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| Plot Summary of Breaking Apart: A Memoir of Divorce |
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"Swallow was a writer for the Washington Post, then a professor of journalism at American University, and married to a man 10 years older who was prey to depressions, with two young sons, when she decided to separate from her husband. Her memoir of that period -- thoughtful, honest, unhysterical -- is about as fair as it could possibly be to all parties, and discusses the larger picture of divorce in the United States as well as her own experience. The account is not particularly bloody; so far, her sons seem to have come through okay, and she and her ex have managed an equitable arrangement of joint custody. But the pain, confusion, ambivalence, and vengefulness are all there, and beautifully described. I've never been divorced, and expect never to be, but I understood and liked this book very much for its delicacy and great humanity."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Breaking Apart: A Memoir of Divorce |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Romance
Yes
Kind of romance:
- searching for lover
- marriage coming apart
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- general coming of age story
job/profession:
- writer
Gender/Class story?
- woman's story
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Family, hate
Yes
Struggle with:
- Son
- Husband
The difficult family member
- disapproves of life choices
- is mentally ill
- blames for things that go wrong
Ethnic/regional/gender
Yes
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 (a little)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- Washington D.C.
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- thoughtful
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- gentle
Commentary on society?
Yes
Commentary on
- love/sex
- decency
- selfishness
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
How much is philosophy rather than life story?
- 0-25% of book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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