Reflections on a Life in Exile

by J.F. Riordan

A collection of essays by novelist J.F. Riordan, Reflections on a Life in Exile is  easy to pick up, and hard to put down. By turns deeply spiritual and gently comic, these brief meditations range from the inconveniences of modern life to the shifting nature of grief. Whether it’s an unexpected revelation from a trip to the hardware store, a casual encounter with a tow-truck driver, the changing seasons, or a conversation with a store clerk grieving for a dog, J. F. Riordan captures and magnifies the passing beauty of the ordinary and the extraordinary that lingers near the surface of daily life.

Genres: Essays

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2019

Reviews

[Paul Stromberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Open letter to Ms. Riordan:

I finished your book a few days ago. I was going to write then, but I really wanted to spend some more time with it. I went back and reread some very moving and insightful passages and I think now I am ready to come down from the attic… Perhaps, up from the basement (wherever one stores their life’s accumulations) and thank you for sharing yours with me… with all of us. I have always been a private person and have never really been ready to share my “life” with others. So, it truly amazes and overwhelms me when I am presented with a work or testimony where one’s victories and defeats, one’s epiphanies are so eloquently presented and freely shared. Your story selection plucks and tugs at the common thread in our shared experiences and memories. You have an amazing gift to allow us to peer over your shoulder as you open a drawer or trunk where we discover—perhaps rediscover—the essence of who we are, where we are from and, more importantly, where we shall go. A favorite poem is Frost’s “West Running Brook.” (Much to the consternation of my cousin I had her read it at my wedding.) "It is this backward motion toward the source, Against the stream, that most we see ourselves in, The tribute of the current to the source.” It is your ability to so deftly share these experiences that allows us a seat at the table. And, what a fine table it is, filled with the memories and stories of the past, and where the present honors and demands respect for their past. You harbor a great gift and burden… the cornucopia of your family and you fully succeed in your task of allowing them, and yourself, to live on the page and in our hearts. I wonder if it was careful crafting or a happy accident in your “I See You Never” story where you touch on the essence of life. We are touched by so many people who contribute to our fabric and character; we are an ever expanding and perpetual being… we absorb and retain so much that, when triggered, our collective overwhelms our sense and emotion. "In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too.” —John 14:19. You have given your family the greatest gift of all: immortality.

Thank you,

Paul

[Webb Hubbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riordan’s latest "Refections On A Life Life in Exile" is so warm, passionate, deeply felt, and beautiful that she makes every topic vital to the reader. Who else can can write on one page that “…faith is not just about belief in God. It is about the stories we tell ourselves when we are in the dark” and on the next page write “I am a crow lover” and by the end of essay you are a crow lover too. When she cries at saying goodbye to her mailman you will cry. Anyone who has suffered a family loss will appreciate her description of the first Thanksgiving after the death of her mother and understand when she says, “”Today will be hard, a deliberate pause to remember and mourn, and then shed the old skin of grief. Hope begins again tomorrow.” You will laugh out loud when she begins an essay with the words,” We’d been having a butter situation.” After reading her soon to be classic book of essays you will want to take a walk at night with her dogs, visit her place “North of the Tension Line,” and chat the night away as the author regales you with her stories and fills your glass with bourbon. Riordan writes about a friend of her mother’s who had died: “What matters is that you craft a life with what you are given.” One of the treasures we have all just been given is her latest book, "Reflections On A Life In Exile."

[Robin Killoran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read primarily because it refers to one of my favorite places on the planet. But I was constantly bothered by the use of "in exile" in the title. The "exile" is entirely her own choice, and given the state of refugees around the world at the present time, it seems to me to be a misuse of the word, particularly as she's not suffering any particular deprivation except that of the place she chose to leave. Random journal-like entries.....occasional lyrical language....not much else. Her fiction trilogy about the same location are enjoyable reading with likable characters and the sense of life in the fishbowl of a small town.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Riordan's previous work this book helped me get into the mind of a brilliant, yet humble writer. On the surface, she's just like you and I … she has dogs that get into trouble, is mesmerized by turkey roosts and mourns the loss of her family members; both two and four-legged. But then there's this other side … she's a trained opera singer and has traveled extensively, meeting interesting people that just might have made there way into her books ;-) Reading this book is like sitting out on her porch and enjoying a cup of coffee with her.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, very short, ruminations. On rural life, death of parents, faith, work, family, etc. Almost made me want to get a dog. Almost. I've always liked Riordan's novels, and this non-fiction did not disappoint. I think she could write longer essays and be quite successful (this were hardly essays at all, each being a few pages, maximum).

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A gentle, slow read -- something to pick up, read a bit, put down and contemplate, over and over. It is just what I needed in the middle of this scary global pandemic. This year has not been a fun one but this book of essays is a great reminder of what life can be like and especially how his it can be. We all need that even if ours isn't anywhere as nice, or rural, as the author's.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the random journal entries because Riordan is such a great story teller.

I love to hear about her Washington Island experiences and her thoughts while writing her books. The reflections gave me insight like I was reading the Author's Notes after finishing a novel.

[Kate Belt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t the right reader for this memoir. I enjoyed reading about her writing process, but found very little in common with her life views and was troubled by apparent endorsement of Reagan. I picked this up because I have enjoyed her novels.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the reflective and personal stories from J.F. Riordan's life. Stories about her dogs made me smile and laugh.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.

[Jan Kolb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read. Fun reflections on many aspects of life. Enjoy the authors writing and style.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't go for essays, but if you want to cry your eyes out reading a story about a dying dog, this book is for you.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book of short essays, all of them beautifully written. Some of them are exquisite. Many are hilarious. All are true. I especially enjoyed #21, Real Cook Kitchen, in which she described the disconnect between cooking shows and and reality. In my experience, time estimates for recipes must assume I am joined by a staff of prep cooks to do the peeling, chopping, assembling of ingredients, etc. Her other essays about her dogs, the deaths of older relatives, the tedium and joy of bringing a book into the world...I feel like I’ve met Riordan.

I followed another little known author’s blog for years and felt the same way about his excellent writing. He wrote so poignantly about his life I felt as though I knew him. Over many, many years he became better known, then well known, and now famous. I stopped reading his blog because it’s now nothing much more than a promotional of where he will be appearing next or what fabulous new project he is working on. I liked the freshness of Riordan’s writing and I hope she can maintain it.

I loved her first book, North of the Tension Line, have the next two in her series lined up to read next, and look forward to her finishing the forth

[Jeanne Abicht · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book of entitlement. I felt the writing was poor and the author pedantic. I regret buying this book.