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The Rules of Inheritance: A Memoir Audiobook
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(4.01) - 608 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A resonant memoir of the ways untimely good-byes echo through the years by a writer who has considered every nuance of grief. At age fourteen, Claire Bidwell Smith-an only child- learned that both of her parents had cancer. The fear of becoming a family of one before she came of age compels Claire to make a series of fraught choices, set against the glittering backdrop of New York and Los Angeles - and the pall of regret. When the inevitable happens, and Claire is alone in the world, she is inconsolable at the revelation that suddenly she is no one's special person. It is only when Claire eventually falls in love, marries, and becomes a mother that she emerges from the fog of grief. Defying a conventional framework, this story is told using the five stages of grief as a window into Smith's experience. As in the very best memoirs, the author's powerful and exquisite writing renders personal events into universal experience.
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"I came across this memoir at the library and picked it up on a whim. I must have read it in less than two days because it was written so fluidly and well. It is modeled after the five stages of grief - the most powerful aspect about this book is that she holds nothing back as she comes to terms with her parents' untimely deaths in her own way, own time. It begins with the end, set against the nuances of growing up with aging and sick parents."
— Marianne (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Forget everything you think you know about grief. Smith’s memoir is the most honest book I've ever read about how loss unmoors, challenges and changes you, written in prose so exquisite it could be poetry. Dazzlingly brave and absolutely true.”
— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You -
“This beautiful memoir is about what we inherit—the love as well as the sorrow and loss that are an inevitable part of human connection. In lucid, unsentimental prose, Claire Bidwell Smith maps out the story of her abrupt and rocky coming-of-age with just the right amount of intimacy and distance. This book will stay with me.”
— Dani Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author -
“In The Rules of Inheritance, Claire Bidwell Smith takes us on a heartbreaking journey into grief’s deepest waters and then shows us how she found her way back to hope’s shores. With courageous vulnerability and uncompromising authenticity, Smith demonstrates how she transformed tragic misfortune into a rite of passage.”
— Jillian Lauren, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Some Girls: My Life in a Harem -
“A powerful, moving memoir of overcoming grief and loss.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“In this deeply reflective, anguished memoir, LA journalist and psychotherapist Smith revisits the staggered death of her two parents from cancer as steps in the process of grieving.Smith’s prose possesses a blistering power, rendering this youthful memoir an affecting journey into loss.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Gritty, poetic, and illuminating.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“A searingly honest, poignant and poetic chronicle of love and loss, examining what it feels like to be ‘nobody’s most important person.’”
— Susan Shapiro, author of Lighting Up and Five Men Who Broke My Heart
The Rules of Inheritance Listener Reviews
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" It's truly been painful to read this book. The writing is excellent but her pain is so palpable that I can't help but have mini breakdowns as I read. As an only child as well i can only imagine and fear that loneliness she so vividly describes. Brutiful book. "
— Denise, 2/8/2014 -
" Bravely beautiful! Without a doubt, it seduces one into being more honest and vulnerable and conjures up grit from your inner woman. "
— Joselyn, 2/5/2014 -
" I actively disliked the first 2/3rds of this book. And then the end somehow redeemed it for me. It is very sad and dark for the most part, but really ends on a happy note. Mixed feelings. . .. "
— Janssen, 2/2/2014 -
" could not finish, it was too sad, but what i read was very compelling. "
— Hillary, 1/30/2014 -
" This was incredibly sad but I totally enjoyed it. I have never read anything like it--I loved her voice and her style and I now have some idea of what grief is really like--I have friends and a husband who have lost parents as teenagers and I wish I had read something like this a long time ago.... "
— Mary, 1/19/2014 -
" Very good but deeply sad. "
— Shannon, 1/8/2014 -
" Best memoir I've read in a while. Crafted prose that, even though you know the ending from the minute you begin the book, keeps you reading. It's not about telling a chronological story, but rather about understanding the experience of grief in both its universal and particular manifestations. "
— Jenny, 12/28/2013 -
" Excellent. Love her writing.... This book is one of the best memoirs dealing with grief. "
— Lynn, 12/14/2013 -
" The style of writing is easy to read, and has a compelling story. I did find it confusing when she would go back and forth in some chapters re her life. Sometimes it made it a bit hard to follow, but did not take away from the story. The ending was very encouraging. Great read "
— Lorrainesoucie, 12/12/2013 -
" I couldn't put it down until I had read every word. "
— Jeanne, 12/6/2013 -
" Free book from a giveaway I signed up for. "
— Silvergift, 9/17/2013 -
" Absolutely love this memoir! Claire Bidwell Smith brilliantly crafted the chronology of her story through Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' five stages of grief. It's heartbreaking, it's beautiful, and it's oh-so-real. It's one you won't want to put down, and one you'll never want to end. "
— Melissa, 6/2/2013 -
" Having lost both parents to cancer in the past 2 years this book physically hurt me to read but it's so well written that I finished it. Amazingly and brutally honest writing. "
— Sarah, 5/18/2013 -
" Not a book to "enjoy" but to think about and learn from, at times to revisit grief from years ago. "
— Janice, 2/12/2013 -
" I love memoirs! Great story of growing up through grief. "
— Caren, 2/2/2013 -
" Claire Bidwell Smith lost both her parents to cancer when she was young. Her memoir about her struggle with grief can help others who also struggle with grief. For my complete review, visit my blog here: Lemon Drop Pie. "
— Ginny, 2/1/2013 -
" Absolutely beautiful memoir. Told at fourteen that both of her parents have cancer, Ms. Smith's pain drives the narrative like a force of nature and doesn't let up until right near the end. Would love to read a novel by this author. "
— Judy, 12/1/2012 -
" Awesome book! She takes you into her mind and bounces around back and forth to different parts of her life and it makes you aware of how the past is not on a specific timeline and memories can be triggered from any point. Very beautiful and sad. "
— Natalie, 6/24/2012 -
" There were times I wanted to stop, she was so descriptive and you just wanted to reach through the book to hug her, let her know she wasn't alone. Rooting for her the whole time "
— Kathy, 4/19/2012
About Claire Bidwell Smith
Claire Bidwell Smith is a therapist specializing in grief and the author of two books of nonfiction, including the memoir The Rules of Inheritance, the basis for a major motion picture. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the New School University and a master’s degree from Antioch University. Smith is a licensed therapist in both California and Illinois and has a thriving private practice in Los Angeles, where she lives.