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Shoreline
"A dazzling memoir that artfully renders the importance of connection across time and space." —Kirkus starred review
Shoreline, a creative-nonfiction memoir, melds tales of intergenerational wandering, the joys and challenges of raising children in multiple countries, historical and literary figures from within their cultural contexts, and an exploration of deep friendships and family relations. In bringing together all these strains, the book brings to life ways in which our own personal identity is inextricably intertwined with the people who matter to us as well as with our familial and cultural histories.
Shoreline, a creative-nonfiction memoir, melds tales of intergenerational wandering, the joys and challenges of raising children in multiple countries, historical and literary figures from within their cultural contexts, and an exploration of deep friendships and family relations. In bringing together all these strains, the book brings to life ways in which our own personal identity is inextricably intertwined with the people who matter to us as well as with our familial and cultural histories.
264 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2024
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9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 22, 2025
without a doubt one of the best accounts of death and dying that i’ve read. not just the death and dying of a person, but of friendships, of heritage, of childhood and womanhood and adulthood… all of it is captured in a sort of transition state, a medium for diffusing her jewish culture and her worldwide travels through the five senses. there’s a fine line between a sob story and a life lesson and Nayman walks it perfectly, essentially chronicling the breadth of her life (the ups and the downs, sure, but mostly downs, or at least an unnoticed climb and a steep fall) without making the reader feel bad for her.
i think the writer-psychologist combo (like Nancy Tucker and TFDoS) really presents itself in full force here: the gift of being able to distill the human spirit and all of its emotions into words, coupled with the art of spinning these words into silk, is a very powerful asset and is what makes this a beautiful read. i’m honestly shocked that no one else has picked up this book (zero hits on goodreads or amazon?) and perhaps that makes it even more compelling. it just goes to show that behind every person, no matter now ordinary, lies an amazing story waiting to be told.
4/5 the meta-ness of the last two chapters kind of detracted from the tone and the style of the whole memoir, and also left me scratching my head at how much of it was “creative” instead of nonfiction, but the point still stands: incredibly raw and vulnerable book.
i think the writer-psychologist combo (like Nancy Tucker and TFDoS) really presents itself in full force here: the gift of being able to distill the human spirit and all of its emotions into words, coupled with the art of spinning these words into silk, is a very powerful asset and is what makes this a beautiful read. i’m honestly shocked that no one else has picked up this book (zero hits on goodreads or amazon?) and perhaps that makes it even more compelling. it just goes to show that behind every person, no matter now ordinary, lies an amazing story waiting to be told.
4/5 the meta-ness of the last two chapters kind of detracted from the tone and the style of the whole memoir, and also left me scratching my head at how much of it was “creative” instead of nonfiction, but the point still stands: incredibly raw and vulnerable book.
August 2, 2025
⭐️4.5 GLOWING STARS🤩
This is a truly beautiful account of life, love and loss. Shira eloquently hops between heart warming stories of her life and heart wrenching and raw emotions from life’s hardships. I am not a big crier, but I found myself openly weeping multiple times through this memoir both in happiness and sadness. Truly beautifully written as well, I read this in two sittings and if it weren’t for real life restraints, I could have easily read it in one. Brava!
This is a truly beautiful account of life, love and loss. Shira eloquently hops between heart warming stories of her life and heart wrenching and raw emotions from life’s hardships. I am not a big crier, but I found myself openly weeping multiple times through this memoir both in happiness and sadness. Truly beautifully written as well, I read this in two sittings and if it weren’t for real life restraints, I could have easily read it in one. Brava!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews