Engaging, emotional, and well-narrated. A recommended purchase for collections where memoirs are popular.

Thanks Mariner Books for my hardback copy of Rosie Schaap's beautiful and moving memoir, The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country.

I read this in a single day—Schaap has taken her pain, grief, and loss and transformed them into something absolutely beautiful. She was only 39 when her husband Frank died, and she lost her mother the following year. Eventually, she moved from her Brooklyn apartment, which was haunted by so many memories, to Glenarm, a seaside village in Northern Ireland. It’s in Glenarm that she gradually found peace, community, and also a new and unexpected love.

I never know how, exactly, to review memoirs because how can I critique someone’s experiences? All I can say about The Slow Road North is that her words moved me to tears. I’m on the cusp of 38, and my husband is 43. The similarity between our ages and the ages she and Frank were as they faced his death rattled me—once again, I’m reminded we never know what life has in store for us when we say “I do.” Listening to her story, I was grateful for my health and the health of my husband and children. While I obviously wish she hadn’t had to experience such tragedy, I am impressed with her honesty and strength as she chronicled her way through unimaginable loss and the accompanying guilt. Her writing is elegiac and yet not without hope. She never shies away from her grief, but rather allows it to take up space as she acknowledges and learns how to exist in her new reality as a young widow.

She skillfully weaves her personal narrative in and around a fascinating social history of Northern Ireland, the place she now calls home. I found both elements—memoir and history—interesting, and she achieved a wonderful balance between the two.

I listened to the audiobook courtesy of Dreamscape Media, which is read by the author. If you’re an audiobook lover like I am, I’d HIGHLY recommend grabbing this one on audio.

The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country” by Rosie Schaap is a poignant memoir that delves into themes of grief, healing, and self-discovery. Rosie Schaap, a New York-based writer, finds herself grappling with profound loss after the deaths of her husband and mother. Seeking solace, she embarks on a journey to Northern Ireland, a place she has long been fascinated with due to its rich literary and cultural history.

The memoir chronicles Schaap’s transition from a life entrenched in New York City to settling in the small coastal town of Glenarm, north of Belfast. This move is driven by her need to escape the overwhelming grief and find a new way of living. Schaap’s narrative is interwoven with Irish poetry, folktales, and historical references, providing a rich cultural backdrop to her personal story.

The key elements that stood out to me throughout the book were highlighted by Schaap’s journey and how it was marked by her struggle with grief and her search for healing. I could resonate with the fact that she found comfort in the community of Glenarm and the natural beauty of Northern Ireland. It felt to me that this highlighted the importance of human connections in overcoming personal loss. I enjoyed how the memoir is peppered with references to Irish literature and history, including the potato famine and The Troubles, which add depth to her personal narrative.

Schaap’s writing is both evocative and introspective. She marries a reporter’s curiosity with a humorists' eye for detail, creating a nuanced and poignant account of what comes after grief. Her descriptions of the Irish landscape and the small-town characters are vivid and engaging, making the reader feel a part of her journey.

All in all, I felt like this was a heartfelt and honest portrayal of grief and recovery. To me, it was a testament to the idea that sometimes finding peace requires a change of scenery and a willingness to embrace the unknown

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Slow Road North in exchange for an honest review!

I went into this book not entirely knowing what to expect, all I knew was I had recently visited Northern Ireland and was definitely interested in reading more about it. I was very pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful examination of Northern Irelands people and places, as well as her honesty as she explored her grief and walked through the various stages of her life since the death of her husband and then her mother.
I resonated with many of the things she shared about grief and relationships while also not agreeing with her beliefs about elements of the grieving process and relationships.
It was a fairly good audiobook and it felt a little like taking a walk and talking with someone.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a thoughtful memoir and reflection on grief and new beginnings.

Thank you to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of The Slow Road North by Rosie Schaap, Narrated by the author

It doesn't happen often, but I was fortunate enough to obtain both text and audio at the same time for The Slow Road North, and the sincerity and passion in the author's words is, ironically perhaps, a soothing respite in a country where where war and strife have been a part of daily life over and over through generations.

Author Rosie Schaap, living in New York, is widowed while in her 40s. Thirteen months into widowhood she loses her mother as well. Dealing with her twin griefs has been difficult at best. Rosie decides to make a move to a small town near Belfast, Northern Ireland as she had attended a nearby college and wanted to return to Ireland. It is in this quiet town, Glenarm, that she will laugh, cry, fall in love with local birds, make new friends and find new love. The road she is on is not an easy one, but she finds comfort in poetry and in writing.

Rosie Schaap shares local information about Northern Ire;and including the historic event of a local Catholic school finally admitting students of other faiths, particularly Protestants, which had not been done before. Many references to "The Troubles" (Catholics vs. Protestants in a country now divided) give Rosie's new life added scope as she celebrates the idea of community.

The Slow Road North is an uplifting and intuitive examination of what life can be and is not a "How To Survive Widowhood" guidebook. Rather, The Slow Road North is one woman's story of new opportunities.