A well done essay on a difficult subject, a woman's relationship with her Mother-in-Law. Strayed takes us from the first moments she meets Joan to the woman's final days over 20 years later. The piece is written with honesty and love, showing all sides of Joan. Beautiful piece, highly recommend.

I kicked off 2024 with this really short memoir. Cheryl Strayed always writes so beautifully about life, and this little essay about her mother-in-law is no exception. This was an honest reflection on their relationship, the tension that can sometimes occur between in-laws, and the clarity that comes with loss.

Cheryl Strayed’s “Two Women Walk into a Bar” is a delicately poignant look at a fraught mother-in-law to daughter-in-law relationship. As I read it, I realized that this is a primal relationship not examined as much in literature as it deserves. In her always impeccable prose, Strayed acknowledges that this is not a one on one relationship, but really a triad, with the triangulating husband, sometimes silent, but always present. I would be happy to reread this and may wind up quoting it in the future. That’s how much I liked it.

This short (22 page) story by the author of WILD gives a poignant glimpse into Cheryl's relationship with her dying mother-in-law. A beautiful meditation on complicated connections and grief.

This was a very heartfelt short story of the author's relationship with her mother-in-law during her final days. Even with so few pages, Cheryl Strayed was still able to impart the emotion you'd expect from a full memior.

I'd highly reccomend this short story to any memior lover.

Rated 5 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Two women walk into a bar. They both love the same man—and they aren't so sure about each other.

Strayed brings such richness and complexity to this story of her mother-in-law, Joan, a woman who could probably have been described as a Character for most of her life. They were not easy friends, but they found their way to loving each other regardless. And as Joan reached the end of her life, Strayed was right there with Joan, and with Strayed's husband, to see her out in as comfortable a manner as possible.

What I love most about this is the balance between Strayed's obvious respect and love for Joan and her refusal to paint Joan from behind rose-colored glasses. This is one of my favorite offerings from Amazon Original Stories to date—I'd read a full novel about a character based on Joan, or Joan's mother; there's pretty much no way it wouldn't be interesting. A lot of complication here, and a lot of compassion.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

A short but (bitter)sweet essay about the author's prickly relationship with her mother-in-law and how they eventually learned to, if not understand each other, at least accept each other. Very moving.

Well-done! Two Women Walk into a Bar is a touching, short memoir about the last weeks of Cheryl Strayed's time with her mother-in-law, Joan, while Joan is dying from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). When I first read the title, I thought it would be some sort of comedy, but it was far from it. This memoir is full of emotion, love, sadness, life troubles, understanding and acceptance of the past and present situation. Strayed does a great job of conveying the distance she often felt from Joan and how she learned to see the love despite Joan's lack of emotional intimacy. It is truly a moving story. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the eARC.

This was a lovely short read. It was a look at the death of the author’s mother-in-law, the reality of end of life events, and the revealing of complex family relationships. Cheryl Strayed does a beautiful job of writing about everyday things.

Cheryl Strayed’s short story felt like she was sharing a piece of her life with me, the reader. She really does have a magic touch when it comes to writing an un-put-downable story.

A short, powerful and a balm for the soul portraiture of this very human thing that is the liminal space and time of when a person transitions. Beautifully written, full of heart and compassion.

I received a copy of this in order to share my view on it.

Two Women Walk into a Bar is a short account of Cheryl Strayed’s challenging relationship with her mother-in-law; brought into focus when Cheryl and her husband, Brian, were informed that his mom had only weeks to live and would need to move into the assisted-living section of her seniors’ complex. Because I had read Strayed before (and particularly Wild), I didn’t need more information than what is in here in order to understand how Strayed’s family background might affect her relationship with the prickly Joan; this felt like a continuing conversation with an old acquaintance. As this is the story of Joan’s end-of-life experience — and the feelings that it stirred up in her daughter-in-law — there is a universality to this narrative that doesn’t require one to have read Strayed before, but taken all together, I found this very affecting. A worthwhile, if short, read.

A poignant look at the relationship between a mother and her daughter-in-law (the author), married to the mother's only child. Also a view of women from different generations, and how the love and presence (or absence) of your mother can impact how you interact with future generations. Brief story but impactful and well written.

Heartfelt tribute to the author’s relationship with her mother-in-law. Well-written and powerful.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.