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Memory Palace, The

Bartok, Mira

  5 Reviews

When life with their brilliant but schizophrenic mother becomes unbearable, sisters Mira and Natalia are forced to sever all contact. Reconciled many years later, artist and writer Mira Bartok draws from her 'memory palace' to tell the story of growing-up with a parent with a debilitating mental illness, and the pain and heartbreak that led to their abandoning their mother.

Punctuated with Bartok's original art, this is an exquisitely written memoir, compassionate, poignant and above all, testimony to the strength of bonds between mother and daughters. [Small font]

Comments from Groups

Good discussion. Not an easy read. Thought provoking. Timaru 011

Excellent book. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Wellington 029

Only four read the whole book. Others were quite emotional about the subject. Most agreed the writer wrote brilliantly. Wellington 104

Everyone really enjoyed reading this book and thought that it was beautifully written. Despite dealing with very difficult issues, the book was well balanced and included many positives. Wellington 007

Our group mostly found it difficult to read although one member found the head injury material useful in dealing with people with head injuries. There was a comparison with 'The Glass Castle', similar content, but very different writing styles. Tauranga 037

Pages
301
Year
2011

Reviews

CART 001
13-09-2021
This book was difficult read - "enjoyed" is the wrong word. Most of us were glad we did read it.
GREYT 003
26-04-2019
Eschewed by several readers because of the topic, but it still scored a high average. Those of us who read it enjoyed how well it was written and how well Mira expressed her mother's intelligence and creativity. One reader commented that although the writing was good, it was too personal. A book with many layers.
THAM 002
26-04-2019
The book gave good insight into the sad place for the mentally ill in our society.
CHCH 011
26-04-2019
Heartbreakingly sad, but well worth the read.
HUNTLY 001
25-03-2019
Mixed reactions to this book. We all felt we learnt a lot about schizophrenia, but it was a bit depressing.