A memoir by Richard Brautigan's daughter offers a poignant look into life with her father and her process of coming to terms with his suicide. The book is interspersed with photos that vividly showcase Brautigan's inner turmoil. It comes as no shock to discover that he battled depression and alcoholism throughout his adult life. However, what is truly astonishing is the fact that he was able to have a highly productive career as both a novelist and a poet. Ianthe's pursuit of getting to know her father better is noble and is exquisitely conveyed in the memoir. Her account provides readers with a deeper understanding of Brautigan, not just as a literary figure but as a complex human being. Through her words, we are able to witness the love, pain, and confusion that came with being Brautigan's daughter. It is a powerful and moving story that will stay with readers long after they have finished the book.

A lovely book can truly be a magical thing.

It has the power to transport us to different worlds, introduce us to fascinating characters, and evoke a wide range of emotions.

Whether it's a thrilling adventure, a heartwarming romance, or a thought-provoking non-fiction piece, a lovely book has the ability to engage our minds and capture our imaginations.

The words on the pages seem to come alive, painting vivid pictures in our minds and making us feel as if we are right there in the story.

We can lose ourselves in its pages for hours on end, forgetting about the outside world and all of its troubles.

A lovely book is not just a collection of words; it's a treasure trove of knowledge, inspiration, and entertainment.

It can be a source of comfort in times of sadness, a source of excitement in times of boredom, and a source of wisdom in times of confusion.

So, the next time you pick up a lovely book, take a moment to appreciate the beauty and wonder that lies within its covers.

Let it carry you away on a journey that you'll never forget.

If you’re interested in Richard Brautigan’s life, this book by his daughter is an alternative to reading a stuffy biography.

It offers a unique perspective that only a family member could provide. Instead of the dry facts and figures that often充斥着 traditional biographies, this book is filled with personal anecdotes and memories.

You’ll get to know Brautigan not just as a writer, but as a father, a friend, and a human being. The author’s insights into her father’s life and work are both fascinating and revealing.

She shares stories about his creative process, his relationships with others, and the events that shaped his life. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of Brautigan’s work or simply curious about his life, this book is well worth reading.

It provides a fresh and engaging look at one of the most interesting and influential writers of the 20th century.

Ianthe was truly a remarkable individual. She had inherited her father's grace and subtlety, which was quite evident in her writing.

For any fan of Brautigan, this book is an absolute must-read. As Ianthe recounts her childhood memories, one can't help but be drawn into her world.

However, the book also delves into the painful topic of her father's suicide. It is a poignant and heart-wrenching account as she processes this tragic event.

Despite the sadness that pervades the story, there is also a certain beauty to it. Ianthe's writing is so evocative that it allows the reader to experience her emotions along with her.

Overall, this is a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. xo b

Heart breakingly beautiful.

This simple phrase holds a world of emotions and imagery. It describes something that is so beautiful that it almost hurts. It could be a sunset that takes your breath away, a piece of music that makes your heart ache, or a love that is so intense that it leaves you in pieces.

The beauty is bittersweet, filled with a sense of longing and loss. It makes you feel alive and yet, at the same time, it makes you want to cry. It is a beauty that you can't forget, no matter how hard you try.

Heart breakingly beautiful things have a way of touching our souls and leaving an indelible mark. They make us realize that life is full of both joy and pain, and that sometimes, the most beautiful things come at a great cost.

So, the next time you encounter something that is heart breakingly beautiful, don't be afraid to let it in. Let it touch your heart and soul, and let it change you forever.

Ianthe Brautigan's memoir of her dad is truly a remarkable piece of work that is well worth reading if you have the slightest urge to do so. It connects on multiple levels, unfortunately.

Richard Brautigan's words, "Where did that kid go, Mother? I don't know, Father.... I don't see him anywhere. I guess he's gone. Maybe he went home," add a poignant touch to the memoir.

The title, "So the Wind Won't Blow It All Away," seems to hint at the fragility and transience of memories and relationships.

Ianthe's account likely delves into the complex emotions and experiences she had with her father, offering a unique perspective on their connection.

Reading this memoir may allow readers to gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and the power of family ties.

It is a story that will resonate with many, touching on themes of loss, longing, and the search for meaning.

Overall, Ianthe Brautigan's memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the intricacies of family and the impact of a parent's presence or absence.

Richard Brautigan truly shattered my preconceived notions about literature. During my sophomore and junior years in high school, I was completely enamored with the beatniks and longed to have been a part of their crowd. It wasn't Kerouac, Ginsberg, or Ferlinghetti (even though I loved visiting City Lights and strolling through North Beach) that I held in the highest regard; it was Brautigan.

Consequently, Iantha Brautigan's book was an absolute must-read for me. I greatly admire the fact that she wrote the book for herself and not for fans like me. This approach guaranteed a personal and honest outcome, enabling the public to catch a glimpse of the family dynamics, the idiosyncrasies, and the overall path of Brautigan's life.

Of course, I still yearn to know more, just as the author does. By the conclusion, I neither pity nor envy Iantha, but I do applaud her for penning what must have been an extremely difficult book to write and share. It takes great courage and authenticity to open up one's life in such a profound way, and Iantha Brautigan has done just that.

I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in knowing Brautigan a little better.

His daughter is an excellent writer herself, and this book is her attempt to come to terms with his suicide. It is not only a personal exploration but also a beautiful homage to fathers in general. The inclusion of family photos makes it even more touching, adding a visual dimension to the narrative.

She also references many of Brautigan's writer friends such as Robert Creeley, Tom McGuane, and Jim Harrison. Additionally, she mentions actors and directors like Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, and Hal Ashby. Hal Ashby, in particular, is known for his work on Harold and Maude and Being There, and he almost filmed Brautigan's The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western.

This book offers a unique perspective on Brautigan's life and work, as well as insights into the creative community he was a part of. It is a must-read for fans of Brautigan and those interested in the intersection of literature and film.

I had read most of Dream Catcher - which was written by Salinger's daughter, Margaret - a year or two before.

So, when I accidentally came across this book, I seized the opportunity. I have to admit that I truly relished it.

It is rather melancholy because Brautigan committed suicide and here is his daughter, who was only nine years old when he passed away, attempting to establish a connection with him.

The chapters are extremely short and it is not difficult to observe that she is his daughter.

Her writing style and the way she presents her thoughts and memories seem to carry the essence of her father.

It is a touching and poignant account of a daughter's longing for her father, even after his death.

Overall, I found this book to be a beautiful and moving read.

Ianthe, the daughter of Richard, presents a memoir that delves into her life's journey. Growing up, she embarks on a search for answers and an understanding of her father's suicide. I have read a significant portion of Richard's work, starting from the early days in San Francisco during the 1970s and continuing in later years and different locations. In fact, as I mentioned in some of my reviews of his writings, I would sometimes ride the bus with him up Geary to law school. He was easily recognizable, and indeed, he was an integral part of my life in those early years. My (hippie) friends and I adored his writing.

Ianthe vividly captures her father's struggles and successes as she endeavors to understand herself. Her exploration of his background, which includes finally spending time with his mother, from whom he was completely estranged after being briefly institutionalized at 21, enables her to piece together some of the fragments of his and her life.

This memoir offers a thought-provoking personal reflection that invites readers to engage with Ianthe's emotional journey and gain insights into the complex relationship between a father and daughter.

A surprisingly “easy” read for such a bummer of a topic. You don’t have to enjoy Brautigan to appreciate his daughter's memories of him.

It's a collection of mostly 1-3 page dreamy memories of dad and life surrounded by death. The book takes you on a journey through her eyes, showing you the different aspects of her father and the world they lived in.

The title, “GOODBYE SKY HARBOR,” adds an air of mystery and finality to the whole experience. It makes you wonder what exactly happened at Sky Harbor and how it relates to her father and her memories.

Despite the heavy subject matter, the writing is light and engaging, making it a quick and enjoyable read. You'll find yourself getting lost in her memories and sympathizing with her emotions.

Overall, this is a unique and touching book that offers a different perspective on life, death, and family. It's definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something a little different to read.

You can’t catch death, or, more precisely, you can’t catch the desire to kill oneself. Ianthe Brautigan is concerned that she might or has after her father, the troubled, cult, beat novelist Richard Brautigan, took his own life. She writes this memoir as a process of coming to terms with it, healing, and accepting his death. However, we also witness the lingering effects on a daughter of her father’s struggle to live.

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? The sensitive disposition or the suicidal father? And where does the responsibility end? Does neglect and a traumatic childhood lead to neglect and bad parenting?

Fortunately, in this case, the answer is no. The book itself is evidence of the thought and awareness that Ianthe Brautigan gives to the fears and other destructive emotions that she has been left with after the neglect and emotional turmoil of her childhood. Her own daughter, Elizabeth, is frequently mentioned in the book, and we see implicitly how the author is both determined and successful (as far as she is able) not to pass on these effects.

At first, I was ready to lose faith in an author I love (her father), let him fall in my estimations, and allow my appreciation of his art to be tainted due to his flaws as a human. I was about to embark on a discussion about whether art and the morality/humanity of an artist are mutually exclusive or inherently linked (think Weinstein and whether any of his “works” could ever be objectively evaluated again).

But in my initial haste, I overlooked the fact that this is different. According to all accounts from his daughter, Richard Brautigan was an authentically troubled man. He committed no crime, he loved his daughter to the best of his ability, but yes, he neglected her. He reversed the traditional role of parent and child; he wasn’t the selfless parent she needed. Instead, it was his daughter who was worried about him, keeping him safe, and more importantly, trying to keep him alive.

Yet, through his daughter’s vignettes, we learn about his own childhood of malnourishment, neglect, witnessing the abuse of his mother, not truly knowing who his father was, and at the age of 21, being committed to a mental institution after throwing a stone at the window of a police station in the hope of being arrested and getting a regular meal. Here, he received 12 “treatments” of electric shock therapy and developed an aversion to electricity as a result.

So again, I ask - where does the responsibility end? Did he try hard enough? Does his own traumatic childhood excuse his shortcomings?

Ianthe holds nothing against her father. She loves him dearly and, to this day, still keeps his urn and ashes in a drawer of her house, reluctant to bury him and fully let him go. It can be inferred from her accounts that she is overly fearful and cautious, with an almost obsessive inability to let go, but also that she is an aware and reflective person who attends counseling and tries to be “better.”

As for me? Well, first and foremost, it’s none of my business, but I guess on a personal level, a little tainting of one of my favorite novelists has occurred. Ultimately (I believe), the burdens we bear must be or attempted to be overcome - must in the sense that if they are not, what quality of life are we providing for others and ourselves? Additionally, the teacher in me is sensitive to parents neglecting children. My stance is: if you can’t give everything, don’t have them.

A particularly poignant line in the book was this: “When my father did finally come back, I knew the truth: he couldn’t take care of me.”

No child should have to face this truth, yet it should also never be a reason to make your own child feel it either. Neglect breeding neglect is a vicious, dangerous cycle that we must avoid; it is probably at the heart of many of humanity’s problems - neglected children are certainly the hardest to teach and the lowest achievers.

That being said, I now want to read another of her father’s books; the added understanding of his circumstances in which he was creating novels will undoubtedly add further layers of meaning to them.

Finally, I want to talk about the end of the book, where Ianthe travels to meet her father’s mother - a mother he had little to do with after leaving at the age of 21. I found the meeting quite powerful in the sense that these two females, two direct relatives of a man who essentially gave up, seemed to shine with resilience. It powerfully illustrated the strength of womankind - both had or had had their own issues, but both were persevering. It makes me think that suicide seems to be a male thing. After a quick Google search, it seems that in both the UK and the US, men commit suicide three times more often than women. Wow - what an insight. In fact, apparently, women can also recover much quicker from exercise, even though men are generally faster and stronger. It seems that as a gender, we men must be tougher in our suffering and take an example from women and their strength.

Anyway, I digress. This is a great read, especially if you are a fan of Richard Brautigan. The insight it provides into his troubled genius is a welcome addition to his own great writing. I’m grateful for all that Ianthe Brautigan has shared with us and hope that the writing of this book has helped her to achieve some closure over the loss of her father.