What makes The Beauty of Dusk far more remarkable than one man’s triumph over life’s cruelties is how Bruni persevered through the difficulties: by seeking the counsel of others who had suffered physical losses. This isn’t the sad story of a man who lost his sight; it is the generous narrative of a student who sought wisdom when trials appeared in his life ... The volume curates an extraordinary collection of miniature profiles in courage and perseverance ... Bruni is indefatigable in his search for greater knowledge and acceptance of the random insults to his body. He refuses to back down from life’s demands and joys ... He relies on his writing weapons: He names the issues, asks the knotty questions, then writes toward the truths that the reader may need ... Bruni does not judge anyone’s decisions; rather, he grieves the losses and appreciates the grace.
Bruni helps us see how hardship might allow for a deeper understanding than a life 'untouched by significant turmoil' ... My favorite chapter in this book is the one about Bruni’s dog ... If I had one quibble with this moving and inspiring book, it’s that not everyone has the resources or the fortitude to confront a serious illness the way Bruni has. Still, I hope that his readers can discover through this memoir the inner strength to face their inevitable challenges, a renewed understanding of what others would say on their invisible sandwich boards, and a deeper well of compassion and kindness.
Bruni...includes graphic descriptions of the treatment...and philosophical discourses on what it means truly to see ... Some of Bruni's epiphanies are obvious: that the ambitious should occasionally interrupt their pursuit of power to appreciate the splendors all around is not an original insight. But this book is a welcome reminder, despite the inevitability of dusk in each person's life, of how 'enriching and beautiful that dusk can be' when one examines it closely.
Everywhere he perceives gratitude, optimism, hope, and courage in his interviewees, leading to a shift within himself to compassion and appreciation. The result is a book about vision loss that becomes testimony to human courage, a moving memoir that offers perspective, comfort, and hope.
Generous ... Bruni delves into the emotional, psychological, and social tolls of losing his eyesight, while musing on the experience of aging ... It’s a compassionate take on growing older that, when combined with sanguine insights on living with compromised vision, illustrates Bruni’s knack for writing about the unpredictable beauty of the human condition. Smartly mixing memoir and cultural criticism, this movingly speaks to an entire generation.
Some of his account of how he dealt with this infirmity is intriguing, and some feels like sentimental, self-help happy talk gone off the deep end ... An uneven but poignant, often wise look at how nearly everything bad that happens to us can actually be good. So cheer up.
