Two Women Walk Into a Bar by Cheryl Strayed was a sweet short story that I actually wish had been just a little bit longer. I would love to have known more about the years of relationship between Cheryl and her mother-in-law during the years from first meet to the days at the end of her mother-in-law's life. Holy cow, though! What little you learn about her mother-in-law's familial background was the stuff of novels. That is ripe for a long story on its own! Regardless, I won't spend a ton of time reviewing a story that was 31 pages long, but I really liked it and would love to see Ms. Strayed write more about it whether fictionalized or memoir-style.

Cheryl Strayed could write about paint drying and I’d read it. While brief, it still packed an emotional punch that got me at the last line. A touching portrayal of family and loss.

An essay-length story about grief and loss that was written beautifully and heartbreaking. I've never read anything by Cheryl Strayed, but I am interested in picking up some of her previous work.

This short story pulls you in and made me relate to every day interactions. The complexities of the bitter sweet wonderful journey of aging, paired with the multifactorial relationships of family members who love them. Will make you re evaluate your part of others aging process.

Cheryl Strayed writes a lovely story about the relationship she had with her mother in law and her end of life journey.

A beautiful novella about the family we acquire.. not our blood. This story is about Cheryl’s mother in law nearing end of life and Cheryl’s promise to love her like a daughter. The author talks about the last 20 years with her mother in law starting with the first moment she met her.. wanting to impress her but already started off on the wrong foot. Her husband her only son they knew she loved them.. but did they like them? As a woman about to get remarried and gain my second mother in law who is drastically different than my first it was an interesting and eye opening read.

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

As a long-time fan of Cheryl Strayed, I found this short story about her mother-in-law a wonderful tribute to a complicated person and the author's relationship to her. Beautifully written, it feels as though the author is sitting opposite you telling her very personal story as her mother-in-law enters the last phase of life. It gives a fascinating look back to the childhood and youth of her mother-in-law, which irrevokably shaped her into the person she became, and at the same time picks up echos of the author's own mother, who died young and is sorely missed by her daughter. Moving and completely engaging.

A lovely micro-memoir detailing Cheryl Strayd's complex relationship with her mother-in-law, as well as how it was as she and her husband dealt with end of life care for her. Insightful if you've never experienced this before, and relatable if you have. Definitely worth a read!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for the chance to read Cheryl Strayed's novella.
What a great short story by a favorite author of mine. I love Strayed's writing style and how her words transport you to the scene she is writing about. I could feel the tensions, the discomfort, and the love emanating from this story.
I loved it.

This felt like a good chapter in a larger work. I don't know that it needed to exist as a standalone.

Cheryl Strayed, the author of hit memoir "Wild", returns with a poignant short story about the death of her mother-in-law. This memoir short story highlights themes of family, love, aging, grief, and death. Only 31 pages in length, this short story can be read in one sitting. I really enjoy Cheryl Strayed's storytelling and writing style. She is able to bring her experiences to life on the page and engage the reader. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

#TwoWomenWalkintoaBar #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed the story but i wish it was a little bit longer, I felt like we were thrown into it.

A moving story about family, relationships and death. The words kept me engaged by painting the picture of the places and people.

This was a beautifully written story about the relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law. Was the relationship complicated? Yes. Did they give each other grace? More than they admitted. I actually teared up at the end. The mother-in-law died knowing that she was loved.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I heard an interview on public radio with Cheryl Strayed talking about this story and her relationship with her mother-in-law, so I was eager to read the essay/story. It is beautifully written and a lovely tribute to a complicated person/relationship. For anyone who has gone through the loss of a parent/grandparent/in-law, you'll relate to the importance of leaving nothing unsaid and treasuring relationships.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this story.

This short story by Cheryl Strayed perfectly illustrates both the love you have for your in-laws and the constraints of inlaw relationships.

Wow, a brief look into a family as the mother lay dying. It was a sweet and poignant look at the family you make for yourself and what you would do for them. As I watch my parents become frailer, I connected with this short memoir and even shed a tear.

I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed and jumped at the opportunity to read the advance read copy of Two Women Walk into a Bar (also by Cheryl Strayed).

Two Women Walk into a Bar is very short (20-30 pages) and a tribute to Cheryl's beloved mother-in-law. They met 20 years ago (in a bar); most of the story is regarding Cheryl's mother-in-law's last few weeks before she passes away. A very personal tribute.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cheryl Strayed the author and publisher Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read the advance review copy of Two Women Walk into a Bar in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 01 Jan 2024.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I am familiar with this author because of her best-selling [book:Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|12262741], but this novella about her relationship with her mother-in-law is just as poignant. Female relationships especially that of MIL and DIL can be difficult, but the novella is sweet and realistic.

Two Women Walk Into a Bar is a short story of the relationship between the author Cheryl Strayed and her mother-in-law. Twenty years after they first meet, Joan is dying and Cheryl reflects on the ins and outs of their time together over the years. I thought this was a beautiful story of the sometimes complicated relationship between the author and the woman who was "mom" to her over the last two decades and the only grandmother Cheryl's kids would ever know. (Cheryl's own mom passed away when Cheryl was in her early 20's.) It's a story of love that is not quite unconditional, but not quite conditional either.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of this book.