Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
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Review
"Once in a while a book comes along that makes you laugh so much you think you'll choke. This is that book." --Viv Groskop, Observer
"Rhoda Janzen does for the memoir what Bill Bryson did for travel-writing: she takes a well-loved genre, turns it inside out with an endless parade of comedy and through her cheerful good humour makes you fall in love - both with her and her subject." --Judith Flanders, Sunday Telegraph
`Funny as hell. Once in a while a book comes along that makes you laugh so much you think you'll choke. This is that book' --Observer
`Rhoda Janzen does for the memoir what Bill Bryson did for travel-writing... A joy, a comfort and a great, pleasurable read' --Sunday Telegraph
`Screamingly funny... Cool, precise, profound' --Sunday Times
`Wonderfully intelligent and frank... I loved this book and Rhoda Janzen. A terrific, pithy, beautiful writer' --New York Times
`Not just beautiful and intelligent, but also painfully - even wincingly - funny... The most delightful memoir I've read in ages' --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
"Rhoda Janzen does for the memoir what Bill Bryson did for travel-writing: she takes a well-loved genre, turns it inside out with an endless parade of comedy and through her cheerful good humour makes you fall in love - both with her and her subject." --Judith Flanders, Sunday Telegraph
`Funny as hell. Once in a while a book comes along that makes you laugh so much you think you'll choke. This is that book' --Observer
`Rhoda Janzen does for the memoir what Bill Bryson did for travel-writing... A joy, a comfort and a great, pleasurable read' --Sunday Telegraph
`Screamingly funny... Cool, precise, profound' --Sunday Times
`Wonderfully intelligent and frank... I loved this book and Rhoda Janzen. A terrific, pithy, beautiful writer' --New York Times
`Not just beautiful and intelligent, but also painfully - even wincingly - funny... The most delightful memoir I've read in ages' --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
Product Description
Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her injured. Needing a place to rest and pick up the pieces of her life, Rhoda packed her bags, crossed the country, and returned to her Mennonite family's home, where she was welcomed back with open arms and weird advice. (Rhoda's good-natured mother suggested she get over her heartbreak by dating her first cousin he owned a tractor, see.) Written with wry humour and huge personality - and tackling faith, love, family, and aging - Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving and funny memoir, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not my usual thing but I'm a typical female reader who reads anything my Mum says is amazing- and she's always right!
Ten times better than Eat, Pray, Love here is the woman you would go to in times of need! Janzen is funny, thoughtful, optimistic, her story moves in ways you wouldn't expect with the frankness and laughter of a good friend. She's brave too, and her tale of looking into the past when confronting an unknown future after her marriage falls apart and she suffers great illness is genuinely inspiring. It makes for a nice easy read rather than one filled with loss and pain. Highly recommended- a lazy Sunday or long train journey kind of book.
Ten times better than Eat, Pray, Love here is the woman you would go to in times of need! Janzen is funny, thoughtful, optimistic, her story moves in ways you wouldn't expect with the frankness and laughter of a good friend. She's brave too, and her tale of looking into the past when confronting an unknown future after her marriage falls apart and she suffers great illness is genuinely inspiring. It makes for a nice easy read rather than one filled with loss and pain. Highly recommended- a lazy Sunday or long train journey kind of book.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
As an academic and a feminist, Rhoda Janzen's life is built around critical thinking and challenging received ideas. None of which explains how she ended up in an abusive marriage with a man who dumped her for Bob from gay.com.
When her misery is compounded by a car accident, Rhoda decides to take a sabbatical in the form of an extended visit to her parents and the strictly religious Mennonite community in which they live.
The result is a thoughtful and, at times, intensely funny reflection on the author's Mennonite upbringing and its lasting influence. This is no navel gazing exercise - Janzen is as interested in the lives of her mother's generation as her own. And, although she rejected God and the Mennonite worldview at an early age, she takes time to reflect on the experiences of those contemporaries who have remained in the Mennonite fold.
"My Little Black Mennonite Dress" isn't the tale of a miserable childhood,a polemic against religion or, despite the publicity, about someone returning to their roots. It is, however, a well-written, insightful memoir in which the author looks back on her life through eyes which have matured in middle-age to detect shades of grey where they once saw only black and white.
It's fair to say that The Mennonite and academic backgrounds to this book are distinctly American and some of the cultural references may be lost on many British readers. My other criticism is that the book seems to end in an abrupt and slightly unsatisfying way.
When her misery is compounded by a car accident, Rhoda decides to take a sabbatical in the form of an extended visit to her parents and the strictly religious Mennonite community in which they live.
The result is a thoughtful and, at times, intensely funny reflection on the author's Mennonite upbringing and its lasting influence. This is no navel gazing exercise - Janzen is as interested in the lives of her mother's generation as her own. And, although she rejected God and the Mennonite worldview at an early age, she takes time to reflect on the experiences of those contemporaries who have remained in the Mennonite fold.
"My Little Black Mennonite Dress" isn't the tale of a miserable childhood,a polemic against religion or, despite the publicity, about someone returning to their roots. It is, however, a well-written, insightful memoir in which the author looks back on her life through eyes which have matured in middle-age to detect shades of grey where they once saw only black and white.
It's fair to say that The Mennonite and academic backgrounds to this book are distinctly American and some of the cultural references may be lost on many British readers. My other criticism is that the book seems to end in an abrupt and slightly unsatisfying way.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Forty-something American/Canadian Rhoda Janzen has had a terrible time of it. Her wonderful, gorgeous husband has left her for for a guy called Bob who he met on Gay.com and her troubles multiply as, in the same week, she is hospitalized following a serious road accident. Incapacitated, she decides to return to the bosom of her Mennonite family to lick her wounds.
So far so good, I am fascinated by the lifestyle of faith groups such as the Amish and Mennonites and I was eagerly anticipating how Rhoda, a self-proclaimed "bad" Mennonite and 21st Century girl would fit back into this conservative Christian community. However....what I got instead was more like a marathon stint by a stand-up comedian - the "pee-bag" joke was funny the first time I read it but then it cropped up again, and again, and again.. Yes, it's good to be self-deprecating in a world which sometimes encourages us to wallow in self-pity but after a while it just becomes irksome and there's surely only so many custard pies you can throw in the face of quirky family and friends before the humour fizzles out.
I would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't been a book - odd to say in the midst of a book review, I know. Janzen tells us that friends encouraged her to write the book after receiving funny e-mails from her about her return to the Mennonite community. Indeed it is like a series of rambling e-mails except we don't have the benefit of dates to aid our navigation through the jumble of anecdotes which would have been much better suited to blog posts or a weekly newspaper column. Janzen jumps about through time and space at a pace which would give Captain Kirk a run for his money. I wanted to know more about how she felt, not hear another tale about her mother's flatulence! Oh and there's a potted history of Mennonites and a few recipes from her Mom tacked on at the end - something for all the family!
So far so good, I am fascinated by the lifestyle of faith groups such as the Amish and Mennonites and I was eagerly anticipating how Rhoda, a self-proclaimed "bad" Mennonite and 21st Century girl would fit back into this conservative Christian community. However....what I got instead was more like a marathon stint by a stand-up comedian - the "pee-bag" joke was funny the first time I read it but then it cropped up again, and again, and again.. Yes, it's good to be self-deprecating in a world which sometimes encourages us to wallow in self-pity but after a while it just becomes irksome and there's surely only so many custard pies you can throw in the face of quirky family and friends before the humour fizzles out.
I would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't been a book - odd to say in the midst of a book review, I know. Janzen tells us that friends encouraged her to write the book after receiving funny e-mails from her about her return to the Mennonite community. Indeed it is like a series of rambling e-mails except we don't have the benefit of dates to aid our navigation through the jumble of anecdotes which would have been much better suited to blog posts or a weekly newspaper column. Janzen jumps about through time and space at a pace which would give Captain Kirk a run for his money. I wanted to know more about how she felt, not hear another tale about her mother's flatulence! Oh and there's a potted history of Mennonites and a few recipes from her Mom tacked on at the end - something for all the family!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hard Going
I was initially drawn to this book as I find Amish, Mennonite ways of life fascinating. However, I just could not get into this book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Esso
Like the Curate's egg - good in parts
I started off quite enjoying this book, which initially seemed to be quirky but entertaining. However, for me the humour palled about a quarter way through and by the time I... Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. Urquhart
Funny & realistic
The author grew up in a Mennonite family & returns for a visit after the breakdown of her marriage. She tells of her trials in a very amusing way & brings to life her family... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Maria
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
I'll start by saying that I am a guy and this may not be seen as typically being a guy's book. However it is a real rib-tickler; very entertaining and instructive for someone who... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jeep Guy
Funny, warmhearted memoir
I suspect I'm not alone these days in associating mention of fundamentalist American Christians with accounts of sexual exploitation, emotional repression, intolerance and... Read more
Published 10 months ago by KalteStern
Inane Ramblings
I have read a quarter of this twaddle and am wondering when it is going to 'start' Badly written with no construction whatsoever I can't help wondering how on earth it ever got... Read more
Published 10 months ago by P. Kerr
A great, slick, funny read.
I'd recommed this book to anyone who needs a good dose of 'cheer me up' fiction. Written with an unmistakably American voice, it is full of laugh-out-loud and 'let me just read... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Self-help junkie
rebel from the Mennonites
The book is an enjoyable read, the writer having a good sense of humour. For the serious reader planning to look into the lives of the Mennonites, just a warning mild swearing does... Read more
Published 13 months ago by P. R. Pearson
Sometimes you can go home again
Having originally picked this up because I thought it would be about fashion I then couldn't put it down because it was so captivating. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lulu
Witty memoir
The author of this book, Rhoda Janzen, is an award-winning poet and college lecturer in English, and her love for language really shone through for me when I read this book (I did... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Melanie Pratt
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