Many thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy of “Still Life at Eighty” by Abigail Thomas.
The pandemic was a difficult time for many widows, too much time alone and a trying time to become a first-time grandmother. After one of my church acquaintances admitted that she dreamed of driving to New York and walking in traffic, all of us threw her a drive-by grandmother-to-be shower.
Wearing a mask, I gave her my present in person later. I was recovering from a ten-hour open-heart surgery and didn’t want to take any chances of getting Covid. After three months, I went out for coffee. At the end of the week, everyone was ordered to stay inside and to isolate for a while. In-person church services were stopped temporarily, and then, we could only attend services through zoom. I’m sure it was particularly difficult for people who lived alone.
Abigail Thomas vividly describes this period of living by herself during Covid as she approached her eightieth birthday.
The best part of the book is part four where she switches gears and describes some of the basics she teaches in her writing classes: for example, how to choose writing fiction or non-fiction to express one’s subject matter. She gives an idea for how she gets her students’ creative juices flowing; “Write two pages that begin with the sentence: ‘This is a lie I’ve told before.’”
She says about writing memoir, “If you end up where you started - that is, if you wind up with the same feeling about yourself and your life that you had going into this - well, you may not have looked hard enough.”
Finally, she remarks, “Writing memoir is one way to explore how you became the person you are. It’s the story of how you got here from there. Believe me, it’s a good story.”
Indeed. She’s written one with an instructive ending.

In her eighty years, Abigail Thomas captures the beauty of life's ordinary moments with lyrical, almost poetic, prose that transforms the mundane into something remarkable. Amid the loneliness of the pandemic, she reflects on aging, memory, and the companionship of her beloved dogs, infusing each chapter with wisdom and wit. Within the pages, Thomas offers advice that makes the craft of writing feel accessible and deeply rewarding., which is something that my students will appreciate.

Excellent insights and craft by Abigail Thomas.
Just what I look for in books; wonderful prose and amazing content complementing each other.

In her eighty years of life, author Abigail Thomas recognizes that life is composed of moments. With a turn of a phrase, or a simple string of words, she makes ordinary moments become downright beautiful. The lyrical rhythm of her writing approaches poetry, grammatically perfect, humorous, and unexpected. Each chapter holds another topic of random wise thoughts, some as brief as a single Kindle page. Her love of life springs from her belief that something interesting can happen at any moment. She faces her fears head on, though, hoping that her own death will be nothing more than flowing out an open window and then evaporating into mist. What a lovely thought!

It’s the pandemic, and she’s lonely. The days are shapeless and indistinguishable from one another. She walks with a cane, and can’t see so well, but still drives short distances during the day. She is aware of her fading memory, but can’t quite place what she can’t recall. Thomas cherishes the companionship of her beloved dogs, and even welcomes bugs and insects to her home. She wonders if ants ever get lonely.

As a teacher of writing, the author gives tips on how to hone the craft. Writing is her lifeline. She takes her own advice, making the effort to write sound easy and approachable and worthwhile. This reader is a full decade younger than the author. I can only hope that I approach my eightieth year with as much grace and understanding. Highly recommended for gifting and savoring.

With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free advance e-copy of this book, I have written this review voluntarily. (Publication date is November 19, 2024.)

Wow, wow, wow! This book was far too short. I’d like to pull up a chair next to Abigail Thomas and her dogs and listen to her stories, or simply watch ants crawl across the table with her, forever. I’m 37, but found tremendous comfort in the wisdom of a woman more than twice my age. The idea that one day you really do stop caring—about how you look, about what other people think, even about the news—let me relax a little, even as I felt keenly the dread that still sometimes keeps her up at night and the social anxiety that kept her housebound during COVID. Mostly I love that, at eighty, she teaches twice-weekly writing workshops, despises “chronology” in memoir, and got a tattoo of FTS (F*ck This Sh*t) to celebrate becoming an octogenarian. Pure magic.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC!

I cannot say enough about how much I loved this book. I'm still over thirty years from eighty, but reading Thomas' book gave me hope that there is much to celebrate and still more to learn in the coming decades, plus humor and insight and beauty no matter how limited my life becomes. The writing is SO good, but that's to be expected. It was so much more than just beautiful writing. This book made me look at all the little details around me, searching for what they have to teach me. It made me reconsider stink bugs as noble instead of annoying. It made me tear up and it made me laugh. It made me want to be a better writer, and to work harder at being authentic and vulnerable and open to where the words take me. What a gift! I can't wait to share it with the people in my life-- especially other writers and my 80+ year old family members who I know will love it too.

Still Life At Eighty is so beautifully written Abigail Thomas draws us into her world her reality as she nears eighty.She shares memories of younger years brings us into her daily existence. A read that at times made me sad at other times made me laugh .a book to treasure and share.#netgalley #scribner

I cannot begin to explain how beautiful this title was to me. As a woman of a certain age, I'll be gifting it to my friends "of a certain age: as well. It was poignant and bittersweet, but at times I laughed with chagrin. Thomas is a gem and "sees" us as we are!