Journal of a Solitude

De: May Sarton

Narrado por: Donna Postel

May Sarton's parrot chatters away as Sarton looks out the window at the rain and contemplates returning to her "real" life - not friends, not even love, but writing. In her bravest and most revealing memoir, Sarton casts her keenly observant eye on both the interior and exterior worlds. She shares insights about everyday life in the quiet New Hampshire village of Nelson, the desire for friends, and need for solitude - both an exhilarating and terrifying state. She likens writing to "cracking open the inner world again", which sometimes plunges her into depression. She confesses her fears, her disappointments, her unresolved angers. Sarton's garden is her great, abiding joy, sustaining her through seasons of psychic and emotional pain.

Journal of a Solitude is a moving and profound meditation on creativity, oneness with nature, and the courage it takes to be alone. Both uplifting and cathartic, it sweeps us along on Sarton's pilgrimage inward.

©1973 May Sarton (P)2018 Tantor

Love journals

I love reading different journals diaries. this one is no different!! Please keep writing!! thank you

Lovely to listen to the word of May Sarton

And take her with me throughout my day. The reader was very sincere, which only makes me want to hear may Sarton reading from her own journal.

Perfect!

Absolutely Perfect for These Times! Did She Write My Life Story? It Certainly Felt That way.

Full of Wisdom and Beauty

Although likely not for everyone, I love Journal of a Solitude. I've read it twice in hard copy and recommended it to friends. I am a woman of similar age who lives alone on land. I find her thoughts and observations moving and relevant. Written in 1973 by a prolific poet, author and retired professor there are more differences in our lives than similarities and yet her words speak to me. I love this book and hope you enjoy it too.

French quotes

The narrator was generally very good except for her French pronunciation of the two letter extracts which were difficult for a native speaker to understand. It wouldn’t worry a non French speaker.

I’ve loved this book forever

A classic I return to over and over. Thankful this woman put pen to paper.

Again-boring and depressing

They’re asking for a review again which I thought I did…a negative one. It will ruin your day(s). I’m always happy but listening to her depression made me feel bad. Weird-I guess I’m just sorry i wasted time this book.

Terrible book by self-important, forgotten author

I read this book the first time more than 20 years ago when I thought I wanted to be a memoirist. I thought it was vain and delusional then, and it's comically bad now.

A relic of mid-century clubby, white publishing, and almost entirely forgotten now, Sarton gives a bravura performance of name-dropping, self-delusion about her significance as an "artist", and complaining that her fans -- women artists and closeted gay boys -- who won't leave her alone. This gets in the way of occasionally lovely observations about the bitter blessings of being alone -- even though she's not alone for more than a few hours for this entire year of "solitude"!

Students of male and female authors still in the canon might find it mildly interesting because she slept with a lot of them, apparently. Otherwise, this should be a hard pass.

The narrator's performance was quite good, though.