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Land of Enchantment
Set against the stark and surreal landscape of New Mexico, Land of Enchantment is a coming-of-age memoir about young love, obsession, and loss, and how a person can imprint a place in your mind forever.
When Leigh Stein received a call from an unknown number in July 2011, she let it go to voice mail, assuming it would be her ex-boyfriend Jason. Instead, the call was from his brother: Jason had been killed in a motorcycle accident. He was twenty-three years old. She had seen him alive just a few weeks earlier.
Leigh first met Jason at an audition for a tragic play. He was nineteen and troubled and intensely magnetic, a dead ringer for James Dean. Leigh was twenty-two and living at home with her parents, trying to figure out what to do with her young adult life. Within months, they had fallen in love and moved to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, a place neither of them had ever been. But what was supposed to be a romantic adventure quickly turned sinister, as Jason's behavior went from playful and spontaneous to controlling and erratic, eventually escalating to violence. Now New Mexico was marked by isolation and the anxiety of how to leave a man she both loved and feared. Even once Leigh moved on to New York, throwing herself into her work, Jason and their time together haunted her.
When Leigh Stein received a call from an unknown number in July 2011, she let it go to voice mail, assuming it would be her ex-boyfriend Jason. Instead, the call was from his brother: Jason had been killed in a motorcycle accident. He was twenty-three years old. She had seen him alive just a few weeks earlier.
Leigh first met Jason at an audition for a tragic play. He was nineteen and troubled and intensely magnetic, a dead ringer for James Dean. Leigh was twenty-two and living at home with her parents, trying to figure out what to do with her young adult life. Within months, they had fallen in love and moved to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, a place neither of them had ever been. But what was supposed to be a romantic adventure quickly turned sinister, as Jason's behavior went from playful and spontaneous to controlling and erratic, eventually escalating to violence. Now New Mexico was marked by isolation and the anxiety of how to leave a man she both loved and feared. Even once Leigh moved on to New York, throwing herself into her work, Jason and their time together haunted her.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2016
17 people are currently reading
1541 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Stein
9 books383 followersLeigh Stein makes fun of what the internet is doing to us. She is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed satirical novel SELF CARE and the bestselling gothic mystery IF YOU'RE SEEING THIS, IT'S MEANT FOR YOU. She has written culture pieces and personal essays for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker online, Airmail, Allure, ELLE, BuzzFeed, The Cut, Salon, and Slate.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
September 26, 2018
Why do I have so many clear, detailed memories of days spent with Jason, when other memorable days of my life are so fuzzy? Maybe I never took enough care to memorize those other days. I have gone back and relived my life with Jason so many times that, in spite of all the dark and painful parts, some moments will always bloom like flowers in the fastidiously tended garden of my memory.
this book is a strong and moving exercise in catharsis, as leigh stein dissects the most defining and troubled romantic relationship of her life, which ended definitively with jason's death in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-three.
although they weren't dating when he died, and were living in different states, she had seen jason six weeks earlier when he came to visit, and theirs was one of those relationships with blurred boundaries, off and on and falling back into old patterns and into bed whenever they saw each other. however, his manic and cruel behavior during this last visit was the final straw, and leigh was relieved when he went back home and vowed that this time, it was really over.
and it was.
so determined to finally sever their ties to one another, she'd been dodging the calls that kept coming from his phone, until she finally answered one from an unknown number to learn that the calls had been coming from jason's brother, to inform her of his death, sending her into a heartbreaking emotional whirlwind of guilt and regret and grief-stricken self-examination.
we've all had shitty relationships. we've all replayed moments from our romantic adventures that make us cringe or that still enrage us, no matter how much time has gone by. but when people die, there's a tendency to be more forgiving over wrongs that were done to us, as part of the cleansing process of grief.
this book is a little bit of both.
it's a bittersweet nostalgia for a doomed relationship that began, fittingly, when they met at an audition for a greek tragedy. an inauspicious start, for sure, but youthful optimism overlooks the early warning signs that keep arising to say, "this is not meant to be!" and focuses on the sweetness that follows the fighting. but it's also a raw and honest look at an abusive relationship where the abuse is written off as passion and callousness is mistaken for charisma.
it's a deeply confessional book, in which she speaks candidly about the relationship; both how confused and small she felt when she was in the middle of it, and what she now understands about the reality of their time together, with the perspective and insight afforded by distance and maturity. it's really satisfying to see her confidence grow throughout the book and you wanna cheer when she finds the courage to start prioritizing her own needs instead of continuing the unhealthy habits of prolonging a relationship that just cannot work. there's a little backsliding after jason's death, which is that natural impulse of the living to excuse the dead, but ultimately, she's clear-eyed and self-assured; a survivor making her own successful way in the world.
and although nothing came of this part, i was terrified when i read this sentence:
I found a woman on Craigslist who rented her guesthouse by the week. The ad mentioned goats, but I ignored that part.
famous last words, usually.
never trust a goat.
come to my blog!
this book is a strong and moving exercise in catharsis, as leigh stein dissects the most defining and troubled romantic relationship of her life, which ended definitively with jason's death in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-three.
although they weren't dating when he died, and were living in different states, she had seen jason six weeks earlier when he came to visit, and theirs was one of those relationships with blurred boundaries, off and on and falling back into old patterns and into bed whenever they saw each other. however, his manic and cruel behavior during this last visit was the final straw, and leigh was relieved when he went back home and vowed that this time, it was really over.
and it was.
so determined to finally sever their ties to one another, she'd been dodging the calls that kept coming from his phone, until she finally answered one from an unknown number to learn that the calls had been coming from jason's brother, to inform her of his death, sending her into a heartbreaking emotional whirlwind of guilt and regret and grief-stricken self-examination.
we've all had shitty relationships. we've all replayed moments from our romantic adventures that make us cringe or that still enrage us, no matter how much time has gone by. but when people die, there's a tendency to be more forgiving over wrongs that were done to us, as part of the cleansing process of grief.
this book is a little bit of both.
it's a bittersweet nostalgia for a doomed relationship that began, fittingly, when they met at an audition for a greek tragedy. an inauspicious start, for sure, but youthful optimism overlooks the early warning signs that keep arising to say, "this is not meant to be!" and focuses on the sweetness that follows the fighting. but it's also a raw and honest look at an abusive relationship where the abuse is written off as passion and callousness is mistaken for charisma.
it's a deeply confessional book, in which she speaks candidly about the relationship; both how confused and small she felt when she was in the middle of it, and what she now understands about the reality of their time together, with the perspective and insight afforded by distance and maturity. it's really satisfying to see her confidence grow throughout the book and you wanna cheer when she finds the courage to start prioritizing her own needs instead of continuing the unhealthy habits of prolonging a relationship that just cannot work. there's a little backsliding after jason's death, which is that natural impulse of the living to excuse the dead, but ultimately, she's clear-eyed and self-assured; a survivor making her own successful way in the world.
and although nothing came of this part, i was terrified when i read this sentence:
I found a woman on Craigslist who rented her guesthouse by the week. The ad mentioned goats, but I ignored that part.
famous last words, usually.
never trust a goat.
come to my blog!
Read
July 20, 2016Leigh Stein’s The Fallback Plan resonated with me so much, I couldn’t resist when I saw she wrote a memoir. Add that it’s her way of sifting through an abusive relationship, and I’m all in. The story alternates among tales before, during, and after the relationship. They spontaneously move to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, and from there, it’s a downward spiral. He’s dangerous, can’t hold a job, and tells her she needs to see a therapist because she’s a bummer. Then he steals her anxiety medication and snorts it. Stein writes this story so beautifully and honestly. She knows her boyfriend is abusive, but she craves him anyway. She knows she’s worth more, but she’s afraid of taking a leap. Until she does. And then her life really begins.
— Ashley Holstrom
from The Best Books We Read In June 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/06/29/riot-r...
— Ashley Holstrom
from The Best Books We Read In June 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/06/29/riot-r...
June 28, 2016
I wrote this review for Penguin Random House's First to Read program, so I thought I'd share it here too.
Life is hard and terrible. I know what I'll do: I'll tell a story about it. I think fitting an experience inside the frame of a story is how some of us survive.
This memoir is a beautiful and honest account of Leigh Stein's formative, yet broken relationship with a tumultuous young man. Through this simple, but at times insightful, retelling of the series of events that made up their relationship, Leigh satisfies her habitual desire to be understood through an external outlet -- one that surpasses the physical limitations of her body.
Leigh's storytelling is vulnerable and perceptive as she sets out to explore her fears, insecurities, and shortcomings. She weaves her own experiences with those of women before her who have shared her incessant draw to the Land of Enchantment, despite its challenges and abuse. They are connected by their struggle and grief, a connection that Leigh extends to her readers.
As a "fixer" myself, there were sections when the book lost its momentum. Leigh's incessant need to indulge in her own misery lost me at times. However, her take on the trials of modern 20-somethings was poignant and relatable. Leigh's story illustrates a larger narrative of doubt, fear, and self-discovery amid the experiences of young adulthood. Some of her thoughts are likely to stay with me for years to come.
She leaves us with a positive message: with courage and hard work, we too can be our most excellent selves.
And so today I dare you to do the thing you don't think you're ready to do.
A strong 3.5/5 stars from me
Life is hard and terrible. I know what I'll do: I'll tell a story about it. I think fitting an experience inside the frame of a story is how some of us survive.
This memoir is a beautiful and honest account of Leigh Stein's formative, yet broken relationship with a tumultuous young man. Through this simple, but at times insightful, retelling of the series of events that made up their relationship, Leigh satisfies her habitual desire to be understood through an external outlet -- one that surpasses the physical limitations of her body.
Leigh's storytelling is vulnerable and perceptive as she sets out to explore her fears, insecurities, and shortcomings. She weaves her own experiences with those of women before her who have shared her incessant draw to the Land of Enchantment, despite its challenges and abuse. They are connected by their struggle and grief, a connection that Leigh extends to her readers.
As a "fixer" myself, there were sections when the book lost its momentum. Leigh's incessant need to indulge in her own misery lost me at times. However, her take on the trials of modern 20-somethings was poignant and relatable. Leigh's story illustrates a larger narrative of doubt, fear, and self-discovery amid the experiences of young adulthood. Some of her thoughts are likely to stay with me for years to come.
She leaves us with a positive message: with courage and hard work, we too can be our most excellent selves.
And so today I dare you to do the thing you don't think you're ready to do.
A strong 3.5/5 stars from me
August 27, 2016
My reading of this comes from a very specific perspective: I'm a man in his 20s from New Mexico. So... grain of salt.
The memoir has three main characters: the author, her abusive boyfriend, and New Mexico itself.
The author appears to be too young, or perhaps not adventurous enough to warrant 200 pages of memoir. The boyfriend character is haunting, but could be compressed.
What interest in both story and situation could have been compressed into a really nice 20-page article about depression and what keeps a young person in an abusive relationship.
There's also a nice throughline that connects the story through female writers and artists, though it isn't fully realized.
The last character, New Mexico, is woefully neglected.
It's not that the author speaks ill of the cities she visits, nicknamed the Land of Enchantment, but that the territory is given superficial treatment. Descriptions venture not deeper than the glossy pages of AAA catalog, particularly in Santa Fe.
Trying to get a flavor for the Land of Enchantment by reading Stein's memoir is akin to understanding 19th century West Africa through Heart Of Darkness. It's not a setting, but merely a poorly lighted stage for the narrator's drama.
Early in the book, one hopes that this is a symptom of the spell cast over her by her boyfriend. But the narrator's senses to the environment to not sharpen as her own emotional arch progresses, leaving her window for the reader foggy.
From the ethnic diversity to the history of the Manhattan project, Stein's self-portrait is of a writer upon whom, to misquote Henry James, almost everything is lost.
She has a handle on prose and pleanty of insights, so I look forward to reading her other work. But Land of Enchantment fell flat for me.
The memoir has three main characters: the author, her abusive boyfriend, and New Mexico itself.
The author appears to be too young, or perhaps not adventurous enough to warrant 200 pages of memoir. The boyfriend character is haunting, but could be compressed.
What interest in both story and situation could have been compressed into a really nice 20-page article about depression and what keeps a young person in an abusive relationship.
There's also a nice throughline that connects the story through female writers and artists, though it isn't fully realized.
The last character, New Mexico, is woefully neglected.
It's not that the author speaks ill of the cities she visits, nicknamed the Land of Enchantment, but that the territory is given superficial treatment. Descriptions venture not deeper than the glossy pages of AAA catalog, particularly in Santa Fe.
Trying to get a flavor for the Land of Enchantment by reading Stein's memoir is akin to understanding 19th century West Africa through Heart Of Darkness. It's not a setting, but merely a poorly lighted stage for the narrator's drama.
Early in the book, one hopes that this is a symptom of the spell cast over her by her boyfriend. But the narrator's senses to the environment to not sharpen as her own emotional arch progresses, leaving her window for the reader foggy.
From the ethnic diversity to the history of the Manhattan project, Stein's self-portrait is of a writer upon whom, to misquote Henry James, almost everything is lost.
She has a handle on prose and pleanty of insights, so I look forward to reading her other work. But Land of Enchantment fell flat for me.
August 5, 2016
What a searingly honest, haunting, beautiful book. I could hardly put it down and greedily flew through the entire thing in two days.
Leigh Stein's background as a talented poet is obvious in her writing here, which is carried by vivid imagery and brilliantly woven anecdotes and metaphors.
As a fellow Midwest suburbia transplant currently doing a stint in the American West (with a distinct nostalgia for LiveJournal, to boot), I can certainly relate to much of the wistful escapism that underlies her decision to move to New Mexico. She writes, "The truth was I got along with everybody, but there was a disconnect between my outgoing Midwestern cheerfulness and the nagging feeling that I was different, strange, destined to live somewhere other than the place I had come from." Yes.
More than physical landscape, though, the focus of Land of Enchantment is emotional landscape--in this case, of the sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle abuses of a troubled partner. The story is told unflinchingly, and no doubt many readers will find much to relate to here. Thank you, Leigh, for having the courage to share your story--and for doing so with such rich, textured language.
Leigh Stein's background as a talented poet is obvious in her writing here, which is carried by vivid imagery and brilliantly woven anecdotes and metaphors.
As a fellow Midwest suburbia transplant currently doing a stint in the American West (with a distinct nostalgia for LiveJournal, to boot), I can certainly relate to much of the wistful escapism that underlies her decision to move to New Mexico. She writes, "The truth was I got along with everybody, but there was a disconnect between my outgoing Midwestern cheerfulness and the nagging feeling that I was different, strange, destined to live somewhere other than the place I had come from." Yes.
More than physical landscape, though, the focus of Land of Enchantment is emotional landscape--in this case, of the sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle abuses of a troubled partner. The story is told unflinchingly, and no doubt many readers will find much to relate to here. Thank you, Leigh, for having the courage to share your story--and for doing so with such rich, textured language.
September 8, 2016
Stein tells of her abusive relationship with Jason, a reckless younger man with whom she moved to New Mexico in 2007. Her suicidal depression had been under control with medication since her teen years, but may account for why she was so insecure that she stayed with someone who hit her and told her she was crazy. The memoir mostly toggles between their shaky attempt at a functional relationship in 2007 and learning about his death in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Even though they’d broken up and drifted apart in the intervening years, Jason’s memory still had power over her. Breaking free from him meant growing up at last and taking responsibility for her future: “I was ready for a future that was shaped not by what happened to me, but rather by what I made happen.”
You might call this a feminist coming-of-age narrative, though that makes it sound more strident and formulaic than it actually is. I admired the style: the skipping around in time, and especially a late chapter in the second person. I also enjoyed how New Mexico provides a metaphorical as well as a literal setting; Stein weaves in references to Georgia O’Keefe’s art and letters to put into context her own search to become a self-sufficient artist. This is really nicely put together. I think young women will appreciate it most.
You might call this a feminist coming-of-age narrative, though that makes it sound more strident and formulaic than it actually is. I admired the style: the skipping around in time, and especially a late chapter in the second person. I also enjoyed how New Mexico provides a metaphorical as well as a literal setting; Stein weaves in references to Georgia O’Keefe’s art and letters to put into context her own search to become a self-sufficient artist. This is really nicely put together. I think young women will appreciate it most.
August 11, 2016
Leigh Stein's
The Fallback Plan
resonated with me so much, I couldn't resist when I saw she wrote a memoir. Add that it's her way of sifting through an abusive relationship, and I'm all in.
The story alternates among tales before, during, and after the relationship. They spontaneously move to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, and from there, it's a downward spiral.
Stein writes so beautifully and honestly. She knows her boyfriend is abusive, but she craves him anyway. She knows she's worth more, but she's afraid of taking a leap. Until she does. And then her life really begins.
From The Best Books We Read in June 2016 at Book Riot.
The story alternates among tales before, during, and after the relationship. They spontaneously move to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, and from there, it's a downward spiral.
Stein writes so beautifully and honestly. She knows her boyfriend is abusive, but she craves him anyway. She knows she's worth more, but she's afraid of taking a leap. Until she does. And then her life really begins.
From The Best Books We Read in June 2016 at Book Riot.
July 25, 2016
Land of Enchantment
Leigh Stein
I was entranced by the first couple of sentences. This is a beautifully written memoir of the author's toxic relationship with a younger narcissistic man. He was only a few years younger than her but it seemed like decades. It's a story that most of us can relate to in one form or another. Even though she had already gone on with her life, he seemed to still haunt her. She was drawn to his spontaneity, he was so charismatic yet insecure in many ways. I would love to learned more about his past, she would make references to his troubled past. I really enjoyed this book and I would like to thank Penguin's First to Read for providing me with an e-galley for my honest review.
Leigh Stein
I was entranced by the first couple of sentences. This is a beautifully written memoir of the author's toxic relationship with a younger narcissistic man. He was only a few years younger than her but it seemed like decades. It's a story that most of us can relate to in one form or another. Even though she had already gone on with her life, he seemed to still haunt her. She was drawn to his spontaneity, he was so charismatic yet insecure in many ways. I would love to learned more about his past, she would make references to his troubled past. I really enjoyed this book and I would like to thank Penguin's First to Read for providing me with an e-galley for my honest review.
March 25, 2016
I was fortunate enough to get an ARC and don't know how much I'm allowed to say before the official pub date, but I absolutely loved it!
March 11, 2022
In the midst of reading Leigh Stein’s (Self Care) enthralling memoir, Land of Enchantment, the author is channeling her expertise in book development (she’s written 5 books, 4 of which I’ve read), focusing on teaching the memoir.
Her Memoir Plus checklist includes: 1. A propulsive A story. 2. A question that haunts. 3. A subject to explore. 4. A journalist’s curiosity. 5. A willingness to leave your house.
“To sell a memoir today, especially if it’s your first book, you need that “plus” in addition to the personal angle.
Memoir plus requires more of the author: research into a topic, interviews with strangers, investigation of an unsolved mystery. The reader gets a two-for-one. They get to be moved by the author’s experience AND learn something.”
Stein cites Silvia Vasquez-Lavado’s most recent work, In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage, because it is many things – adventure saga of Vasquez-Lavado’s ascent of Everest; a vulnerable meditation on her childhood in Peru; and a tale of the immigrant’s journey to the United States.
Stein however could just as well cite her own.
Published in 2016, Land of Enchantment tells us much about its author through the cracked prism of a profound relationship.
“Each moment so intense, vivid.”
“I knew Jason for 4 and a half years and spent the next 4 unraveling our relationship and examining how it shaped the woman I’ve become.
Land of Enchantment begins in 2011 with news of Jason’s death by motorcycle accident.
He was only 23.
“The shape and shadow of each loss is unique, but you can always recognize the grieving by their disbelief, their struggle to make sense of tragic senselessness, their desperation for a different ending to a story that has already reached its conclusion.”
What if we moved to New Mexico, he said, and I could work while you wrote your novel?
“Why New Mexico?”
“It’s supposed to be a very creative place. The land of enchantment.”
While neither had been, to Stein it was “the most romantic thing anyone ever said to me.”
And like a child of divorce, “the state itself became symbolic of our past affection and devotion to each other.”
“Sometimes I feel like we are in a romantic relationship, but it is a bad, abusive kind that I think I should get out of. That sometimes flickered on and off like electricity in a storm.”
“The abuse – I didn’t know that was what it was.”
Land of Enchantment is not the teen romance one may have surmised.
The author then drifts to musings of Sylvia Plath and Georgia O’Keefe.
O’Keefe in particular; ferociously independent, even when sharing a life with the powerful man who helped to launch her career.
“I wanted to resurrect her from the dead so she could show me how to live.”
“For so long I struggled to come up with an explanation for why our lives seemed so inseparably intertwined, for why I went back to him so many times when his behavior should’ve kept me away. Was it his charisma? My insecurity, naivete? Our youth? Was I seduced by the idea that there was this one person for me who, for better or worse, I would never escape?”
“But the stories I find there will always conflict, like dissonant piano chords.”
Land of Enchantment reads like a novel (that propulsive A story), and of Stein’s work, is my second favorite (Self Care is Amazing). The Fallback Plan, the novel she began while in New Mexico, was a fun read; and now, because of Land of Enchantment, I have an even greater respect for it – I might just reread it with the angst that has spilled over.
“Life is hard and terrible. I know what I’ll do; I’ll tell a story about it. I think fitting an experience inside the frame of a story is how some of us survive.”
“Though we lived in New Mexico for only 6 months, Jason and I had spent years in a state of enchantment.”
For Stein, a dweller, a ruminator who replays memories, that’s what memory does: lets you shape a raw experience into a story you can tell yourself later.
Her Memoir Plus checklist includes: 1. A propulsive A story. 2. A question that haunts. 3. A subject to explore. 4. A journalist’s curiosity. 5. A willingness to leave your house.
“To sell a memoir today, especially if it’s your first book, you need that “plus” in addition to the personal angle.
Memoir plus requires more of the author: research into a topic, interviews with strangers, investigation of an unsolved mystery. The reader gets a two-for-one. They get to be moved by the author’s experience AND learn something.”
Stein cites Silvia Vasquez-Lavado’s most recent work, In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage, because it is many things – adventure saga of Vasquez-Lavado’s ascent of Everest; a vulnerable meditation on her childhood in Peru; and a tale of the immigrant’s journey to the United States.
Stein however could just as well cite her own.
Published in 2016, Land of Enchantment tells us much about its author through the cracked prism of a profound relationship.
“Each moment so intense, vivid.”
“I knew Jason for 4 and a half years and spent the next 4 unraveling our relationship and examining how it shaped the woman I’ve become.
Land of Enchantment begins in 2011 with news of Jason’s death by motorcycle accident.
He was only 23.
“The shape and shadow of each loss is unique, but you can always recognize the grieving by their disbelief, their struggle to make sense of tragic senselessness, their desperation for a different ending to a story that has already reached its conclusion.”
What if we moved to New Mexico, he said, and I could work while you wrote your novel?
“Why New Mexico?”
“It’s supposed to be a very creative place. The land of enchantment.”
While neither had been, to Stein it was “the most romantic thing anyone ever said to me.”
And like a child of divorce, “the state itself became symbolic of our past affection and devotion to each other.”
“Sometimes I feel like we are in a romantic relationship, but it is a bad, abusive kind that I think I should get out of. That sometimes flickered on and off like electricity in a storm.”
“The abuse – I didn’t know that was what it was.”
Land of Enchantment is not the teen romance one may have surmised.
The author then drifts to musings of Sylvia Plath and Georgia O’Keefe.
O’Keefe in particular; ferociously independent, even when sharing a life with the powerful man who helped to launch her career.
“I wanted to resurrect her from the dead so she could show me how to live.”
“For so long I struggled to come up with an explanation for why our lives seemed so inseparably intertwined, for why I went back to him so many times when his behavior should’ve kept me away. Was it his charisma? My insecurity, naivete? Our youth? Was I seduced by the idea that there was this one person for me who, for better or worse, I would never escape?”
“But the stories I find there will always conflict, like dissonant piano chords.”
Land of Enchantment reads like a novel (that propulsive A story), and of Stein’s work, is my second favorite (Self Care is Amazing). The Fallback Plan, the novel she began while in New Mexico, was a fun read; and now, because of Land of Enchantment, I have an even greater respect for it – I might just reread it with the angst that has spilled over.
“Life is hard and terrible. I know what I’ll do; I’ll tell a story about it. I think fitting an experience inside the frame of a story is how some of us survive.”
“Though we lived in New Mexico for only 6 months, Jason and I had spent years in a state of enchantment.”
For Stein, a dweller, a ruminator who replays memories, that’s what memory does: lets you shape a raw experience into a story you can tell yourself later.
September 13, 2016
As someone who has always read books as a means to escape reality, it's extremely rare for me to pick up a non-fiction book or memoir and enjoy it as much as I would fiction. You know the story: "Leave reality behind!" and "Open a book and escape into an entirely new world!" yada yada yada. That is, until my good friend Sara bought me a copy of Land of Enchantment and encouraged me to read it as soon as physically possible. And that's exactly what I did.
Land of Enchantment is a story of love and heartbreak, and how to pick yourself up and find yourself in between. The way Stein writes makes it seem as if she's physically sitting right beside you, personally recounting her story of how she inevitably found herself within a loss. I couldn't put this book down and towards the end I was awake at 3 am in tears, having my boyfriend once again question my sanity. Stein reaches out and touches your soul, and truly solidifies the fact that everything happens for a reason, even if it's completely unclear to you exactly what that reason might be.
Stein's story recounts the time she met a man and after a few months of dating, they decided to move to New Mexico together. Her, to write a novel, and him, to search for a new adventure. Land of Enchantment is an account of loving someone so fucking much, regardless of knowing how toxic the relationship is. It broke my heart because I know I've been there, and pretty much everyone can relate to it in some way or another. Stein writes about feeling lost in your mid-twenties and the trials and tribulations of trying to figure out exactly who you are. It's a book that so many people of all ages can identify with and I cannot recommend it enough.
I'd like to give a little background information on the author. She's from the same town as me (whaddup girl, represent!) and created an all-female conference for women and gender non-conforming writers, called BinderCon. It's a semi-annual professional development conference created by her non-profit, Out of the Binders. She holds the conferences in New York City and Los Angeles each year and I'M GOING TO THE NYC CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER AHHHH. Out of the Binders is "devoted to advancing the careers of fellow women and gender non-conforming writers by connecting them with the skills, knowledge, and networking opportunities they need to get ahead as authors, journalists, screenwriters, TV writers, playwrights, poets, and more" (bindercon.com). As someone who has dreamt about becoming a writer since I was in my mother's womb, this is a fucking dream to me. I have goosebumps writing about it right now. If any of my fellow aspiring writers would like to join me, you can buy tickets here. And you best believe I'm bringing Land of Enchantment and begging Leigh Stein for an autograph. Based on her life story and what she's accomplished, she is what all little girls should aspire to be.
Back to the book. If any of you have ever been in a toxic relationship yet were so engrossed with eachother you forced yourself to stay, read this book. If any of you have ever felt lost, depressed, and as if you were going to be holding odd-end jobs for the rest of your life, read this book. If any of you have ever experienced any kind of heart-shattering loss, read this book. And if any of you are trying your hardest to find yourself in a world that makes it increasingly more difficult, read this fucking book. Just read it. It's a breath of fresh air.
Land of Enchantment is a story of love and heartbreak, and how to pick yourself up and find yourself in between. The way Stein writes makes it seem as if she's physically sitting right beside you, personally recounting her story of how she inevitably found herself within a loss. I couldn't put this book down and towards the end I was awake at 3 am in tears, having my boyfriend once again question my sanity. Stein reaches out and touches your soul, and truly solidifies the fact that everything happens for a reason, even if it's completely unclear to you exactly what that reason might be.
Stein's story recounts the time she met a man and after a few months of dating, they decided to move to New Mexico together. Her, to write a novel, and him, to search for a new adventure. Land of Enchantment is an account of loving someone so fucking much, regardless of knowing how toxic the relationship is. It broke my heart because I know I've been there, and pretty much everyone can relate to it in some way or another. Stein writes about feeling lost in your mid-twenties and the trials and tribulations of trying to figure out exactly who you are. It's a book that so many people of all ages can identify with and I cannot recommend it enough.
I'd like to give a little background information on the author. She's from the same town as me (whaddup girl, represent!) and created an all-female conference for women and gender non-conforming writers, called BinderCon. It's a semi-annual professional development conference created by her non-profit, Out of the Binders. She holds the conferences in New York City and Los Angeles each year and I'M GOING TO THE NYC CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER AHHHH. Out of the Binders is "devoted to advancing the careers of fellow women and gender non-conforming writers by connecting them with the skills, knowledge, and networking opportunities they need to get ahead as authors, journalists, screenwriters, TV writers, playwrights, poets, and more" (bindercon.com). As someone who has dreamt about becoming a writer since I was in my mother's womb, this is a fucking dream to me. I have goosebumps writing about it right now. If any of my fellow aspiring writers would like to join me, you can buy tickets here. And you best believe I'm bringing Land of Enchantment and begging Leigh Stein for an autograph. Based on her life story and what she's accomplished, she is what all little girls should aspire to be.
Back to the book. If any of you have ever been in a toxic relationship yet were so engrossed with eachother you forced yourself to stay, read this book. If any of you have ever felt lost, depressed, and as if you were going to be holding odd-end jobs for the rest of your life, read this book. If any of you have ever experienced any kind of heart-shattering loss, read this book. And if any of you are trying your hardest to find yourself in a world that makes it increasingly more difficult, read this fucking book. Just read it. It's a breath of fresh air.
August 29, 2016
Ever wonder what your friend sees in that guy who is so clearly bad for her? Whether you're worried about your friend, or "asking for a friend," this book will explain so much that self-help and crass talk shows cannot. In gorgeous prose you can not put down (I read it in less than 24 hours!), Leigh Stein completely captures the breathless infatuation that all of us have suffered through at one time or another, enjoying its highs and its lows like a roller coaster ride. But she also addresses the cost of that infatuation, both at the time--"I loved being marked by how much he wanted me"--and later, when her infatuation had come to be like an addiction. The most amazing part of the story, though, is how she remade herself, reasserted her earlier girl power self and went on to write both the novel she talks about in this memoir and the memoir itself, despite "that guy". Highly recommend!
July 23, 2016
LAND OF ENCHANTMENT is a memoir chronicling one of the author’s toxic relationships in her life. While relatable and interesting, one just wishes the author had had an “Ah Ha” moment sooner. I especially recommend this read for those for find themselves in similar circumstances. My thanks to Penguins First to Read for the advance copy in exchange for my opinion.
May 24, 2016
My heart was in my throat/I seemed to be on the verge of tears the entire time I read this book. I am so happy Leigh Stein exists. I love this book.
August 29, 2017
Ok, this book starts with 1.5 stars just by being called Land of Enchantment, utilizing New Mexico as setting and calling out my alma mater, the University of New Mexico in a positive way. NM has gotten a lot exposure in the last couple of years with the filming of lots of tv show and movies and people are not always gracious in sharing their experience. The title is a little misleading. Not much of the book actually takes place in New Mexico, it's nice that she developed a connection to the state, but she doesn't really paint that much of picture. Since this is a memoir, you don't want to bash anyone's personal experience, but it really could've worked as a fiction story if she had built her story around her experience. And I know she wrote this a way to deal with her grief, but it would be interesting to see what time could do to her perspective if she had waited a little longer.
April 27, 2023
The writing was gorgeous! But basically the whole time I was mad that the author had gotten so stuck in this clearly horrible relationship and it made me wonder how I can help my daughter avoid a similar situation. It was very interesting though, and I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Southwest!
March 10, 2019
There is one redeeming point of this book and it's significant. If I was raising girls again, I would definitely read parts of this with them together. Stein writes convincingly of a girl who is obsessed with an abusive boy. It is well worth a discussion. But not the whole book. I gave it 2/3 of the book and then gave up.
September 17, 2016
I went ahead and added an extra star for the author's amazing writing about Albuquerque. Other than that, this was definitely a two star book.
I will always, always pick up any book called Land of Enchantment, and I will almost always force myself to read it no matter how bad it is. Any contemporary writer who sets a book in my home state, called The Land of Enchantment by some, will definitely get their book read by me. And then they have to deal with what I have to say about it, as I am very opinionated about books set here.
What was annoying to me about this book was that it was almost something good. A good story, with good characters was laid over a bad, bad foundation. Leigh Stein tells the story of her relationship with Jason, a boyfriend with whom she had a volatile off and on relationship for years until his death in 2011. in 2007-2008 they lived together in Albuquerque, while she worked on a novel. The plan was supposed to be that he would work to support them while she did this, but instead Jason spent most of his time drinking, getting high, flirting with girls, and losing job after job. Some part of me sympathized with Stein since I was once in a similar relationship, but her self absorbed way of telling the story turned me off to it from the start. Since I don't know the author I can't really know why her retelling of her own story was so grating to me. It could have been some combination of her immaturity, thoughtlessness, and neediness that made this story hard to read. I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of it because I couldn't believe how stupid she sounded. I know full well that someone who has worked at The New Yorker and has had work published can't be as idiotic as Stein comes off sounding in this book, but her earnest descriptions of her depression, her brief return home to Chicago during her stay in Albuquerque, and her insistence on seeing Jason in the best light possible made the beginning, the middle, and some of the end of this book drag, and drag. By the end of the book Stein admits to her own failings, and as she gains some distance and some perspective on her relationship with Jason, she admits to realizing, one slow revelation at a time, how awful he was to her, and how dysfunctional their relationship was. I wish she had focused more on this instead of mentioning it briefly just as the book was wrapping up. If the story focused more on the final destination, and everything she learned while getting there this could have been good. Instead we have to suffer through the journey with Stein (complete with her insipid journal entries) and I was bored all the way there. I didn't care that Stein identified with Sylvia Plath and Georgia O'Keeffe, especially since she clearly wasn't as talented or as interesting as either of them.
However, the biggest disappointment of this book for me was the misleading title. Very little of the action takes place in New Mexico, although I understand that Leigh Stein developed a deep connection to the state, one that she doesn't quite understand herself, given that she was so unhappy when she lived there. In some ways this is a huge positive of the book. Instead of just dismissing New Mexico as a place that sucks because she only met the down and out while she was there, Stein returns again, and again, never writing only of her unhappiness, but of the beauty and acceptance she finds there. I loved this the most about this book. Stein writes Albuquerque completely honestly. She writes it almost exactly the way I feel about it; the gritty noir of the city, juxtaposed with the beauty of the sky, the Sandias, the sage (here we just call them weeds), and the people. She later returns to different parts of the state, Santa Fe, and Abiquiu in particular, and I like her writing of those places too, although when visiting there she is clearly a tourist, and seeing things from the eyes of a tourist. But so much of the book takes place in Chicago, and New York, and those were parts I found myself reading a little faster just to get through the book.
In the last pages of the book Stein also says something about how she's at peace with her depression and anxiety, how she likes living with the darkness it brings, as well as the light she finds. This made me like her a lot more than when she was comparing herself to Sylvia Plath and Georgia O'Keeffe. As I said, there were glimmers of a great memoir. If Leigh Stein rewrites this in twenty years it may be amazing. But for now it's somewhat annoying, grudgingly good, and mostly just OK.
I will always, always pick up any book called Land of Enchantment, and I will almost always force myself to read it no matter how bad it is. Any contemporary writer who sets a book in my home state, called The Land of Enchantment by some, will definitely get their book read by me. And then they have to deal with what I have to say about it, as I am very opinionated about books set here.
What was annoying to me about this book was that it was almost something good. A good story, with good characters was laid over a bad, bad foundation. Leigh Stein tells the story of her relationship with Jason, a boyfriend with whom she had a volatile off and on relationship for years until his death in 2011. in 2007-2008 they lived together in Albuquerque, while she worked on a novel. The plan was supposed to be that he would work to support them while she did this, but instead Jason spent most of his time drinking, getting high, flirting with girls, and losing job after job. Some part of me sympathized with Stein since I was once in a similar relationship, but her self absorbed way of telling the story turned me off to it from the start. Since I don't know the author I can't really know why her retelling of her own story was so grating to me. It could have been some combination of her immaturity, thoughtlessness, and neediness that made this story hard to read. I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of it because I couldn't believe how stupid she sounded. I know full well that someone who has worked at The New Yorker and has had work published can't be as idiotic as Stein comes off sounding in this book, but her earnest descriptions of her depression, her brief return home to Chicago during her stay in Albuquerque, and her insistence on seeing Jason in the best light possible made the beginning, the middle, and some of the end of this book drag, and drag. By the end of the book Stein admits to her own failings, and as she gains some distance and some perspective on her relationship with Jason, she admits to realizing, one slow revelation at a time, how awful he was to her, and how dysfunctional their relationship was. I wish she had focused more on this instead of mentioning it briefly just as the book was wrapping up. If the story focused more on the final destination, and everything she learned while getting there this could have been good. Instead we have to suffer through the journey with Stein (complete with her insipid journal entries) and I was bored all the way there. I didn't care that Stein identified with Sylvia Plath and Georgia O'Keeffe, especially since she clearly wasn't as talented or as interesting as either of them.
However, the biggest disappointment of this book for me was the misleading title. Very little of the action takes place in New Mexico, although I understand that Leigh Stein developed a deep connection to the state, one that she doesn't quite understand herself, given that she was so unhappy when she lived there. In some ways this is a huge positive of the book. Instead of just dismissing New Mexico as a place that sucks because she only met the down and out while she was there, Stein returns again, and again, never writing only of her unhappiness, but of the beauty and acceptance she finds there. I loved this the most about this book. Stein writes Albuquerque completely honestly. She writes it almost exactly the way I feel about it; the gritty noir of the city, juxtaposed with the beauty of the sky, the Sandias, the sage (here we just call them weeds), and the people. She later returns to different parts of the state, Santa Fe, and Abiquiu in particular, and I like her writing of those places too, although when visiting there she is clearly a tourist, and seeing things from the eyes of a tourist. But so much of the book takes place in Chicago, and New York, and those were parts I found myself reading a little faster just to get through the book.
In the last pages of the book Stein also says something about how she's at peace with her depression and anxiety, how she likes living with the darkness it brings, as well as the light she finds. This made me like her a lot more than when she was comparing herself to Sylvia Plath and Georgia O'Keeffe. As I said, there were glimmers of a great memoir. If Leigh Stein rewrites this in twenty years it may be amazing. But for now it's somewhat annoying, grudgingly good, and mostly just OK.
Read
September 15, 2016I'm with the other reviewers who felt this would've been a better magazine article than a book, but I read the majority of this book with interest, which I guess you could define more specifically as a sort of familiar, gnawing horror. It's a good slice of life about how a "normal" person can get mired in a terrible relationship. On the one hand, it's a totally unremarkable, banal story. On the other hand, it's the kind of thing that could happen to almost anyone, which is why it's so terrifying.
The B-story here is in a question asked by one of the Albuquerque natives the main character speaks to during her ill-fated stay in the "land of enchantment." The female neighbor straight-up asks Leigh whether she "comes from money," to which Leigh responds with, mostly, an incredulous denial. But that's not really true, and she acknowledges that both she and her boyfriend have some kind of family and resources to fall back on, which is how they made the decision to move in the first place. It's also what saves her from really hitting bottom. I mean, there's something to be said about the fact that Leigh ends the memoir working for Françoise fucking Mouley for god's sake. I was like, "Oh, for the love of--" and skimmed the rest of the book, because really.
And Jason (the boyfriend) has a more complicated family history, and probably legitimate mental illness that manifests in violence, which leads to his death. He makes for an interesting character (which is always weird to say because of course he was a real person), and I think his presence is the best part of the book. Cheers, because even though domestic violence and abuse is in some ways inexplicable to all but the afflicted, the author managed to capture his weird appeal, even as he's slamming Leigh against refrigerators and saying and doing other cruel and erratic things. So there's that.
I usually hate books like this, but I didn't hate this. I did skim the end of the book and some of the beginning, and I still can't put a name to what I was feeling during all the intense Livejournal nostalgia, but if you're interested in the subject of domestic abuse or it has affected your life in some way, this isn't a bad book to pick up.
The B-story here is in a question asked by one of the Albuquerque natives the main character speaks to during her ill-fated stay in the "land of enchantment." The female neighbor straight-up asks Leigh whether she "comes from money," to which Leigh responds with, mostly, an incredulous denial. But that's not really true, and she acknowledges that both she and her boyfriend have some kind of family and resources to fall back on, which is how they made the decision to move in the first place. It's also what saves her from really hitting bottom. I mean, there's something to be said about the fact that Leigh ends the memoir working for Françoise fucking Mouley for god's sake. I was like, "Oh, for the love of--" and skimmed the rest of the book, because really.
And Jason (the boyfriend) has a more complicated family history, and probably legitimate mental illness that manifests in violence, which leads to his death. He makes for an interesting character (which is always weird to say because of course he was a real person), and I think his presence is the best part of the book. Cheers, because even though domestic violence and abuse is in some ways inexplicable to all but the afflicted, the author managed to capture his weird appeal, even as he's slamming Leigh against refrigerators and saying and doing other cruel and erratic things. So there's that.
I usually hate books like this, but I didn't hate this. I did skim the end of the book and some of the beginning, and I still can't put a name to what I was feeling during all the intense Livejournal nostalgia, but if you're interested in the subject of domestic abuse or it has affected your life in some way, this isn't a bad book to pick up.
May 22, 2018
Despite having not been to the Land of Enchantment myself, New Mexico has been on my pop culture radar this year, mostly through Netflix marathons of Roswell, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul. Naturally, I picked up Leigh Stein's memoir, Land of Enchantment, interested in someone 's take on New Mexico.
Stein's memoir is about her relationship with her abusive ex-boyfriend, with whom she spontaneously moved to Albuquerque where they lived for 6 months. Those 6 months in New Mexico were clearly pivotal to name the entire memoir after the state's nickname. Stein writes with a casual flair that's easy to read. Given that she's writing about her relationship with an abusive boyfriend, the casualness is at times disconcerting. It is very clear that writing this memoir was cathartic for her, especially given that the book starts with her abusive ex's funeral (motorcycle crash) and her examination of their relationship in light of his death. Honestly, this book would have benefited greatly had Stein wrote it in another 5-10 years with the more refined perspective that comes with age and life experience.
The title of the book itself comes across as a cheap marketing ploy, because the book isn't so much about New Mexico, it's about Stein's relationship with her ex. New Mexico is very secondary and really, the setting for just a handful of chapters in the book. On one hand, Stein's abusive boyfriend isolated her by not allowing her to drive anywhere in Albuquerque; on the other hand, her descriptions of New Mexico from later solo adventures without the boyfriend are not that vivid beyond tourist-y blurbs you'd get on Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. This was disappointing, since New Mexico was what attracted me to the book. If you are truly in need of a good book that takes place in and throughout New Mexico, I recommend Kirstin Valdez Quade's Night at the Fiestas.
Stein's memoir is about her relationship with her abusive ex-boyfriend, with whom she spontaneously moved to Albuquerque where they lived for 6 months. Those 6 months in New Mexico were clearly pivotal to name the entire memoir after the state's nickname. Stein writes with a casual flair that's easy to read. Given that she's writing about her relationship with an abusive boyfriend, the casualness is at times disconcerting. It is very clear that writing this memoir was cathartic for her, especially given that the book starts with her abusive ex's funeral (motorcycle crash) and her examination of their relationship in light of his death. Honestly, this book would have benefited greatly had Stein wrote it in another 5-10 years with the more refined perspective that comes with age and life experience.
The title of the book itself comes across as a cheap marketing ploy, because the book isn't so much about New Mexico, it's about Stein's relationship with her ex. New Mexico is very secondary and really, the setting for just a handful of chapters in the book. On one hand, Stein's abusive boyfriend isolated her by not allowing her to drive anywhere in Albuquerque; on the other hand, her descriptions of New Mexico from later solo adventures without the boyfriend are not that vivid beyond tourist-y blurbs you'd get on Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. This was disappointing, since New Mexico was what attracted me to the book. If you are truly in need of a good book that takes place in and throughout New Mexico, I recommend Kirstin Valdez Quade's Night at the Fiestas.
August 7, 2017
For a long time I saw only two possible endings to our story: either Jason had to die or we had to get married. In my imagination, both endings seemed equally as likely, equally as horrifying. If we got married, I would lose my family's love and support and all my dreams for myself that didn't include him. If he died, I was sure I would lose the most exciting part of my life. Holding death and marriage in my hands like a scale of justice, I could never decide which would be better and which would be worse. (108)
Land of Enchantment is Stein's look back at a doomed relationship, the sort that pulled her in and broke her heart, the kind that didn't entirely end even after the romantic relationship was over. Except...then her ex died, and perhaps only after that could Stein look back and really start to piece together their history.
It's a sad book, painful in places. I understand theoretically the reasons people stay in abusive, or otherwise unhealthy, relationships, but I struggled to understand Stein's draw to Jason specifically... I think it's just that, without experiencing the charisma she writes about and coming into the book already knowing it was an unhealthy/abusive relationship, it was hard for me to see beyond that.
But what I did see was how complicated it was for Stein: how she loved him, even if I as a reader didn't fully understand why, and that she wanted the blame for Jason's behaviour to fall anywhere but on him. I wonder what pull New Mexico might have for her without the memory of their life there, and I wonder how...how life changes, I guess, knowing that the door of their relationship is closed for good.
Land of Enchantment is Stein's look back at a doomed relationship, the sort that pulled her in and broke her heart, the kind that didn't entirely end even after the romantic relationship was over. Except...then her ex died, and perhaps only after that could Stein look back and really start to piece together their history.
It's a sad book, painful in places. I understand theoretically the reasons people stay in abusive, or otherwise unhealthy, relationships, but I struggled to understand Stein's draw to Jason specifically... I think it's just that, without experiencing the charisma she writes about and coming into the book already knowing it was an unhealthy/abusive relationship, it was hard for me to see beyond that.
But what I did see was how complicated it was for Stein: how she loved him, even if I as a reader didn't fully understand why, and that she wanted the blame for Jason's behaviour to fall anywhere but on him. I wonder what pull New Mexico might have for her without the memory of their life there, and I wonder how...how life changes, I guess, knowing that the door of their relationship is closed for good.
September 18, 2016
As a high level overview, Land of Enchantment is a quick and poignant read that is worth your time. Stein's prose is conversational and accessible, with an edge of poetry to it.
More intimately, I will admit I cried multiple times reading this book.
Domestic abuse is often framed as weekly or daily physical assaults. Cut and dry. But it often isn't like that.
Leigh's documentation of her time with Jason brought up a lot of feelings about my own experience with an emotionally manipulative/abusive partner.
I left this book feeling like old wounds were reopened - feelings I had packed up so I could move on with my life. It was healing in some ways. A reminder that experience was real. That I wasn't alone.
Stein is open and vulnerable and doesn't dress her faults up to paint herself as overly sympathetic, though she really could have. It feels very much like she tried to be as honest as possible, and I appreciated that about her story telling.
A really moving memoir. I recommend it, but I also recommend, if you have past experience with emotional or physical abuse, to prorate yourself for the feelings it may dredge up.
More intimately, I will admit I cried multiple times reading this book.
Domestic abuse is often framed as weekly or daily physical assaults. Cut and dry. But it often isn't like that.
Leigh's documentation of her time with Jason brought up a lot of feelings about my own experience with an emotionally manipulative/abusive partner.
I left this book feeling like old wounds were reopened - feelings I had packed up so I could move on with my life. It was healing in some ways. A reminder that experience was real. That I wasn't alone.
Stein is open and vulnerable and doesn't dress her faults up to paint herself as overly sympathetic, though she really could have. It feels very much like she tried to be as honest as possible, and I appreciated that about her story telling.
A really moving memoir. I recommend it, but I also recommend, if you have past experience with emotional or physical abuse, to prorate yourself for the feelings it may dredge up.
August 9, 2016
I received a copy of this book for free through Penguin's First to Read program.
Minor spoilers.
I loved this book. Anyone should be able to sympathize with the sense of longing for a place, the inability to walk away from someone even when they are wrong for you, wanting to be with someone who hurts you. Leigh's description of Arizona reminded me of the same feeling of wanting to go somewhere on a journey that Into the Wild gave me.
And then she ruined the end.
220 pages of beauty and longing and love. And she decides to end it by trying to sell her writing convention.
No resolution to her pain. No signs. Instead she has a 3 page ad for herself. If she had just left that out, the reader could have at least interpreted their own ending. Instead it turned into something totally disjointed; the tone cometely changed and it felt like someone else had written and was inserting an ad blurb.
This novel was 5 stars for me until those last few pages. I am so dissapointed. I wanted to pick up Leigh's other work, but now i am totally disinterested.
Minor spoilers.
I loved this book. Anyone should be able to sympathize with the sense of longing for a place, the inability to walk away from someone even when they are wrong for you, wanting to be with someone who hurts you. Leigh's description of Arizona reminded me of the same feeling of wanting to go somewhere on a journey that Into the Wild gave me.
And then she ruined the end.
220 pages of beauty and longing and love. And she decides to end it by trying to sell her writing convention.
No resolution to her pain. No signs. Instead she has a 3 page ad for herself. If she had just left that out, the reader could have at least interpreted their own ending. Instead it turned into something totally disjointed; the tone cometely changed and it felt like someone else had written and was inserting an ad blurb.
This novel was 5 stars for me until those last few pages. I am so dissapointed. I wanted to pick up Leigh's other work, but now i am totally disinterested.
September 21, 2016
"...for failing to prove this love was worth the pain..." I read an essay by Stein (https://www.washingtonpost.com/postev...), fed to me by one of the many narcissistic abuse pages I am sad to say I follow on Facebook. Sadly, too, it resonated, as does Enchantment. Ten years ago, I had no idea that the silent treatment, for example, is emotional abuse. In fact, I had no idea how insidious emotional abuse really is, and how prevalent it is, and how inured one can become to it. So I came to Stein's book with some history and some knowledge and still, it was a painful read. Painful because of what she endured as a child, as a teenager and by falling in love with Jason. Painful b/c I have experienced much of what she did. Sometimes I think emotional abuse is much more devastating than physical. Kudos to you, Leigh Stein, for laying all the ugliness out there - I get it.
July 24, 2016
"Land of Enchantment" is a fascinating memoir chronicling Leigh Stein's own abusive relationship and reaction to the death of her abuser, Jason. There are also undertones about her own depression and struggle with that in addition to the relationship. It's a haunting story and written so eloquently that it is easy to get lost within Leigh's life and struggles. It is incredible the strength that it took to get her from where she was to where she is now. Even to have left this relationship was a struggle for her (and she found it difficult to stay away), but the amount of strength and courage it took for her to make those steps was immense. The prose is beautiful and Leigh's unique voice certainly shines through. I am quite impressed by this story and found it quite captivating. Please note that I received this ARC through goodreads giveaways.
June 29, 2016
Thank you First to Read for the advanced copy of this incredible, and intense book!!
This book was hard to read... Not because of the writing, which was lovely, but because of how much of myself I saw in the unlikable narrator, and the painful experiences we've shared. Land of Enchantment is the story of a an insecure and spoiled young woman who falls into the grip of an abusive, narcissistic psychopath. Unfortunately, she and I are not alone in this experience. Even years after the end of this toxic relationship, and the death of her ex, he still maintains a strange presence in her life. Many of her descriptions made me physically shudder, bringing back memories that I thought I'd buried for good. I believe that is the mark of a strong memoir and a painful reading experience.
This book was hard to read... Not because of the writing, which was lovely, but because of how much of myself I saw in the unlikable narrator, and the painful experiences we've shared. Land of Enchantment is the story of a an insecure and spoiled young woman who falls into the grip of an abusive, narcissistic psychopath. Unfortunately, she and I are not alone in this experience. Even years after the end of this toxic relationship, and the death of her ex, he still maintains a strange presence in her life. Many of her descriptions made me physically shudder, bringing back memories that I thought I'd buried for good. I believe that is the mark of a strong memoir and a painful reading experience.
September 2, 2016
While I'm sure she was honest and forthcoming, and she gets points for that, this memoir completely missed the mark for me. I get the point (and lesson) she was trying to get across-but as someone else mentioned-a nice long article would have been better. There is so much unnecessary stuff-we went to bed, I woke up, he wasn't there, I went to work. Blah, blah, blah. Like reading a calendar. I wanted to embrace her love of the artist G.O. and New Mexico-but even that seemed to be washed over with a stain of blah. Maybe I was too disenchanted by that point. At the end-I just thought-that's it-that was why I read this whole convoluted thing? Ugh.
July 31, 2017
A memoir about navigating grief after the loss of an ex-boyfriend; an ex who was abusive. Stein captivated me from the start of her story about her and Jason, and she writes about her inner emotions so well. The part that made me the most emotional, however, was the end. The epilogue links back to how I found out about this novel and though I don't know Stein, I feel pride in her accomplishments and this novel's publication. She shares so much of herself that I felt like I was reading a diary of a close friend by the end.
September 17, 2016
As the author puts it, this is the Cinderella story in reverse: a girl saved from her prince by her work. I like how this memoir sheds some lights on emotional abuse, which people often overlook (or deny its existence and normalize it as a part of "love") because it doesn't leave visible bruises.
October 6, 2018
I wanted to read this book because I was born,raised and still live in New Mexico. I stopped reading on page 32. What little I did read was a waste of time. I can't stand books that start with the ending and from there it keep adding more reasons not to like the book.
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