Slow Motion (Harvest Book) [Paperback]

Dani Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Book | Publication Date: October 21, 1999

Dani Shapiro, a young woman from a deeply religious home, became the girlfriend of a famous and flamboyant married attorney-her best friend's stepfather. The moment Lenny Klein entered her life, everything changed: she dropped out of college, began drinking, and neglected her friends and family. But then came a phone call-an accident on a snowy road had left her parents critically injured. Forced to reconsider her life, Shapiro learned to re-enter the world she had left. Telling of a life nearly ruined by the gift of beauty, and then saved through tragedy, Shapiro's memoir is a beautiful account of how a life gone terribly wrong can be rescued through tragedy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A page-turner."-Mademoiselle
"No doubt to regroup as rapidly as Shapiro does requires brutal honesty and a well-honed sense of humor-elements she wields artfully in her short, fabulous history. . . . She's driving with the top down. Bright Lights, Big City-the chick version."-People
"Absolutely heart-rending . . . a great piece of writing and an inspirational tale . . . Slow Motion illuminates the rocky road to integrity and maturity in graceful but wrenching steps."-Salon

About the Author

Dani Shapiro is the author of six books, including the novels Black & White and Family History, and the bestselling memoir Slow Motion. Her stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Ploughshares, One Story, and have been widely anthologized. She is Director of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. She lives in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (October 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156008475
• ISBN-13: 978-0156008471
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,206,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dani Shapiro's most recent books include the novels Black & White and Family History and the bestselling memoir Slow Motion. Her short stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, Elle, Vogue, Ploughshares, and O, The Oprah Magazine, among other publications. She lives with her husband and son in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars poignant memoir, January 26, 2010

By 

Alla S. - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Life Rescued by Tragedy (P.S.) (Paperback)

"Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Life Rescue by Tragedy" by Dani Shapiro is her bestselling memoir that was originally published more than a decade ago, and is currently being re-printed in a new edition.

At the age of twenty-three, Dani is reluctantly pursuing a career as an actress and dating Lenny Klein, a rich, married lawyer who is twice her age and the step-father of her college friend Jess. Despite dropping out of college, Dani seems satisfied with being Lenny's mistress and living luxuriously--until a tragedy changes her life and makes her re-consider the choices she's made.

Most of the book focuses on Dani's life following the highway accident that leaves both of her parents in the hospital fighting for their lives. The writing itself is very poignant and nostalgic. Shapiro's story takes place in the New York of the mid-1980s and can be construed not only as a coming-of-age memoir, but an account of self evolution.

From Shapiro's writing, it is clear she wants to change but has trouble facing up to all of her problems. Dani's older lover disgusts her, but she feels both morally and financially dependent on him. Shapiro loves both of her parents, but is constantly made to choose sides and participate in the family feud. She wants to go back to college, but feels too old knowing her one-time classmates have already graduated. She feels religion would bring her closer to her family, but simultaneously detests the sharp constraints involved. This frequent sense of conflicts is what keeps the story interesting.

Overall, especially considering that this is a true story, I found "Slow Motion" to be an engaging and very emotional memoir. If you're looking for a light beach read, you may have to look elsewhere. But for the more serious readers, I think this book would be a memorable read. I don't know how Shapiro found the courage to write about the traumatic events in her life, but I thought the result was a compelling story.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a heartfelt memoir that left an impression, November 22, 2004

By 

Margaux Paschke - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slow Motion (Harvest Book) (Paperback)

I was impressed with this autobiography on one hand and a little disappointed on the other. However, the disappointment was due to the writer's skill in vividly portraying a time in her life that left this reader wanting more. Although I agree with another reviewer who felt there were holes in the recounting of her life, who could reveal every little nook and cranny of their life? especially; when it concerns the subject matter at hand. I believe subsequent books by this author deal with her life in even more detail (Family History).

This book tells the story of a young woman who lost her way early in life. Her whole self image is caught up in her looks (through no fault of her own) and since there seems to be no consequences to any of the bad choices made once she enters college, her life spirals downward fast. She ends up having an adulterous affair with the stepfather of her closest friend, drinks heavily, and has a mega cocaine habit. As she withdraws into the four walls of the cage of her own making, Dani Shapiro's withdrawal from the real world shatters when she receives the phone call telling her that her parents have been in a terrible car accident. This part of her life is even more emotional as we view the family dynamics. We find out more about her life growing up and what her father and mother were like as parents and as people.

Her whole story was fascinating and hard to put down. One thread really stuck one for me: Dani and Jess (her best friend in college) relationship. They become estranged when Jess finds out (from her stepfather) that Dani has gone out with her stepfather. Dani apologizes and confesses that all they've done is kiss and she was repulsed by it. She promises she won't ever see him again and they become close friends once again. Then Jess invites Dani to her birthday party at her house. Dani refuses telling her that she doesn't want to run into her stepfather but when Jess assures her he will not be there, Dani agrees to go. The stepfather is waiting there to greet her and Jess avoids her for most of the party except to give her a look which Dani can't interpret. Of course Dani ends up having an affair with the stepfather and years later, after it has ended, Dani runs into Jess who calls her a "whore". They talk and Dani tries to mend fences but too much has happened. Dani asks a question that has haunted her - why did Jess invite her to the birthday party? Why was she set-up? Jess replies that it's too complicated and that Dani should consider herself lucky that she's gotten rid of the stepfather since Jess never can...... This was an emotional moment that never really answered any questions but instead, only raised new ones. Was Jess motivated purely by self-interest? Was the expensive sports car Jess received a reward for getting Dani to attend the party? Or was it darker still and the stepfather had a relationship with Jess too? My mind raced through numerous possibilities and never knowing the answer made the story all the more real for this reader.

Sharp and poignant writing made this story well worth reading. Dani Shapiro shares a very painful period in her life and even though she didn't give everything away on these pages (and who would?), she gave enough to make me pause and reflect on my own life. She was brutally honest about herself and those around her and I commend her for this magnificent effort!

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting, literary read, November 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Slow Motion (Harvest Book) (Paperback)

I finished Slow Motion last night after not putting it down for two days. What a gorgeous and courageous book! This is the story of how a family falls apart, and of how a young woman finds herself in the midst of great trauma--really, about how trauma can shape us. I think Shapiro is an amazing writer. The language is spare and beautiful, but yet somehow everything is here. I loved this book, and would recommend it to every woman I know who has ever come out the other side of anything difficult--a relationship, a family tragedy. This is a book that can help and inspire.