About “A woman's story”
WINNER OF THE 2022 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE A New York Times Notable Book "A deeply affecting account of mothers and daughters, youth and age, and dreams and reality" (Kirkus Reviews) Upon her mother’s death from Alzheimer’s, Ernaux embarks on a daunting journey back through time, as she seeks to "capture the real woman, the one who existed independently from me, born on the outskirts of a small Normandy town, and who died in the geriatric ward of a hospital in the suburbs of Paris." She explores the bond between mother and daughter, tenuous and unshakable at once, the alienating worlds that separate them, and the inescapable truth that we must lose the ones we love. In this quietly powerful tribute, Ernaux attempts to do her mother the greatest justice she can: to portray her as the individual she was. She writes, "I believe I am writing about my mother because it is my turn to bring her into the world." (Description courtesy of Penguin Random House.)
Awards & honors
- Finalist — Los Angeles Times Book Prize
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Selected — New York Times Notable Book
Praise for “A woman's story”
“Infinitely original. A Woman's Story is every woman's story. [Its] power rests not in the drama of its main event but in moments that might escape unnoticed, if not for a writer desperate to recapture every last image that her memory reluctantly yields of a lost loved one.”
“[A] tender, tough and moving tribute to her mother's life and death … In this lovely short book Miss Ernaux attempts to explain—or, perhaps, merely to understand—the complex roots and blossoms of a mother/daughter relationship by describing the life of the mother she has just lost.”
“Nothing less than a minimalist revelation, a piece of writing so spare and sharp that it cuts straight to the heart with the accuracy of a surgeon's scalpel.”
Book details
- Published
- 1990
- Latest edition
- 1990 · ISBN 9781583225752
- ISBN
- 9781583225752
Frequently asked questions
How many pages is A woman's story?
A woman's story by Annie Ernaux has 96 pages.
More by Annie Ernaux
Book descriptions, author biographies, award records and review quotes on this page are courtesy of Penguin Random House.