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Two Women Walk into a Bar  By  cover art

Two Women Walk into a Bar

By: Cheryl Strayed
Narrated by: Cheryl Strayed
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Publisher's summary

Cheryl Strayed, the bestselling author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things, finds humor and connection in a poignant short memoir about love, family secrets, and reconciliation.

Twenty-one years after Cheryl Strayed set off on the Pacific Crest Trail to heal from the death of her beloved mother, Cheryl’s mother-in-law, Joan, is given weeks to live. As she and her husband help see Joan through her final days, Cheryl reckons with their complicated relationship, determined to connect with a woman who both showed her love and (sometimes hilariously) held her at a distance. Cheryl reflects on their two decades together as she comes to a deeper understanding of the secrets and sorrows in Joan’s complicated past. At Joan’s bedside, it’s time to contemplate the challenges they’ve faced, to accept their differences, and to find some healing in goodbye.

©2024 Cheryl Strayed. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Author Cheryl Strayed traces her emotions in both the text and narration of her short memoir, which revolves around the death of her mother-in-law, Joan.… She covers a lot of ground in this short essay, both in feelings and time, as she writes of Joan's final days.… Strayed describes emotional distances and intimacies, and, most important, the healing that comes in final farewells.”AudioFile Magazine

What listeners say about Two Women Walk into a Bar

Average customer ratings
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Wow!

Such a beautiful way to honor the complexities of love and relationships. I hope to have these kinds of conversations with family.

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Writing style and authenticity

I have been a fan of Cheryl for a while. I love her writing style. In this essay, she shares about her relationship with her mother-in-law in a meaningful and authentic way.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Compassionate handling of death of a mother-in-law.

I liked hearing mild outrage change to laughter and understanding. I love Cheryl Strayed’s writing.

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    4 out of 5 stars

I’m so glad the author read this!

I love Cheryl Strayed and hearing her tell this story in her own voice added depth and dimension. Having been through this with my own parents, I appreciated her account of the transformations that can occur at these times. Thank you Cheryl!!

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Relatable

I resonated with so many thoughts and observations in this story about a woman’s relationship with her mother-in-law. Worthwhile read,

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Joan’s character - to know her is to wish you didn’t!

Wonderful character development. I would have had a very difficult time with Joan. She was very closed and seemed to have no self-awareness and no desire to become self-aware.
For these reasons, I would have disliked Joan, despite knowing how hard her life was.
But Cheryl somehow made peace with her and came to care deeply about her. That amazed me.
Very fine story.

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sweet family story

quick listen yet deep feeling about the relationship between a mother in law and daughter.

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Good

I like when she reads her own work. I am going to look for more of her short works.

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Enjoyable short story

This story was well written and very enjoyable! You got enough details to get a full picture of the women in this story.

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A nice rumination on life

This was a lovely story about the end of her mother in laws life, and her relationship with her. As always, comfort and connection is delivered through great story telling.

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