{"product_id":"9781635570359","title":"The Best of Us : A Memoir","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Best of Us\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Joyce Maynard\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe San Francisco Chronicle’s\u003c\/i\u003e Best of the Year List \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndie Next Pick \"For Reading Groups\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Joyce Maynard, a memoir about discovering strength in the midst of great loss--\"heart wrenching, inspiring, full of joy and tears and life.\" (Anne Lamott)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2011, when she was in her late fifties, beloved author and journalist Joyce Maynard met the first true partner she had ever known. Jim wore a rakish hat over a good head of hair; he asked real questions and gave real answers; he loved to see Joyce shine, both in and out of the spotlight; and he didn’t mind the mess she made in the kitchen. He was not the husband Joyce imagined, but he quickly became the partner she had always dreamed of.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore they met, both had believed they were done with marriage, and even after they married, Joyce resolved that no one could alter her course of determined independence. Then, just after their one-year wedding anniversary, her new husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During the nineteen months that followed, as they battled his illness together, she discovered for the first time what it really meant to be a couple--to be a true partner and to have one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is their story. Charting the course through their whirlwind romance, a marriage cut short by tragedy, and Joyce’s return to singleness on new terms, \u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us \u003c\/i\u003eis a heart-wrenching, ultimately life-affirming reflection on coming to understand true love through the experience of great loss.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“'The Best of Us' remind[s] readers to let go of superficial concerns and embrace a deeper appreciation for our lives and the people in them . . . Perhaps with 'The Best of Us,' 'Maynard' will come to have new definitions: Maynard (verb) 1. To find love later in life. 2. To do anything possible to help a loved one in crisis. 3. To let oneself be changed by love. 4. To write movingly about it all.” —\u003ci\u003eThe San Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This haunting story, penned by a master wordsmith, is a reminder to savor every loved one and every day.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this touching memoir, Maynard (\u003ci\u003eTo Die For; At Home in the World\u003c\/i\u003e) chronicles her second marriage. She beautifully renders the joy of falling in love later in life and the pain of watching her husband die of pancreatic cancer. Maynard's heartfelt story will resonate with those who have lost loved ones.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Joyce Maynard has been through so many ups and downs in her life and she communicates her love, pain and everything in between through her life affirming experiences, written with great emotion and clarity in this beautiful memoir. I highly recommend it.” —\u003ci\u003eBookTrib\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Maynard shows us her flaws, her exuberance, her willingness to take risks, to fall in love, and happily, finally, to discover what a mature marriage and loving relationship look like - flaws, cancer and all. Her readers will do more than connect; they will laugh, cry and rekindle hope that the best of us just might be possible.” —\u003ci\u003eCharleston Post Courier\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There isn't a happy ending, but their journey is a beautiful one nonetheless.” —\u003ci\u003eBustle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Joyce Maynard's memoir \u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us--\u003c\/i\u003eabout her adored second husband--is brutally honest and deeply loving.” —\u003ci\u003eWoman's Day\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The famed novelist and memoirist on meeting the love of her life, marrying, and facing loss.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Tribune, \"Fall's Big Books\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Joyce Maynard shares the heart-wrenching but ultimately hopeful story of finding love only to lose it a short time later in \u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us\u003c\/i\u003e (Bloomsbury).” —\u003ci\u003eParade, \"4 Riveting Reads to Try This Fall\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Maynard] delivers a moving tribute to [her husband's] memory and a thoughtful exploration of the connection between love and loss.” —\u003ci\u003eThe San Jose Mercury News, \"Books by the Bay\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us \u003c\/i\u003efeels like a life come full circle, addressing a much more adult kind of love.” —\u003ci\u003eSignature Reads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Joyce Maynard is getting up close and personal in \u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us\u003c\/i\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003e7x7\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The memoir is not about death so much as it is about finding in the deep shadows of illness obvious things, like appreciating time with loved ones and the value of dying at home and not in hospital. Importantly, it has Maynard discovering confidence, nobility, dignity and her best self.” —\u003ci\u003eThe San Jose Mercury News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Maynard as caretaker is a revelation, both beautiful and heart-wrenching--a role she undertakes (as everything grows harder) with grit, grace and growth. Her earlier memoirs may have had their naysayers, but no one can naysay \u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us.\u003c\/i\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eThe Buffalo News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Best of Us\u003c\/i\u003e is both heartbreaking and uplifting, a chronicle of unlikely, unexpected romance and personal tragedy, as well as a meditation on the nature of love.” —\u003ci\u003eOmnivoracious\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In her poignant memoir about losing her husband to cancer, Maynard reminds readers to embrace a deeper appreciation for our lives and the people in them.” —\u003ci\u003eThe San Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-listed San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (2017)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781635570359\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40698768916686,"sku":"9781635570359","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_7e2cb353-7428-49dd-a933-250933bb8dc4.jpg?v=1640494692","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781635570359","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}