Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Anna Quindlen is no longer the primary decision-maker. In Nanaville, she shares her experiences as a new grandmother and reflects on the way parenting is changing today.
...as always in her warmly candid nonfiction, Quindlen voices concerns and celebrates high points with sensitivity and insight ... Quindlen savors a shared book, a held hand, a child’s laugh, and a relationship built on mutual love and respect. This tender book should be required reading for grandparents everywhere.
...often amusing and sometimes poignant ... Don’t expect a tell-all, however. While Quindlen’s tone is often self-deprecating, most of the faults she bares, such as her 'dirty mouth,' are more like lovable quirks ... Nanaville serves up enough vivid anecdotes and fresh insights — about childhood, about parenthood, about grandparenthood and about life — to make for a gratifying read.
Quindlen sets the tone with a winning comment on the general consensus that grandchildren are 'the best' ... here she is, writing about this situation — with her son and daughter-in-law's blessing. While she's at it, she heaps effusive praise on them. I'm sure they're terrific, but in this context, her encomiums come across as uncomfortably ingratiating ... Quindlen's wonder at seeing her eldest child grow into his new role is lovely and moving ... The best parts of Nanaville are the charming vignettes of Quindlen's solo time with her grandson.
