Customer Reviews

How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed: A Memoir

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The first is that the author whines a lot about how poor she was during the divorce.....uh, having the means to turn down a job at Microsoft, having your kids in private school, and living in a fancy neighborhood is not poor. Poor is working your behind off and still not being able to make it. She works part-time, and sounds like she thinks that's too much. It is too bad her husband is a gambler, and I would have related more if she had shared something of how she specifically dealt with having lived with a liar for 12 years, but it didn't sound like he did all that much damage to their finances.

The second is that because the author jumps immediately into a rebound relationship with an ex-lover, much of the angst of being alone and lonely isn't expressed. And though the relationship is over by the end of the book, she doesn't share any of the ensuing loneliness (you have to deal with it sometime) and grief she must have felt once that post-divorce relationship no longer served to distract her from her actual divorce.

An entertaining read, but this memoir is not introspective enough for others to grow from it.

I would never have expected to be as entertained reading a book about divorce as I was with this book. Nestor's quirky humour made her story infinitely appealing to an audience much broader than just people going through divorce. It is a wonderfully, honest commentary on life and marriage and parenting that will appeal to just about anyone, written in a style reminiscent of Anne Lamott. This book touches on so many realities in a fun, but provocative way. A must read!

Theo Nestor's account of the end of her marriage had me riveted from beginning to end. I'm single and have never been married or divorced,but Nestor's tale transcended those demographics. Hers is really a story of transformation -- of falling apart and putting herself back together again. All of us are confronted at times with losing or never getting the life we've envisioned. Theo's story reminds me that along with loss comes gain -- that of honing away at our layers until we find the essence of who we really are. You'll love this story and her writing -- vivid, honest, funny and engaging.

I loved this book from beginning to end. Nestor is a fabulous writer-- her beautiful prose is filled with wit, moxie, and grace. From the first page, she pulled me into her tenacious journey of strength and survival. She writes with passion and inspiration and, even in the face of heartache, great hope.

Nestor examines divorce's sadness and loss with deep wisdom. Being a divorced, single woman myself, I identified with her all along the way. Her humor and insight has helped me reexamine my own experience and move toward greater healing.

I loved this book! I would--and do--recommend it to all of my friends.

As one who reads mostly for pleasure, Nestor's memoir is an amazingly rich, easy, enjoyable read. The kind of book I looked forward to having a moment with at the end of my busy day. Chock full of intriguing characters and twists.

As a therapist, I will be recommending this to clients: anyone whose life has been upset by divorce should have (and keep) this book. Men and women alike. It will provide perspective, ideas, resources, and best of all, humor. There are lots of books about divorce out there, but nothing quite as special as this!

Theo Pauline Nestor nails the challenges faced by newly divorced, middle-aged mothers with honesty and laugh-out-loud self-effacing humor. This very likable narrator moves from the isolation and ennui of feeling like a broken, beleaguered societal outsider to a self-sufficient, mostly happy and contented woman who has reclaimed the "rawness of spirit" she had as a girl. She compassionately exposes what she sees as her failings and then disproves them as she courageously negotiates one pivotal event after another.
Nestor, used to being the helper, has to learn to ask for - and accept - help from friends, relatives and former adversaries in her basic desire to "hunt, gather and keep shelter warm" for her two girls. As she detaches from feeling like a "criminal" for breaking up her family, she focus on her girl-family's needs. After exploring her own experience as a child of divorce she finds that she is capable of creating an "altered" family where all can feel safe and thrive.
Nestor provides an inspiring road map for new divorcees, citing many good references that helped her and her children move through the common shock, confusion and adjustment to divorce to a place of acceptance that brings with it the ability to trust, laugh and love. Her book is smart, funny and insightful.

Self indudgent, boring, and a slow read. I couldn't stand the author by the time it was over. There are so many better memiors out there! This one missed the mark.

I checked out this book from my local public library. I found the
title intriguing (why I picked it up in the first place), the memoir fell short. The author's style of writing, while at times very witty and amusing, could drag on, making me wish that she was simply better at telling a story!
I tried to like this book, but in my displeasure, I was glad that I had not purchased it. I merely stopped reading mid-novel and happily returned it to collect dust on the library shelf.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about a woman's journey of self discovery and healing after going through the heartbreak of divorce. The part that perhaps spoke the most to me in this book is that when a stay at home mom gets divorced she not only loses her marriage, she also loses her job. If you have gone through a divorce and you need a light at the end of the dark tunnel, reading this will help. I found myself caught up in her story, at times laughing out loud because I could so relate to what she was saying and in the next instant feeling the heartbreak she was experiencing. But through it all, it gave me hope that perhaps I could make it through my own journey and come out better on the other side of healing and recovery.

This was the most amazing book I have ever read. I felt as though the author was reading my mind and writing my thoughts. I have never ever had a book touch my soul and help me to feel as though I would make it through this difficult time. From the smallest details of her day to day life - to the big moments ...the passion and emotion this book is written with overwhelm me. I still think about the author and wonder how she is doing and feel as though I have "friend" in this pain and journey I am experiencing. I hope she writes a sequel....Highly recommend this book to anyone divorcing and feeling the loss, fear and confusion of this process.
I began to highlight and post it in the beginning because there were so many things I wanted to reference and remember...by the time I was done - the whole book is marked up. Amazing ~ thank you!