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Joan: Forty Years of Life, Loss and Friendship with Joan didion
Joan: Forty Years of Life, Loss, and Friendship with Joan Didion is Sara Davidson's intimate, loving portrait of one of America's most revered and private writers. It is a treasure trove of Didion's no-nonsense wisdom about the art of literature and life, and about the power of both endurance and surrender.
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First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Sara Davidson
34 books23 followersSara was born in 1943 and grew up in California. She went to Berkeley in the Sixties, where the rite of passage was to "get stoned, get laid and get arrested."
After Berkeley she headed for New York to attend the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Her first job was with the Boston Globe, where she became a national correspondent, covering everything from the election campaigns of Bobby Kennedy and Richard Nixon to the Woodstock Festival and the student strike at Columbia.
Returning to New York, she worked as a free-lance journalist for magazines ranging from Harpers, Esquire and the New York Times to Rolling Stone. She was one of the group who developed the craft of literary journalism, combining the techniques of fiction with rigorous reporting to bring real events and people to life. Her work is collected in the textbook,The Literary Journalists, by Norman Sims.
Sara moved back to California where for 25 years, she alternated between writing for television and writing books. The books tend to fall in the gray zone between memoir and fiction. She uses the voice of the intimate journalist, drawing on material from her life and that of others and shaping it into a narrative that reads like fiction.
In television, she created two drama series, Jack and Mike, and Heart Beat, which ran on A.B.C. She was later co-executive producer of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, wrote hundreds of hours of drama episodes, movies and miniseries, and in 1994 was nominated for a Golden Globe.
In the year 2000, her life began to unravel. She was divorced, her children were leaving for college and she couldn't find work in television. Following her intuition, knowing nobody, she drove to Boulder, Colorado for three months to be a visiting writer at the University of Colorado. She never drove back, and is piecing together a different life which she writes about in Leap
Her current passions are: singing with friends, the "Shady Angels," learning piano, skiing and hiking in the Rockies.
After Berkeley she headed for New York to attend the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Her first job was with the Boston Globe, where she became a national correspondent, covering everything from the election campaigns of Bobby Kennedy and Richard Nixon to the Woodstock Festival and the student strike at Columbia.
Returning to New York, she worked as a free-lance journalist for magazines ranging from Harpers, Esquire and the New York Times to Rolling Stone. She was one of the group who developed the craft of literary journalism, combining the techniques of fiction with rigorous reporting to bring real events and people to life. Her work is collected in the textbook,The Literary Journalists, by Norman Sims.
Sara moved back to California where for 25 years, she alternated between writing for television and writing books. The books tend to fall in the gray zone between memoir and fiction. She uses the voice of the intimate journalist, drawing on material from her life and that of others and shaping it into a narrative that reads like fiction.
In television, she created two drama series, Jack and Mike, and Heart Beat, which ran on A.B.C. She was later co-executive producer of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, wrote hundreds of hours of drama episodes, movies and miniseries, and in 1994 was nominated for a Golden Globe.
In the year 2000, her life began to unravel. She was divorced, her children were leaving for college and she couldn't find work in television. Following her intuition, knowing nobody, she drove to Boulder, Colorado for three months to be a visiting writer at the University of Colorado. She never drove back, and is piecing together a different life which she writes about in Leap
Her current passions are: singing with friends, the "Shady Angels," learning piano, skiing and hiking in the Rockies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 22, 2015
I must have downloaded this Byliner Original for cheap or free back when it first came out, and in my Summer of Joan Didion it was the perfect thing to whet my appetite for the full-length biography that's out next week. Whet my appetite it did, and it was great to learn a bit more about Joan Didion and hear some of what she has to say. But Sara Davidson, who inserted herself into the story as Joan's friend and fellow writer, came across as rather callow. What's more, writing about Joan Didion sets her up to have her writing compared to Didion's, and that's a face-off Sara Davidson could never hope to win, and doesn't--not by a long shot.
March 8, 2014
Although this is a short read, it is extremely moving. Literary journalist Sara Davidson discusses her long friendship with author Joan Didion. She first met Didion in 1971, as a young reporter full of admiration, and found herself welcomed into the author’s life and family. There are tales of dinner parties in LA and a disconcerting story about Davidson’s problems with a young nanny, whom she had employed to look after her son. However, this is not really about Hollywood actors or the film industry, or even their writing. Really, this is a story of friendship and life – of love and grief. For Joan Didion suffered the loss of both her husband and her only child within a short period and the tragedy is something that she has explored in her writing, but, more than that, had to cope with. It has made me want to re-read the work of Joan Didion - both her novels and essays - if you are interested in this talented author, this is a good introduction to her life by someone who both admires her writing and her courage as a woman.
April 29, 2013
There were only a handful (or even less) books that influenced me deeply after reading; The Year of Magical Thinking by Didion was one of them. This particular book she wrote right after her husband's death from heart attack. The grief and pain in the book were so raw and deep that I could feel my own heart being torn into pieces. I purchased her newest book, Blue Nights, on publication date, but decided to put it aside until I'm actually emotionally stable enough to devour another sad book from her. Most of the times, I feel too vulnerable to let her strong words play with my feelings.
I read this book to prepare for my reading of Blue Nights. It's wonderfully written. The author knows Didion quite intimately, and has been friends with her for over 40 years. The Joan Didion one perceived from this book is as real as one could get. The author captured her physical, emotional, and spiritual changes through out the years in a wonderful way.
I read this book to prepare for my reading of Blue Nights. It's wonderfully written. The author knows Didion quite intimately, and has been friends with her for over 40 years. The Joan Didion one perceived from this book is as real as one could get. The author captured her physical, emotional, and spiritual changes through out the years in a wonderful way.
May 31, 2012
Interesting story of two friends. I thought it interesting that they had some of the same teachers at Berkley, but at different times.
Joan is a very private woman so it took a friend to crack the center.
Years ago, I read several of her books and then, of course, The Year of Magical Thinking. She has been criticized for working her way through things, like her husband's death, in a book which made it kind of public. She responds by saying that is how she works through everything, by writing about it.
Joan is a very private woman so it took a friend to crack the center.
Years ago, I read several of her books and then, of course, The Year of Magical Thinking. She has been criticized for working her way through things, like her husband's death, in a book which made it kind of public. She responds by saying that is how she works through everything, by writing about it.
February 18, 2012
After I read the last two books by Joan Didion, this short work gave further insight into Joan Didion as a person and how she confronts loss and aging.
January 18, 2022
The first time I heard about Joan Didion was when I read an article on a literary website I used to frequent a lot till a few years back. One quote by Joan Didion particularly stood out for me:
"I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means." -- Joan Didion
Reading this quote was a bit of a watershed moment for my own journaling (diary) practice. Prior, my journal was more of a todo list, however, after reading this quote, I started noting my thoughts, observations, and a lot more and I was pleasantly surprised with the wisdom of what Joan had said. Writing DID help me make better sense of my thoughts.
I'd been wanting to read her essays for a long time but never got around to actually doing it. Then, earlier this year, I read about her passing away. It was a sad moment and I decided that I wanted to read at least one book by or about her in Jan and then more throughout the year.
While searching for books by Joan, I came across a short, 41-page book written by Sara Robinson about Joan Didion. She and Joan had been friends for 40-years. It was a friendship that lasted till Joan breathed her last. It felt like the perfect book to begin to get to know the celebrated author through a friend's eyes.
This short book describes the author's first meeting with Joan, their lifelong friendship, and gives us anecdotes from Joan's life and their interactions.
We learn about Joan as a writer, human, mother, and wife. We learn about her beliefs, how she lived, what she liked, and what she did not.
I loved how Joan managed to keep her authenticity through all the years of fame and being surrounded by the A-list Hollywood crowd.
I also loved Sara Robinson's writing style. It's one that I enjoy reading the most: clear, concise, (grammatically) correct, and meaningful.
It's a beautiful book if you'd like to know a bit about Joan Didion. I'll give you a sneak peek through a few quotes:
Note: I don't believe a short biography can have spoilers, but a few of these quotes might qualify. Please avoid if you think they'd affect your reading experience.
A bit about how Joan looked:
Haha, that's really cool!!!
Joan and her husband, John:
Joan's initial code of living (the code she was raised by):
AND
Joan's personality:
Her fame and credentials:
In the latter part of her life, Joan experienced losses that shatter her. These losses forced her to re-examine the meaning of life and how to live. At this point, she changed her code of living from the western code of "self-reliance and grit" to something a bit milder, leaning towards healthy surrender.
"I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means." -- Joan Didion
Reading this quote was a bit of a watershed moment for my own journaling (diary) practice. Prior, my journal was more of a todo list, however, after reading this quote, I started noting my thoughts, observations, and a lot more and I was pleasantly surprised with the wisdom of what Joan had said. Writing DID help me make better sense of my thoughts.
I'd been wanting to read her essays for a long time but never got around to actually doing it. Then, earlier this year, I read about her passing away. It was a sad moment and I decided that I wanted to read at least one book by or about her in Jan and then more throughout the year.
While searching for books by Joan, I came across a short, 41-page book written by Sara Robinson about Joan Didion. She and Joan had been friends for 40-years. It was a friendship that lasted till Joan breathed her last. It felt like the perfect book to begin to get to know the celebrated author through a friend's eyes.
This short book describes the author's first meeting with Joan, their lifelong friendship, and gives us anecdotes from Joan's life and their interactions.
We learn about Joan as a writer, human, mother, and wife. We learn about her beliefs, how she lived, what she liked, and what she did not.
I loved how Joan managed to keep her authenticity through all the years of fame and being surrounded by the A-list Hollywood crowd.
I also loved Sara Robinson's writing style. It's one that I enjoy reading the most: clear, concise, (grammatically) correct, and meaningful.
It's a beautiful book if you'd like to know a bit about Joan Didion. I'll give you a sneak peek through a few quotes:
Note: I don't believe a short biography can have spoilers, but a few of these quotes might qualify. Please avoid if you think they'd affect your reading experience.
A bit about how Joan looked:
"We’d been told Joan was “tiny” but weren’t prepared for how fragile and slight she looked—ninety-five pounds on a five-foot-two frame. She had a waiflike beauty with large eyes and reddish-blonde hair, straight and parted in the center. John, by contrast, had a big physical presence, seeming taller than he was— five-foot-ten—with classic Irish features and pale complexion. She was thirty-six and he was thirty-eight."
Haha, that's really cool!!!
"They’d recently remodeled the place and their chief carpenter was an aspiring, out-of-work actor named Harrison Ford."
Joan and her husband, John:
"Both of them loved to tell stories and laugh. Joan’s laugh was a soft, high trill and John’s was heartier, engaging his whole body. They finished each other’s sentences, batting the narrative back and forth."
Joan's initial code of living (the code she was raised by):
"Western code: self-reliance, optimism, not complaining, giving people space, and claiming your own. She rarely allowed herself to be depressed, she told me, because it was self-defeating, and she 'believed absolutely' in her ability to overcome any obstacle."
AND
“I don’t want to do anything that I don’t do well. I don’t want to ski.”
Joan's personality:
“No, I think of myself as really happy. Cheerful. I’m very optimistic, and I’m always amazed at what simple things can make me happy. I’m really happy every night when I walk past the windows and the evening star comes out. A star of course is not a simple thing, but it makes me happy. I look at it for a long time. I’m always happy, really.”
Her fame and credentials:
"She’d won the National Book Award and a gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and received honorary degrees from Harvard and Yale."
In the latter part of her life, Joan experienced losses that shatter her. These losses forced her to re-examine the meaning of life and how to live. At this point, she changed her code of living from the western code of "self-reliance and grit" to something a bit milder, leaning towards healthy surrender.
October 29, 2023
An illuminating and surprising treasure of friendship
What did I know about Joan Didion? Not much. I knew she was a very famous and well respected bestselling author but had never read any of her works. That’s about to change. Sara Davidson’s book The Didion Files: Fifty Years of Friendship with Joan Didion is a page-turning, revealing expose into the life, mind, and character of Joan Didion. She was not only a giant talent but she also had the good fortune to marry well (to acclaimed writer John Dunne) and experience his lifelong love and support, while also blazing her own successful trail of accomplishments. It’s also a good look at the inner life of these two writers and their process. The book documents how Didion befriended and nurtured Davidson as she launched her own very successful life as a journalist, author, TV writer and producer and more. I totally enjoyed discovering how two super, smart creative women, of different generations, formed a deep bond of love, respect, and support of each other, in an era where women were just starting to crack the glass ceiling.
October 12, 2020
This is more of a collection of short essays rather than a book (I read it in under an hour) but well worth the £3 or so it costs as an ebook on Amazon - currently the only format it's currently under, from what I could see.
Davidson and Didion have been friends since the early 70s, and here Davidson collects excerpts from casual discussions and interviews she's conducted with Didion over the years. It's loosely organised in topics and done in a very thoughtful, respectful way and gives a very loving account of the writer and even the Didion/Dunne dynamics. At the same time it really lets Didion's voice shines without interfering - which is pretty much the opposite of what can be said of the Netflix doc The Centre Will Not Hold (or is it just me?).
Davidson and Didion have been friends since the early 70s, and here Davidson collects excerpts from casual discussions and interviews she's conducted with Didion over the years. It's loosely organised in topics and done in a very thoughtful, respectful way and gives a very loving account of the writer and even the Didion/Dunne dynamics. At the same time it really lets Didion's voice shines without interfering - which is pretty much the opposite of what can be said of the Netflix doc The Centre Will Not Hold (or is it just me?).
October 14, 2022
Sara Davidson's Joan: Forty Years of Life, Loss, and Friendship with Joan Didion is a brief record of the author's 40-year friendship with Joan Didion. It includes some wonderful anecdotes, such as Joan fending of a randy Warren Beatty with a quick phrase. And it nicely supplements Tracy Daugherty's The Last Love Song, which doesn't have Davidson long record of friendship.
August 26, 2018
Very fast read about a couple of writers and a friendship that springs up, casually and over years. It’s a biography about Joan Didion, yes, but more a tribute to that friendship and way too short and filled with broad strokes to be comprehensive. Liked it for the little details that make Didion seem so very human, approachable and self effacing. Definitely gave me a new perspective into the life of a writer and woman whom I greatly admire.
July 19, 2021
This book is a really sweet and personal look at Joan Didion's life as told by a writer who has called her friend for many decades. It's an intimate look behind the curtain, sort of one part love story and one part analysis, with a sprinkling of the life lessons Joan shared with her sprinkled in. I especially enjoyed the way the relationship was depicted in its evolution over time.
I copied down two pages of quotes, so I certainly got something positive out of the read.
I copied down two pages of quotes, so I certainly got something positive out of the read.
January 24, 2022
I ended up enjoying JOAN very much. It was a quick read, only a couple of hours. If you know a lot about Joan Didion and have read many of her books and interviews, you may have heard or read much of this content. Still, it's interesting to hear it from the POV of a friend. I thought the parts about Quintana were especially endearing and the parts where Joan talks about her marriage and its evolution.
November 2, 2023
This is a short book on the friendship between Sara Davidson and Joan Didion. Most of what is present in this book also exists in Didion's books, but there are some evocative reflections on writing, and particularly being a woman writer.
A long essay, more than a book. Well written. Tightly focused.
A long essay, more than a book. Well written. Tightly focused.
March 1, 2026
beautiful memoir
Since I just finished Dideon‘s book “the year of magical thinking”, I decided to read this book. I’m so glad that I did. Davidson helps you to see Didion from a different perspective, from a third party perspective. Her intimate friendship with Didion, and her respect are clear. She made me feel close to Didion and isn’t that why we read in the first place?
Since I just finished Dideon‘s book “the year of magical thinking”, I decided to read this book. I’m so glad that I did. Davidson helps you to see Didion from a different perspective, from a third party perspective. Her intimate friendship with Didion, and her respect are clear. She made me feel close to Didion and isn’t that why we read in the first place?
January 29, 2018
Brief but informative
Worth the price for the story of Warren Beatty's failed pass at Joan. "This would not be... feasible," she said. Read this after watching the Netflix documentary on Joan by her nephew. This little book helped fill in the story.
Worth the price for the story of Warren Beatty's failed pass at Joan. "This would not be... feasible," she said. Read this after watching the Netflix documentary on Joan by her nephew. This little book helped fill in the story.
June 12, 2020
Joan
A personal essay on Joan Didion that answers many questions about her esssence as a woman. A beautifully distilled account of a friendship between two women who are writers, handled with attention and a literary journalistic style.
A personal essay on Joan Didion that answers many questions about her esssence as a woman. A beautifully distilled account of a friendship between two women who are writers, handled with attention and a literary journalistic style.
June 9, 2021
If you love Joan Didion, this is a well written account of the author’s friendship with her. The short book has many Interesting insights into how Didion works, what was going on in her life when she wrote certain pieces, and the relationships with her husband and daughter.
March 19, 2019
Good friend
This is a friendship book more than a proper biography but is an interesting read nonetheless, especially if you are unaware a Joan Didion fan.
This is a friendship book more than a proper biography but is an interesting read nonetheless, especially if you are unaware a Joan Didion fan.
November 5, 2020
A worthy addition
I've just started reading work by Joan Didion. The short, but not necessarily easy book about Didion by a close friend, provided erudite and valuable insights.
I've just started reading work by Joan Didion. The short, but not necessarily easy book about Didion by a close friend, provided erudite and valuable insights.
May 8, 2021
I never knew much about Joan, I was very interested after reading this book...
May 26, 2021
Lovely and brave - like Joan
This sweet little tale is as straight forward and satisfying as anything Joan has written. This mystery woman, to me, becomes whole and real.
This sweet little tale is as straight forward and satisfying as anything Joan has written. This mystery woman, to me, becomes whole and real.
May 31, 2021
a really nice little book about Joan and her friendship with the author. inside look at who she was behind all her writing, or perhaps, because of it.
October 30, 2021
Inspiring, devastating and interesting.
This was a wonderful insight into Joan’s very private personal life. I enjoyed reading Sara’s insights as Joan’s long time friend.
This was a wonderful insight into Joan’s very private personal life. I enjoyed reading Sara’s insights as Joan’s long time friend.
August 5, 2014
Writer: Yet she still possessed the ability to render in breathtaking prose what it is to be human.
Marriage: She believes that romantic love is different from marriage. “Romantic love goes away. Gone. It can’t last your entire life.” She doesn’t find romantic love interesting, because “it has a sameness. Marriage is something else. It’s a determination and it grows, rather than going away. The more investment you have in it, the more you get out of it.”
Then why do so many end in divorce?
“It takes two people who are willing to put in the time,” she said. “If I sensed anything about John when I first knew him, it was that he was willing to do that.”
Life: “I can’t deal with everybody’s idea of what’s best for me. All I have to do is work harder, force myself to ignore the fact that I don’t feel very well, stop feeling sorry for myself, and start another book. Right? When I say that’s all I have to do, that seems a bit much. But I know I can do it.”
Wonderful!
Marriage: She believes that romantic love is different from marriage. “Romantic love goes away. Gone. It can’t last your entire life.” She doesn’t find romantic love interesting, because “it has a sameness. Marriage is something else. It’s a determination and it grows, rather than going away. The more investment you have in it, the more you get out of it.”
Then why do so many end in divorce?
“It takes two people who are willing to put in the time,” she said. “If I sensed anything about John when I first knew him, it was that he was willing to do that.”
Life: “I can’t deal with everybody’s idea of what’s best for me. All I have to do is work harder, force myself to ignore the fact that I don’t feel very well, stop feeling sorry for myself, and start another book. Right? When I say that’s all I have to do, that seems a bit much. But I know I can do it.”
Wonderful!
November 13, 2011
A short book. I was just a bit too young to say I was a woman of the 60s, and when I read the preview of this book, I wanted to read it right away. Inspiring. Joan Didion lived a life on the lovely Paciific Coast, and though she was awarded handsomely with the friendships of Celebrities and Writers and other creative people, she had much sadness. She survived, and reading her story meant a lot to me, "the belief that she would get through what she had to get through." (The same words used by my Mom, when my Dad passed away.)
Joan wrote an essay, "Self Respect." I did not read it, but I'll keep a copy ready for my Granddaughter, because the young girls today need all the guidance they can get.
BTW, this book is published as an eBook, from the Byliners Series.
Barb 11.11.11
Joan wrote an essay, "Self Respect." I did not read it, but I'll keep a copy ready for my Granddaughter, because the young girls today need all the guidance they can get.
BTW, this book is published as an eBook, from the Byliners Series.
Barb 11.11.11
May 1, 2012
This was an interesting read. If you haven't read anything by Joan Didion, you probably wouldn't be interested. I've read two things by her, so it was intriguing. She has some great insights on writing (obviously, since she is an award-winning writer!). I actually thought about reading some of it to my freshmen. I don't think that Joan and I would ever be friends. Although I don't think she really is, she comes off as cold and self-interested--even before experiencing such tragedy. Davidson's writing is ok, yet at times it seemed to be a lot of: I asked her this and she said this... I am envious of the Dunne's home in Trancas!
October 25, 2016
This was the first "book" I read on my new "Paperwhite Kindle." It is a "Kindle Short" that was perfect in-bed reading for those 2-4 AM wakeups. I appreciated Davisdon's spare style and learning more about Joan Didion--a writer, woman, wife, and mother. This combination--writer, woman, wife, mother--hit the jackpot in terms of my reading passions. I also chose this book as my first Kindle Short because I recognized the author, Sara Davidson, and loved her book Loose Change which I read and enjoyed many, many years ago.
April 14, 2012
As a fan of Joan Didion and of Sara Davidson, this is like being invited to dinner at the home of two fascinating women. Sara's admiration and intuitive understanding of her subject are palpable--and this short form suits the subject perfectly. A fully satisfying read!
November 1, 2011
A very short book. I enjoyed it for the glimpse into JD's life and thinking.
February 6, 2012
I loved The Year of Magical Thinking and enjoyed this quick read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews