Memorial Days

A Memoir

De: Geraldine Brooks

Narrado por: Geraldine Brooks

A New York Times Bestseller

“Brooks tracks the geography of grief with patience and grace as she comes to terms with the ongoing nature of outliving the ones you love most. ... Her memoir is certainly a testament to her own unique loss, but it’s moreover a lifeline to others who will find themselves in this familiar, shattered landscape of grief.”—Los Angeles Times

“A rich account of marriage and mourning.”—Washington Post

A heartrending and beautiful memoir of sudden loss and a journey towards peace, from the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse

Many cultural and religious traditions expect those who are grieving to step away from the world. In contemporary life, we are more often met with red tape and to-do lists. This is exactly what happened to Geraldine Brooks when her partner of more than three decades, Tony Horwitz–just sixty years old and, to her knowledge, vigorous and healthy–collapsed and died on a Washington, D. C. sidewalk.

After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine and Tony settled down to raise two boys on Martha’s Vineyard. The life they built was one of meaningful work, good humor, and tenderness, as they spent their days writing and their evenings cooking family dinners or watching the sun set with friends at the beach. But all of this ended abruptly when, on Memorial Day 2019, Geraldine received the phone call we all dread. The demands were immediate and many. Without space to grieve, the sudden loss became a yawning gulf.

Three years later, she booked a flight to a remote island off the coast of Australia with the intention of finally giving herself the time to mourn. In a shack on a pristine, rugged coast she often went days without seeing another person. There, she pondered the various ways in which cultures grieve and what rituals of her own might help to rebuild a life around the void of Tony’s death.

A spare and profoundly moving memoir that joins the classics of the genre, Memorial Days is a portrait of a larger-than-life man and a timeless love between souls that exquisitely captures the joy, agony, and mystery of life.

©2024 Geraldine Brooks (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

A People Best Book of February 2025

“Brooks and her husband, Tony Horwitz, had been reporters in war zones, but nothing prepared her for his sudden death, at just 60, after three decades together. Four years later, she journeyed to a remote island near Tasmania “to do the unfinished work of grieving.” This memoir is her report back, at once a spare accounting of tragic detail and an appreciation of the healing properties of solitude.”—New York Times Book Review

“This intimate memoir of grief is a lifeline to others dealing with loss. ... Intensely intimate and candid ... Brooks tracks the geography of grief with patience and grace as she comes to terms with the ongoing nature of outliving the ones you love most. ... Her memoir is certainly a testament to her own unique loss, but it’s moreover a lifeline to others who will find themselves in this familiar, shattered landscape of grief.”—Los Angeles Times

“Brooks wield[s] precise and often beautiful language and, in the most graceful way possible, point[s] a way forward. A rich account of marriage and mourning ... Memorial Days contains much compassionate advice for those who have, or will, suffer the same ferocious blow.”—The Washington Post

Lessons in grief

I most loved that Geraldine's story was so different than my own but also so much the same.

The reality of losing your spouse.

Ms. Brooks is a wonderful story teller. I've read all of her books. Yes, "Horse" is my favorite.
My husband, who I had known for over 40 years & had been married to for 23, died of a long struggle with dementia. It was terrible.
Mr. Horowitz death was as well. Geraldine did a wonderful job of explaining the complexity of grief. Thank you, Ms. Brooks.

A wise, candid and beautiful recount of a life that could have been derailed by a sudden horrific loss.

This memoir was completely r although the lives of the widows, this writer and this reader, had few visible parallels until their loss

Honest, Beautiful, Serene

I found Memorial Days to be comforting and engaging. Geraldine Brooks speaks with vulnerability and wisdom as she shares the story of the sudden loss of her husband. Her discussion of grief is truthful and relevant to anyone who has ever loved another person.

She also recognizes the problems that arise from being uncomfortable with sorrow and grief (whether our own or someone else’s). I really like what she says about this. Our world would be a little more bearable if we could find more ways to hold each other when loss comes.

Geraldine Brooks also has a lovely speaking voice and manages to read her own work (which must have been challenging, given the painful subject matter) in a calm but delicate and deliberate tone. Couldn’t stop listening.

Her grieving work comes through as a roadmap for us all.

The truth and emotion are easy to capture. The reflections in one chapter are set forth with her current mindset.

Her honesty

Her story and her help given to me in my own grief. She is resilient and honest.

Thank you

Thank you for sharing your story. Meaningful and helpful at this point in my life.

Excellent and poignant

If you have ever lost someone suddenly close to you, or know anyone who has, this is an excellent and poignant look at the process that follows. I highly recommend this.

Healthy Grieving

Author’s journey with grief beautifully expressed with honesty and compassion as she recounts her famous husbands sudden death.

A beautiful story

Geraldine Brooks captures so many aspects of grieving in our culture. If you have a friend who has lost a loved one and want a glimpse into their journey, read this book.