not having the relationship they imagined and neither was what the other imagined their in-law to be, there was still love there. It was a beautiful evening read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis is almost as long as the story. While this appeared to be a deeply personal story to the author, I didn't necessarily connect with anything. I don't really get it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Having read Wild by the same author I was excited to read more of her work, and this did not disappoint.

This was an incredible short story packed with a ton of emotion. It was an interesting look at the relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law and the changes they go through. It gives a good look at preparing for the loss of a loved one, even if the relationship wasn't always the best.

A beautiful and succinct story about family, grief, and acceptance - a mother - in - law and daughter - in - law bond in their shared love while facing death. I loved how this read and the simplicity of the story. This is relatable and endearing in every way.

Cheryl Strayed could write about coffee coasters and I'd read it. I enjoyed all her previous books and this little short story was very well written as always. I wouldn't buy the physical copy of it, but if you are a completionist with an e-reader, this might be a good addition for your Cheryl Strayed collection.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley. Reading this short story reminded my own situation of taking care of my parents now that they are getting older. The story is packed with emotion, inspiring and pulled at my heart strings. This was not the first book I read by this author and definitely wont be the last.

I have read and enjoyed other books by Cheryl Strayed. Tiny Beautiful Things is one of my favorite books. I saw this was a short memoir and decided to pick it up as a palette cleanser.

I always admire how much empathy Cheryl shows even in the most difficult of scenarios. This walks through Cheryl's difficult relationship with her mother-in-law and how they got closer through the mother-in-law's end of life. It discusses from beginning to end how their relationship changed. It really wasn't until the end that they let their walls come down.

I enjoyed this brief story. I do think it was too much to try and cram into a short story.

This was just ok for me
I did find the grieving process to be heartbreaking
especially when your loved one is fading before your eyes
It was touching, and that stuck with me
Even with that, I did not feel emotionally connected
maybe because it was such a personal story
I don't know how to feel about Joan
Nothing horrible was said about her, but she also wasn't painted in the best light
Anyways
it was a short little nugget of a story
that will probably make you think of those you love and your own mortality.

After discovering that her mother-in-law is dying, Strayed and her husband move her into an assisted living home and prepare to say goodbye. It's clear that while they didn't have the easiest of relationships, the two women had affection for one a other and appreciated the other. Family relationships are often difficult and fraught with family history and drama, and Strayed managed to illustrate this perfectly with just a couple of family anecdotes. But this short story is also laced with love and compassion, and a complicated grief. It's beautifully told, without falling into the trap of being overly emotional, which is not an easy line to walk. All in all this is a lovely exploration of family and grief.

A very sweet and sad story from CS Anout her relationship with her mother in law. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Complicated relationships, with ourselves and others, histories that won't stay buried and are complicated by the present, taking that final journey; this short story had it ALL. Bravo Cheryl Strayed.

This was a beautifully honest reflection of the relationship between the author and her mother in law. I loved reading this with the context of having read Wild. The essay examines end of life care, the complexity of in-law relationships and how we care for those who sometimes hold themselves at a distance.

This was really a longer essay, rather than a book. It was a brief summary of her experience of processing her mother-in-law's end of life care and death, while looking back at their relationship they'd built. I have read other works of Strayed's and this was not my favorite of hers. I saw her heart and warmth in it, but also felt jarred by the occasional harshness. Overall, I enjoyed the investigation of her own complex family dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This is not a book so much as it is an essay or chapter. Well-known author Strayed tells the tale of saying goodbye to her mother-in-law as her illness declines in hospice care. It's the kind of tale she tells best, of family and the complicated relationships that lie there. I read this quickly and ended with tears from her beautiful words.

A 31-page snapshot of Strayed's complex relationship with her mother-in-law, a woman she very much wanted to be close to—but their relationship was never quite what she had hoped for or dreamed of. At a key moment in their history together, Strayed reflects back on the ill-fated moment they first met in a bar, before they were officially connected by marriage.