A Poignant Exploration of Love, Loss, and the City

C.O. Moed’s It Was Her New York is a beautifully crafted narrative that intertwines memoir with urban sociology, presenting her mother’s life as a lens through which to explore complex themes of familial bonds and personal loss. The synergy between Moed's evocative prose and haunting photographs creates a rich tapestry of memory, capturing the essence of New York as both a setting and a character.

Moed's exploration of her relationship with her mother, a talented musician grappling with dementia, is marked by both tenderness and realism. The book’s insights into the evolving dynamics of caregiving are heartfelt and relatable, resonating deeply with anyone who has navigated similar experiences.

The unique format, blending visual elements with narrative, challenges traditional storytelling, inviting readers to engage with the emotional layers of both personal and urban decay. While some aspects, like the parallels between personal memory and the city’s transformation, could be explored further, the overall impact is profound.

It Was Her New York lingers in the mind long after reading, serving as a meditation on love, loss, and the intricate dance of memory. This remarkable work is essential for those interested in the intersections of personal history and the urban landscape. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy!

I really thought I would like this book but it just wasn't for me. it's not my kind of photography, I was expecting steadier photos or at least photos that show a bit more of her life and the text was a weird mix of confessional and too long at times.

It Was Her New York is such an intimate look into a woman, her family and her city. The storyteller is personal and emotive, really making the reader feel like they're getting to know this woman and her intricacies.

The blurring of personal experiences with societal change was an interesting narrative and the photographs just beautifully complemented this throughout.

A truly touching, poignant and funny book. A wonderful journey.

The book is a very brief insight into the author and her memories and experiences of her mother in New York, all while she is currently suffering with dementia.

I enjoyed this book, it's filled with insightful memories and photographs which you can't help feeling drawn into and relating too.

However, I struggled with the writing style and some of the images, it seemed slightly disconnected at times jumping from related to unrelated anecdotes. This may also be the author trying to represent her mother's struggle with memory and how difficult they can be to cling to.

It Was Her New York is a personal collection of essays about the author's mother, Florence, as she suffers from dementia in New York City.
It centers on losing someone you love and seeing the city you grew up in change through the years. It hurts to read but at the same time it is a captivating retelling of treasured memories and lived experiences.

I found this to be a beautiful account of Florence's life and a city that once was - and in some ways still is. The descriptions of the city were lively, the accompanying pictures gave them an extra depth and made the city come alive. The book gave me a sense of nostalgia for a city that I haven't visited yet and decades I've never lived in. I feel like the book does good justice to Florence as a mother, musician, and person.

However, the writing style was not my favourite. Some passages felt random and out of place, and at times I forgot what the plot was. This did influence my rating, as it was at times difficult to follow the story and piece bits and pieces together. This might just be a personal downside to the book, as other people might be able to enjoy this writing style.

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Some of the photos in this collection were amazing and it’s a great documentation of the changing times. The experience of the same streets across time gives a more personal description of gentrification for readers and I personally loved the LGBTQ+ elements, especially Florence’s first pride march and refusing to ride with the other gay seniors as it was her march. However, I found the timelines a bit disjointed and the collection itself jumpy.

Favourite Quote:
"I wanted to take a picture - not because it was so old or exotic-looking, but because I wanted to capture just one last portrait of my childhood before it disappeared into thin air."

C.O. Moed's "It Was Her New York" took me on an emotional journey through the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship amidst a shifting urban landscape. Moed's captivating prose unveils their deeply personal story with tenderness and candor, touching on themes of love, loss, and self-discovery.

I'm losing my grandma to dementia. This was a very painful but very dear read. I read some of it at work and cried, then read the rest at home and cried some more. A lot of specific sections and lines and sentences really struck me, but this one especially: "But now, there was less of Florence to visit with."

Wonderfully put together book. The images were colorful and poignant, and the added text made the author's life growing up in New York come to life. It is also a beautiful telling of the life of an aging lesbian woman, the trials she went through, the things she did to hide parts of herself such as getting married. And how she later opened up and claimed her identity. It is also a moving story of living through the end of life care of a loved one and includes the highs and the lows and all the messy bits. Well worth the read.

Just Put Down C.O. Moed's "It Was Her New York"

C.O. Moed's book, "It Was Her New York," presents itself as more than a conventional memoir. It's an experiment in narrative form, a deliberate blurring of the boundaries between personal history, urban sociology, and visual anthropology. Moed utilizes the framework of her mother's life in New York as a prism, refracting complex themes of familial relationships, the psychology of place, and the specter of both personal and cultural loss.

The synergy between Moed's prose and the accompanying photographs is where this work truly distinguishes itself. The images act not as mere illustrations, but as narrative counterpoints. They often possess a haunting, oneiric quality that challenges the text's linearity. Consider the opening image of Florence, Moed's mother, a Julliard-trained musician, later consumed by dementia. The photo is both intimate and alienating; it captures Florence's fading selfhood while foreshadowing the emotional terrain the book will navigate.

Moed's portrayal of New York City transcends nostalgia. The city becomes a character in its own right, a shapeshifting labyrinth of memory and experience. Moed is less concerned with iconic landmarks and more with capturing the fleeting sensory details – the textures, smells, and hidden rhythms that inform one's psychogeography of a place. This micro-focus provides a counterbalance to the looming theme of transience that haunts the narrative.

The book's central tension lies in its exploration of the maternal bond. Moed confronts the complexities of a daughter's love with unflinching honesty. There's a fierce tenderness in Florence's portrayal, yet Moed doesn't shy away from depicting the frustrations and resentments borne out of caregiving within a slowly eroding relationship. This struggle for emotional autonomy reflects a universal dynamic in adult parent-child relationships.

One potential point of deeper exploration would have been the intersection between personal memory and the collective memory of a city. Moed alludes to the ways New York's ever-changing landscape mirrors her mother's decline, but a more sustained analysis of the parallels between urban and personal decay could have added a further layer of depth.

Overall, "It Was Her New York" is a poignant and intellectually stimulating work. Moed's lyrical prose, her vulnerability, and the bold interplay of text and image offer a meditation on how we construct meaning from love, loss, and the ever-fleeting present moment. This is a book that lingers, echoing long after the final page is turned.

I enjoyed reading this tribute to the authors mother and both their lives as they navigated things together. The photographs paired with the stories made it feel like I was experiencing New York City through a personal lens as intended. We need more personal stories like this that are unique to the author telling them!

This book was fabulous, the photos worked so well with the stories being told and gave the perfect take away to live life to the fullest.

This is a powerful and intimate memoir. It’s one which I found difficult to read at times, because I felt rather voyeuristic. Almost as if I was actually looking in on some of the most private and personal moments of a life, But at the same time, it’s absolutely captivating and an incredible tribute to a mother so well loved. It’s difficult to move me to tears whilst reading, but this book brought tears to my eyes more than once. Not only the writing, but the photos. The first colour photo tells a story and makes a dramatic start to the journey, An older lady, slightly dishevelled is sitting by a window with a NY skyline visible. There’s a sense of isolation and loss; I was unaware at this point that this is also a journey into dementia and the lady in question, a Julliard trained pianist, was the subject.

This is unlike any memoir I’ve read. On a tablet, the photos are dramatic and link to the taxes adding a whole new dimension. This is a story which not only deserves to be told, it needs to be told and I admire Moed’s honesty and bravery. Documenting a life is no mean feat but she’s chosen exactly the right balance in selecting events, memories and photos which form a composite of a remarkable lady. I hope this book is huge success.

Remember that feeling when you visit your family and you end up flickering through a family photo album? That's the same feeling you get when reading C.O. Moed's "It Was Her New York". Through photos and essays the memories of Moed and her mother Florence are relived, and the love they felt in those moments (and still feel today) seeps through the text. The photos are like doors leading into a warm, caring and tender embrace.

Content Warnings: Hospice / Palliative / End-of-Life Care, Dementia

It Was Her New York was difficult to read due to the vulnerability expressed in both photographs and text. Part memoir, part photo essay, part memorial, it's a difficult book to quantify. However, everything was chosen with care and precision to capture authentic moments. The moment that broke me was C.O. Moed begging her mother's ex-lover not to destroy their love letters and instead donate them to a lesbian history archive. It was the struggle to keep alive an identity that was clearly so important to her mother, who walked in her first Pride Parade in her late 50s and how powerless, in some ways, Moed was that made it hurt. However, I think this book is a touching tribute to her mother and captures her many facets, while also reflecting on the changes faced in their community.

What an incredible book! I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book quite like this. Part memoir, part essay collection, part photography collection…this was a little bit of everything. It Was Her New York was such an intimate recount about bits of the lives of Claire and her mother Florence. Included throughout the book were pictures taken my Claire that were a perfect addition to help the reader feel really included in the narrative. I felt the whole time as if I was listening to a friend tell little stories that made me both cry and laugh, that both warmed my heart and broke it. Interwoven into this complicated mother-daughter story were additional anecdotes about the New York she knew growing up and the people that had small yet impactful effects on their lives. This is an incredible gem of a book and I cannot wait to purchase a hard copy of it.
***Thank you NetGally, Rootstock Publishing, and C.O. Moed for an advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.***

I loved every second I had with this book! The photos were such an added bonus. It's such a beautiful memoir and a moving tribute to a mother that made me tear up uncontrollably towards the end. I've never been to New York but the lyrical writing combined with the pictures made me nostalgic for a city I have never even experienced. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc.

Really appreciated this memoir! The photos were really good and matched the tone of each of the stories. The writing, too, was really moving and emotional, so much so that I nearly cried towards the end! Just brilliant.

This is a hard one. There is so much in this book that mirrors my own life. I wonder how many others out there that this is true for. The author writes beautifully, sometimes with hopelessness, sometimes sadness, sometimes with just the mere act of moving forward. I am teary eyed at the end as she explains what home is. I thank NetGalley and Rootstock Publishing for the advance read.

This was such a beautiful read, showing the love for her mother and the love for new york, complete with beautiful photography.