Looking Back

Starred review from October 26, 1998
Lowry (The Giver; Number the Stars) deftly dances between humorous and heartbreaking with this ingenious memoir. Unlike most autobiographies, this one forgoes a linear chronology in favor of a more inventive thematic organization. Lowry introduces each section with an excerpt from one of her novels, followed by one or more anecdotes--each inspired by a photograph of herself or her family. "Reaching Across," for example, features a photo of Lowry and her older sister, Helen, and offers insight into their closely knit relationship; the pair are the models for the exuberant younger and practical elder sisters who appear again and again in Lowry's fiction. Three chapters ("Dogs," "More Dogs" plus "And Dogs One More Time") explain why canines repeatedly show up in her books. In addition to recurring themes, Lowry cites examples of a single, powerful image that becomes a central idea in a novel. In "Bonds," for instance, a quote from The Giver introduces an idyllic picture of Lowry's daughter lying on the back of a horse in the Maine summer sun reading a book. Lowry, the daughter of an itinerant army major, then describes her wish to give her children the things she never had, "a house that was always ours, books that were always there to be read again and again, and pets that followed you home and were allowed to stay." Lowry tenderly relates the recent death of her eldest son Grey in "Sadness," alongside photographs of him with his wife and little girl, and demonstrates how families in fiction and in fact keep their loved ones alive by telling their stories. The unorthodox structure allows Lowry to take creative license to great effect: at critical junctures, she pairs pictures of her mother and herself at the same age and imagines what they might have said to each other at that stage of life. In one such vignette, Lowry recalls that she lost Grey within two years of the age at which her mother lost her daughter Helen (Lowry was 58, her mother was 56) and imagines a conversation between them, and how they might have comforted each other. Lowry unfolds her history in a glorious arc, invisibly threading its parts into a unified whole. Her connection of the everyday details of her life to the larger scope of her work adds a new dimension to her novels and may well encourage readers to speak and write honestly about their own experiences. A compelling and inspirational portrait of the author emerges from these vivid snapshots of life's joyful, sad and surprising moments. All ages.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
In an updated edition of her photographic memoir originally published in 1998, Lowry offers reflections on life, work, and literature."Why do you and I have to hold these memories?" Jonas asks in The Giver (1993). "It gives us wisdom," The Giver answers. As Alice Hoffman writes in a new introduction to this edition, "This charming volume," like The Giver, "is also about memory." Like the original, this engaging and accessible collection of memories is a scrapbook of family photographs, the prose serving as captions--short and long--to fill in the stories behind the pictures. "More!" Lowry's children and grandchildren would say when she finished a read-aloud book. "More!" she would say upon closing a favorite. And "More!" is a theme here, too, with new chapters about her children, grandchildren, losses, goodbyes, honors, and surprises. There's even a chapter on the making of the movie version of The Giver. Though more is not always better, it is here, making this volume even better than the original--fuller and wiser in its Giver-like understanding of the role of memory and of literature in our lives. A new cover photograph, smaller trim size, and sharper black-and-white photographs contribute to a handsome volume that ought to find a new generation of readers. Timeless and wise. (Memoir. 10 & up)

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March 6, 2000
Introducing each section of this memoir with an excerpt from one of her novels, the author "unfolds her history in a glorious arc, invisibly threading its parts into a unified whole. Her connection of the everyday details of her life to the larger scope of her work adds a new dimension to her novels," said PW in a boxed review. All ages.

July 1, 2016
Lowry's photo-autobiography is here updated with a new novel-like trim size, additional family photos and anecdotes, and an introduction by Alice Hoffman. Throughout, Lowry's winning combination of personal anecdotes--from laugh-out-loud incidents to family tragedies--and beautifully selected photographs and apt quotes from the author's body of work makes this one to be remembered.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 1998
Gr 5 Up-Imagine sitting on a sofa with a friend and listening with fascination while she tells you about the pictures in her photo album. That is the feeling one has when browsing through this book of Lowry's family snapshots and reading her lively commentary on them. Readers will chuckle as they hear the tale of the frozen rat she attempted to revive by heating it in the oven and will smile knowingly at the unhappy look on her face when she was forced to wear lederhosen her mother brought home from Europe. The author's voice comes through strongly as she shares both her happiest and saddest times. Though the organization is somewhat chronological, many photos are loosely grouped by topic-"War," "Adolescence," "Opening a Trunk" and so forth-which allows her to make connections between people and events. She introduces each photo, or group, with a quotation from one of her books, making a connection between an event in her life and its fictional counterpart. In The Giver (Houghton, 1993), Lowry writes about the importance of memory, and here, she shows her readers the important role it plays in her own life-how she has used her memories in her work, how they have helped her get through difficult times, and how they enrich and connect us. Much more intimate and personal than many traditional memoirs, this work makes readers feel that Lowry is an old friend.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA

January 1, 1999
Lowry's autobiography has a snapshot quality as it leapfrogs through time, recalling childhood memories as well as experiences from the author's adulthood. Black-and-white photographs, taken at various stages of Lowry's life, are accompanied by a succinct, thoughtful text that often makes subtle connections with her published works.

(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 1998
Gr. 4^-8. This unusual book contains photographs from Lowry's past and her reflections on them. In the introduction, she suggests that the book will answer readers who ask, "How do you get ideas?" Toward that end, every section begins with a quotation from one of Lowry's books that relates in some way to the subject of the photo. Think of yourself sitting down with Lowry and looking through her albums while she stops and points at pictures of herself as a child and a teenager, photos of her parents and siblings and, then, more recent pictures of her children and grandchildren. Each picture evokes a memory that is a paragraph to a couple of pages long. Readers who remember the deftly portrayed family relationships in Lowry's novels will be fascinated by pictures of Lowry, her older sister, and her younger brother, as well as the often amusing tales of their youth. The mood is not always light, though, and few will be unmoved by Lowry's reflections on her son Grey's death in 1995. The only downside to the book is the thought of hundreds of other writers poring over their photo albums in hopes of a similar publication. Only a writer with Lowry's blend of humor, detachment, and storytelling ability could make the form work. And perhaps it will work only for readers who love her novels. Even so, that means a large potential audience. ((Reviewed November 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)