Rhoda Janzen
Hardcover | Pages: 241 pages Rating: 3.18 | 30064 Users | 4424 Reviews
Describe Of Books Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home (Mennonite #1)
| Title | : | Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home (Mennonite #1) |
| Author | : | Rhoda Janzen |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 241 pages |
| Published | : | October 13th 2009 by Henry Holt and Co. |
| Categories | : | Autobiography. Memoir. Nonfiction. Humor. Biography. Religion |
Representaion Conducive To Books Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home (Mennonite #1)
A hilarious and moving memoir—in the spirit of Anne Lamott and Nora Ephron—about a woman who returns home to her close-knit Mennonite family after a personal crisisNot long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her brilliant husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. What was a gal to do? Rhoda packed her bags and went home. This wasn’t just any home, though. This was a Mennonite home. While Rhoda had long ventured out on her own spiritual path, the conservative community welcomed her back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.) It is in this safe place that Rhoda can come to terms with her failed marriage; her desire, as a young woman, to leave her sheltered world behind; and the choices that both freed and entrapped her.
Written with wry humor and huge personality—and tackling faith, love, family, and aging—Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving memoir of healing, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead.
Declare Books Concering Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home (Mennonite #1)
| Original Title: | Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home |
| ISBN: | 080508925X (ISBN13: 9780805089257) |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://us.macmillan.com/mennoniteinalittleblackdress/RhodaJanzen |
| Series: | Mennonite #1 |
| Literary Awards: | Thurber Prize Nominee for American Humor (2010) |
Rating Of Books Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home (Mennonite #1)
Ratings: 3.18 From 30064 Users | 4424 ReviewsEvaluate Of Books Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home (Mennonite #1)
Full disclosure: this book annoyed me enough that I stopped at chapter 6. Maybe it gets better, but I wasn't in the mood to waste my time finding out.First, know that if you are looking for insight into the Mennonite way of life, this is not the book for you. Though the author was raised in a Mennonite community, and returns to it when her marriage ends, she is not a practicing Mennonite herself. She actually tends to mock her family in what may be intended to be a lighthearted way, but
Yes, this book was laugh out loud funny in many places and Rhoda Janzens humorous tone made it a quick and easy read, but I was puzzled by why she chose the path she did and kept looking for more than this book contained.Throughout the reading of this entire book, I kept wondering one question. Why?...WHY did Rhoda so totally throw off the religion of her youth in her 20s? Why did she seem almost hell bent to cast off every vestige of Christianity and Mennonitism in particular? WHY did she marry
This book, by Rhoda Janzen, seems to inspire accolades or thumbs down. A quick look at Amazon will find little in between. Sadly, I am in the latter group. After a great beginning in which the author draws the reader in, it falls flat on its face. It was a struggle to finish, it was that boring.Supposedly this is the story of a 40-ish woman who is a Mennonite (non practicing) whose husband leaves her for a guy whom he meets on Gay.com. She has had major surgery from which she recovers and during
I wish there was a star rating that meant "I laughed out loud several times, had to look up a few words in the dictionary, and regularly swore I could hear the voice of one of my dearest friends narrating to me from this warm, welcoming, funny, painful, strange familiar story". Or maybe, to paraphase the words of Steve Martin, something along the lines of "it reached down, grabbed my heart and squoze it."Yeah. That would do.
I was disappointed with this but to be fair, it was partly because I thought it was going to be something it wasn't. I expected to learn about the Mennonite religion and community in a serious way along with the jokes, but that didn't happen. Even in the appendix where there is a section on Mennonite history there was very little that I didn't already know, and I'm not exactly knowledgeable on the subject.But enough of what this isn't. What it is, is an irreverent look at Rhoda Janzen's family
All things considered what an upbeat & funny story. The way she chose to deal with her husband leaving her for a man, without excessive bitterness or vindictiveness showed a lot of class. She dealt with the Mennonite Community in the same way, providing clear & logical reasons for why she left the faith while refraining from taking cheap shots. When her life was crumbling around her they were there for her with steaming bowls of borscht. I fell in love with her mother:) Good writer,
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