I loved this memoir and its focus on a woman’s relationship to herself in the wake of separation and divorce. I enjoyed the structure, the inclusion of the author’s poetry, and that in many ways this was a book about recovering from grief. The cover is gorgeous as well. I bought this as a gift for my mom after reading it and will continue to recommend it.

I loved this book. I read a lot of reviews criticizing Smith for the repetition of what she won't tell or give the reader but I loved it. It's a memoir but it wasn't about that. Smith writes beautifully and I was with her on her journey.

Maggie Smith wrote the poem, Good Bones, and that was also the beginning of the end of her marriage. In her memoir she narrates her journey of betrayal, divorce and rediscovering herself through lyrical essays. This book is brutally honest, but it’s not angry. Would I have liked it this much a few years ago… before my own divorce? Probably, but there’s something so fulfilling about someone else speaking the words you couldn’t find. But even if you haven’t walked this exact path, as women, we’ve all experienced the power dynamics that exist in every relationship. We’ve struggled to find work/family balance and the invisible labor of mothering. This book connects to women in so many ways.
I loved this book, but not in a “Oh my gosh this was so good you have to read it” way. More like “These stories need to be told.”

This book is stunning. The vulnerability in telling this story really touched my heart. The lyrical writing and occasional poem sprinkled throughout really elevated this memoir about her marriage that is coming to an end. I appreciated the honesty the author shared about this experience. As a child of divorce due to infidelity, I loved hearing from the person in her shoes.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith is a memoir about the ending of the author's marriage and how she made it through a better, stronger human being. I really enjoyed her honesty and thoughtfulness throughout this entire book. Here's a passage I highlighted: "How I picture it: We are all nesting dolls, carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside. We carry the past inside us. We take ourselves--all of ourselves--wherever we go. Inside forty-something me is the woman I was in my thirties, the woman I was in my twenties, the teenager I was, the child I was. Inside divorced me: married me, the me who loved my husband, the me who believed what we had was irrevocable and permanent, the me who believed in permanence. I didn't lose these versions of myself or leave them behind. I carry them. It's a kind of reincarnation without death: all these different lives we get to live in this one body, as ourselves." Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Would you like to tap into righteous feminine rage? Then read this.

At times this is as beautiful as it is painful - a rumination on creativity and what constitutes "work," the devastation and elation of motherhood, the balancing act that is marriage and what it means to be a partner. The difficulty of forgiveness, especially when there's no remorse on the other side of the equation. Even if you've never experienced some of these struggles directly, you've heard about them. You've listened to friends and family talk about these things, and you can feel her emotions lifting off the page to help you see and understand. It's relatable even when it's not your experience, and that's the best kind of memoir. It provides perspective.

I have to be honest though, her ex-husband is a right c*nt. I hope his children grow up to see him with benign contempt. I hope he experiences subtle and petty discomfort for the rest of his life. I hope someone redacts his tears (that is a reference to a part of the book that nearly made me throw it across the room, but I was reading in the bathtub and was afraid it would fall in the water.) I hope Maggie never forgives him, but realizes the only person she needs to forgive is herself for trying to be small, trying to be perfect, trying to bend herself into a shape that wasn't her truth to make someone happy who never deserved it. She sounds like an awesome mom and is a phenomenal writer.

This is agony on paper, but you can't look away. I highly recommend this memoir. It's also written in short essays and prose poems so it goes quickly, and flows together well. There were moments that made me smile and laugh too, and in that way it encompasses the idea that even when we're hurting we can't help but find the joy too. It's what makes this place beautiful.

SO beautifully written and such a rollercoaster of emotions. Loved the perspective throughout the book.

There is no denying that Maggie Smith is a talented writer and there is some truly beautiful prose in this book. I think that if this had been a book of prose, essays, or poetry, it would have been more effective. I have never before read a memoir that shamed the reader so persistently for reading it - it felt like Smith was judging readers for reading her words. The vignettes and poetic sections were the strongest. but the content was so repetitive, and not in a way that I felt benefited the book. Very disappointed because I think prose on divorce has such potential, but I just really didn't enjoy the process of reading this book.

thoughtful and lyrical prose on the dissolution of a marriage. Sharing tidbits of the history of their love and the breakdown of their partnership without going overboard with salacious detail works in Smith's favor, at least for this reader. I love how fragile yet strong she can be as she shares her tears and uncertainty and hints at recovery. Relatable as a woman and a wife and mother. I love the music piece and that her teen age daughter makes her a compilation of music in a never ending playlist. Worth the hype.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

This book was absolutely phenomenal! Marriage is hard, every relationship has its struggles - good days and bad days, but the vulnerability present in this book specifically around the topic of divorce is unmatched and so necessary in this day and age. The story is woven throughout beautifully and you can really learn something of value here.

I have to be honest, this book ripped my heart out. I think I first heard about the book from Ann Patchett's Parnassus posts, but I was not familiar with Maggie Smith's poem that went viral until I read this book. Moreover, I don't know who Maggie Smith's ex-husband is (and frankly, I don't want to) though I know a quick google search could probably tell me. Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring, for the many ways her talent was undermined, and the tremendous success she has had in spite of that. Of course, this only begs the question of what she could have accomplished in the same time with a supportive partner, or nobody else at all. This book truly wrung me out, so much so that it was tough, at times, to pick it up again. And yes, I understand that this is not a story of poverty or the depths of despair, so there is perspective in that. But the fact that belittling a woman's work and worth is still, today, a commonplace, relatable gambit is truly heartbreaking. Maggie Smith's story is important, compelling, and yes, at times, beautiful.

It's hard to reconcile Maggie Smith's eloquent and beautiful prose with her subject matter -- the dissolution of a marriage. Don't take me wrong -- this is by no means a criticism; in fact, her lyrical writing only provides a more achingly clear description of Smith's struggle to come to terms with a husband's betrayal and the road that lies before Smith.

Smith begins her story with a postcard found in her husband's work satchel revealing a romantic intimacy with someone who Smith ultimately calls "The Addressee." Smith takes us on her quest to find answers on how to heal, grieve, and ultimately move forward.

A beautiful and insightful work. Thank you to #NetGalley and Atria Publishers for providing this ARC of #YouCouldMakeThisPlaceBeautiful.

The book is structured in a series of vignettes that are punctuated by quotes and poems. The audiobook, read by Smith, sounded lovely but occasionally I was confused by the format (is this a poem? a quote? etc). This memoir is melancholy, sometimes funny and deeply vulnerable. As she spirals outward from the demise of her marriage, the topics she wrestles with become universal. Family, work, patriarchy. How do we find our voice? How do we love ourselves? How do we lose love and begin again? Of course this is beautifully written with lyrical prose. But there were moments when I struggled to WANT to click play. It’s like sitting with a friend in pain and sometimes I wasn’t in the headspace for that. That being said, this is a powerful memoir.

I read memoirs because I want to glimpse how other imperfect humans deal with life's ups and downs. How do they will themselves to get up again and again, to keep moving forward, and where do they find the moments of joy that provide salve to our broken places?
Maggie Smith is undoubtedly one of the best contemporary writers in the genre.

In You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Smith provides glimpses into the painful collapse of her marriage. As she says, her suffering was loud. She is insightful; maturing from righteous anger to a more truthful understanding of what makes and breaks a marriage.

The format keeps the story from drowning in despair and includes short chapters, epigraphs, and an occasional poem shared in a conversational manner. Maggie Smith provides an authentic and powerful voice to challenges that many of us will experience in our lifetimes. I expect You Could Make This Place Beautiful to be among my favorite reads of the year.

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley.

I keep hearing about this book. The author's ability to self-reflect is a huge part of the storytelling. It's well-written, and easy to see parts of our own story in the pages. Excellent memoir selection.

A tender and clever exploration of art, labor, and the erosion of a marriage. A self-questioning meta memoir full of warmth. No surprise this book is a hit.

This author discusses and tells all about divorce in such a beautiful way. I love the way she is protecting her children for them to tell their story one day. She gives very good descriptions about all the things you need to know and how to move forward with life. She makes you feel that life will go on and you will eventually become stronger. This book will make a great book club discussion book.

Just absolutely beautiful. Maggie Smith is a treasure. Her insight and knowledge on the page is something to be cherished. Everyone needs to read this spectacular book.

Wow! What a story. I could not put this book down for a second. Marriage is hard, and while I do not have direct experience with divorce, I can see how painful it must be, the good, the bad, the ugly, and all the emotions in between. Maggie is a storyteller that could make any story worth the read. One of the best non-fiction reads of the year!

Heartbreaking honest portrayal of divorce. This was hard to get through as it brought up so many memories of my own divorce. Beautifully written about painful experience during the pandemic.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonschuster for the ARC.