The Best Day The Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon (Hardcover)

by Donald Hall (Author) "JANE KENYON died of leukemia at 7:57 in the morning, April 22, 1995..." (more)
Key Phrases: plaid notebook, new marrow, pump class, New Hampshire, Ann Arbor, Eagle Pond (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"Jane Kenyon died of leukemia at 7:57 in the morning, April 22, 1995" is the first sentence of this unsparing and beautifully structured memoir. She was only 47, and the struggle was harrowing, but it followed 23 years of an extraordinarily happy marriage between poets, blissful despite the difference in their ages (19 years; she had been his student), and her illness and chronic clinical depression. Alternating with the meticulous account of the progress of Kenyon's disease are warm, joyful chapters as Hall recalls their time together. They lived quietly in a New Hampshire farmhouse that had been in Hall's family for generations, "the house of poetry, which was also the house of love and grief; the house of solitude and art; the house of Jane's depression and my cancers and Jane's leukemia." As increasingly famous poets, Hall and Kenyon traveled, on reading tours around America and abroad. Hall's impressions of China, Japan and especially India, which they both loved, make vivid reading. Also glowing are the portraits of friends, relatives and the caregivers who crowded into their lives. Hall wrote about Kenyon's illness and death in his 1998 book of poems, Without, but this heartfelt memoir should reach people who seldom read poetry and could be a natural for reading groups. Agent, Gerald McCauley. (May 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"An account of her illness, their life together, and the calming landscape of New England...a gem." USA Today

"A bright, wonderful book." --New York Observer

"A fearful and beautiful history." Boston Globe

"Elegantly and lovingly tells the story of their life together." --Christian Century

"Marriage, art, and illness are all treated with wisdom in Hall's account." New York Sun

"Haunting...The language is spare, clean, very readable." --Poetry

"[The Best Day the Worst Day] aims to show us the sacredness of the everyday, the magical qualities of the circle of life...Hall is such an evocative writer." --Book World The Washington Post

"[A] moving portrait of marriage." The Miami Herald

"Hall has turned his pain into art that can inspire and help others deal with loss." The Oregonian

"Hall portrays the creative, peaceful life [he and Jane Kenyon] carved out for themselves...A moving tribute, unsparingly honest." Kirkus Reviews

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 1, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0618478019 ISBN-13: 978-0618478019 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #638,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #13 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hall, Donald

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First Sentence:
JANE KENYON died of leukemia at 7:57 in the morning, April 22, 1995. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
plaid notebook, new marrow, pump class

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Hampshire, Ann Arbor, Eagle Pond, New London, New York, Days Inn, Alice Mattison, Jane Kenyon, Kris Doney, Spring Street, Mary Lyn, Peabody Home, Joyce Peseroff, Letha Mills, Liam Rector, United States, University of Michigan, Bill Moyers, Donald Hall, Galway Kinnell, Jane's Hickman, New Delhi, New Haven, South Danbury Christian Church, Alice Ling

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 21 books:

• Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall on page 24, and page 233
• New Hampshire: An Explorer's Guide (Explorer's guides) by Christina Tree on page 10, and page 209
• The Other Side by Deborah Manley on page 140
• The White Flower by Grace Livingston Hill on page 247
• New Poems by Elizabeth Hall on page 114

See all 21 books this book cites

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Jane Kenyon by John H. Timmerman

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews 5 star:  (10) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 25 of 25 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Memoir, August 26, 2005 By  Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       I read an excerpt from this book in a magazine not too long ago. I was so moved by it that I decided to read the entire book. I'm glad I did because it is a wonderful piece of writing. In this memoir, the poet Donald Hall tells of his relationship with the poet Jane Kenyon. In it, he tells of meeting her, marrying her, living with her (first in Michigan and then in New Hampshire) and, finally, losing her to leukemia. "The Best Day The Worst Day" comes from a chapter in the book where, after a day when Ms. Kenyon seems to be recovering and doing well, they receive the news that her cancer will be terminal. However, it is also an appropriate title for the book because Mr. Hall alternates beautiful chapters of the "healthy" parts of their relationship with more harrowing chapters describing Ms. Kenyon's progressing illness. This is not a memoir for the faint of heart. Though there are beautiful passages of love and joy and living together in a rustic farmhouse in New Hampshire, death runs through the entire book, not only because we already know Ms. Kenyon's ultimate fate but also because her death is not the only one. Both Ms. Kenyon's mother and Mr. Hall's mother are elderly and, trying to take care of them and their ultimate passing just before Ms. Kenyon's is a strong thread in the book. There is also Mr. Hall's own cancer which is diagnosed a few years before Ms. Kenyon's that overshadows events. Ironically, Mr. Hall's cancer was expected to be fatal and yet he has managed to survive. How he has done so is somewhat of a mystery. The avalanche of tragedy that Mr. Hall experiences has destroyed others. But Mr. Hall has managed not only to continue but also to produce this wonderful work. Perhaps only those who have suffered through cancer the way Mr. Hall has can fully appreciate this work. Certainly, it is difficult to get through it more than a few chapters at a time. In the end, however, the model of Mr. Hall's strength and perseverance are something I think any reader will appreciate. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this!, June 3, 2005 By  Ellen J. Goldberg (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    If you can handle reading a blow by blow description of a woman's losing battle with leukemia, don't miss this book. Donald Hall is a poet as was his wife Jane Kenyon. He has spent a lifetime mastering the economy of words to make each one count. His prose accomplishes the same thing....This memoir is breath-taking reading for its directness and beauty as it takes you through the graphic paces of a losing battle with leukemia against a background of exquisite love. I couldn't put down this book....and feel privileged to have chosen it without any prior recommendations. It is most unlikely that this will be a "best seller" because of its content....but if you appreciate fine writing and can handle this kind of content....you will be moved!!!!! 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars It breaks a poet's heart, February 15, 2006 By  Allison Wilkins "ToBmoonlight" (Lynchburg, VA) - See all my reviews I saw Donald Hall read at AWP almost a year ago and decided then that I had to have this book. I was moved to tears in the reading. I bought it and it took me a while to have the time to read it, and then a month and a half to read. It is not in anyway shape or form, easy to read. Not only is language dense and medical at points, but somehow each technical word is embedded in a love that is as strong 10 years after Jane Kenyon's death as I imagine it was at Hall and Kenyon's marriage 35 years ago. It a book that moves you to tears on almost every page. And not only is this written in tribute and memorial to a life of love, but it is a catalogue of life for popular and well respected poets. Writing habits, readings, trips, the things you write and do to have the money to write, the way that dedication is your life.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking, eloquent and real Although this is so overtly a chronicle of losing a loved one, about the horrors of cancer and its various treatments, it is also a very real picture of what makes a good and... Read more Published 6 months ago by Timothy J. Bazzett 5.0 out of 5 stars Most Intimate Memoir The Best Day the Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon This compeling memoir took me into the most intimate life of these two outstanding poets. Read more Published 11 months ago by Merle Hazard 5.0 out of 5 stars Best Day and Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyan Donald Hall's memoir of health and illness with his wife Jane Kenyon has stood in my mind years after I read this book. Read more Published 22 months ago by Maisy M. Chan 5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving memoir I thought this book was a wonderful, loving tribute to the author's wife. :) Published 22 months ago by B. Flatt 5.0 out of 5 stars "the company of tears" I recently finished reading Jane Kenyon's collected poems which left me missing her and wanting more. Read more Published on January 5, 2007 by Myfanwy Collins 4.0 out of 5 stars "The Utter Darkness He Desired" Hall lifts off the ornate cover of his 27 year marriage to the poet Jane Kenyon, once his student at Michigan, to reveal some down home truths about her personality. Read more Published on December 5, 2005 by Kevin Killian 4.0 out of 5 stars A hard read...very emotional I actually bought this book as a gift to a freind who was in the a similar situation but she was the one with cancer. Read more Published on September 20, 2005 by Elizabeth R. Bunce 5.0 out of 5 stars love story This is a beautiful sad poem of a book about two special people who share a life made richer through the creation of magnificently eternal wordscapes. Published on July 24, 2005 by Gunther Purdue 5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo, Mr. Hall! I can say no more than Ellen's fine review. Don Hall has outdone himself here. What he started in 1952 with his pamphlet of poems to this masterpiece has not been equalled in U. Read more Published on June 8, 2005 by J. Kelleher Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618478019
• ISBN-13: 978-0618478019
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #638,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #13 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hall, Donald

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Memoir, August 26, 2005

By	Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I read an excerpt from this book in a magazine not too long ago. I was so moved by it that I decided to read the entire book. I'm glad I did because it is a wonderful piece of writing.

In this memoir, the poet Donald Hall tells of his relationship with the poet Jane Kenyon. In it, he tells of meeting her, marrying her, living with her (first in Michigan and then in New Hampshire) and, finally, losing her to leukemia. "The Best Day The Worst Day" comes from a chapter in the book where, after a day when Ms. Kenyon seems to be recovering and doing well, they receive the news that her cancer will be terminal. However, it is also an appropriate title for the book because Mr. Hall alternates beautiful chapters of the "healthy" parts of their relationship with more harrowing chapters describing Ms. Kenyon's progressing illness.

This is not a memoir for the faint of heart. Though there are beautiful passages of love and joy and living together in a rustic farmhouse in New Hampshire, death runs through the entire book, not only because we already know Ms. Kenyon's ultimate fate but also because her death is not the only one. Both Ms. Kenyon's mother and Mr. Hall's mother are elderly and, trying to take care of them and their ultimate passing just before Ms. Kenyon's is a strong thread in the book. There is also Mr. Hall's own cancer which is diagnosed a few years before Ms. Kenyon's that overshadows events. Ironically, Mr. Hall's cancer was expected to be fatal and yet he has managed to survive.

How he has done so is somewhat of a mystery. The avalanche of tragedy that Mr. Hall experiences has destroyed others. But Mr. Hall has managed not only to continue but also to produce this wonderful work. Perhaps only those who have suffered through cancer the way Mr. Hall has can fully appreciate this work. Certainly, it is difficult to get through it more than a few chapters at a time. In the end, however, the model of Mr. Hall's strength and perseverance are something I think any reader will appreciate.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this!, June 3, 2005

By	Ellen J. Goldberg (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you can handle reading a blow by blow description of a woman's losing battle with leukemia, don't miss this book. Donald Hall is a poet as was his wife Jane Kenyon. He has spent a lifetime mastering the economy of words to make each one count. His prose accomplishes the same thing....This memoir is breath-taking reading for its directness and beauty as it takes you through the graphic paces of a losing battle with leukemia against a background of exquisite love. I couldn't put down this book....and feel privileged to have chosen it without any prior recommendations. It is most unlikely that this will be a "best seller" because of its content....but if you appreciate fine writing and can handle this kind of content....you will be moved!!!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It breaks a poet's heart, February 15, 2006

By	Allison Wilkins "ToBmoonlight" (Lynchburg, VA) - See all my reviews

I saw Donald Hall read at AWP almost a year ago and decided then that I had to have this book. I was moved to tears in the reading. I bought it and it took me a while to have the time to read it, and then a month and a half to read. It is not in anyway shape or form, easy to read. Not only is language dense and medical at points, but somehow each technical word is embedded in a love that is as strong 10 years after Jane Kenyon's death as I imagine it was at Hall and Kenyon's marriage 35 years ago. It a book that moves you to tears on almost every page. And not only is this written in tribute and memorial to a life of love, but it is a catalogue of life for popular and well respected poets. Writing habits, readings, trips, the things you write and do to have the money to write, the way that dedication is your life.