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blog: Review of ‘Walking on Eggshells’

Andy Fersch
Vail CO, Colorado
Andy Fersch
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Every once in a while a book comes along that truly changes the readers’ perception of the world and challenges them to think deeply. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘Love In The Time Of Cholera’ is one. ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran is another. ‘Walking On Eggshells’ is not one of these books.

Based on the assumption that everyone has as bad a relationship with their families as she does, new author Jane Isay manages to pack a whole lot of nonsense into her 237 page book, nonsense which leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

Isay, who was an editor for years apparently thought that since she was around writers, she would be able to be one as well, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.



Eggshells deals with the “relationship between adult children and parents”, a specifically interesting topic to anyone who is at the stage in their life where they are examining their family life and trying to make sense of seemingly odd actions of parents or children as people grow up.

I say “researched” the topic by interviewing “nearly” 75 people, adult children and parents alike. And she has managed to convince herself that these interviews hold the answers to the intricate relationship families have. In reality, these interviews only seem to share one thing, that everyone she interviewed is obnoxious and doesn’t realize it.

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The family problems dealt with in the book range from in-laws to drinking, and there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable character in the bunch.

Overbearing parents, unappreciative children, you name it, these people ARE it. Isay neatly packages these horrorshows and tries to justify the actions on both sides, even when no one is doing the right thing.

and Instead of reading this book, I would wholeheartedly recommend spending a few hours with your family, talking to them, getting to know them. Isay talks little about the idea of gaining and giving mutual respect, which to me, seems the most obvious idea for families which are having these issues.

One thing is for certain, this book did give me a stronger appreciation for my own family, they may not be perfect, neither should the be, at least they aren’t any of these people though.

Contact Andy at onehundredyears@gmail.com.


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