---
product_id: 45782372
title: "The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays"
brand: "counterpoint"
price: "C$2381"
currency: NIO
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
category: "Book"
url: https://www.desertcart.ni/products/45782372-the-merry-recluse-a-life-in-essays
store_origin: NI
region: Nicaragua
---

# The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays

**Brand:** counterpoint
**Price:** C$2381
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays by counterpoint
- **How much does it cost?** C$2381 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ni](https://www.desertcart.ni/products/45782372-the-merry-recluse-a-life-in-essays)

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- counterpoint enthusiasts

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## Description

The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays

## Images

![The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Vg+OT3XML.jpg)
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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Read 'em and weep - and laugh - and remember a very talented writer
  

*by T***T on Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2010*

I've been reading the essays in this book off and on for a few months now and just finished them. Knapp's writing is, I hesitate to say it, but, well, it's addictive. I could never read "just one," because the essays are all so GOOD. Like potato chips, you might say, but whole-grain healthy, chips, if there is such a thing. There are things in here that are simply so funny that they could easily be adapted to stand-up comedy, stuff you might hear at The Improv, ya know? Knapp has that kind of pitch-perfect command of the language of real life, and the timing of the delivery is also just perfect. Except Caroline Knapp was, I have learned, an extremely shy person, plagued her whole life by various insecurities and addictive, even destructive, behavior patterns - things like alcoholism and anorexia, which she wrote about in her other books. I have only read one of her other books, the one about her dog, Pack of Two, which I literally devoured, it was such an exquisitely written memoir of what it means to to love a dog and be loved back. I am a collector of "dog books," and that one ranks up there with some of my favorites, like Ackerley's My Dog Tulip and Hal Borland's The Dog Who Came to Stay, or Merle's Door. If you are a dog person and have not yet read Knapp's Pack of Two, then run - don't walk - to your nearest book store and pick up a copy. You'll love it.Caroline Knapp's essays here will make you laugh, but they will also make you wince in empathy. But in the end you will probably be left feeling sad, because Knapp's writing voice has been forever stilled. She died of cancer in 2002. She was only 42. These essays do constitute a kind of record of her life though, so read 'em and weep - and laugh. And remember a wonderful writer.Knapp's close friend Gail Caldwell has recently published a memoir of their friendship. It's called Let's Take the Long Way Home. I haven't read that book yet, although I plan to. But I noticed that one of the Amazon reviewers complained that she didn't really feel Caldwell's book brought her to "know" Knapp very well. Well, if she really wants to "know" Caroline Knapp, then she should read this collection, The Merry Recluse. I recommend it highly. It is indeed, "A Life in Essays." I am so grateful that all these columns and other pieces were gathered together here. Terrific stuff! - Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    This is an incredibly well written, funny insightful book. A must read
  

*by C***R on Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2020*

I loved every observation. Witty and so intelligent. I wish I could have more and kept reading. One of a kind that is difficult to put down. A talented female writer with exceptional use of words in a perfect storytelling style.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    I Will Read This Again and Again
  

*by J***C on Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019*

Writings by an incredibly gifted woman.  Knapp’s observations of herself and others are a treat—hilariously funny and downright sad.  We lost this woman who speaks to the humanity in each of us way, way too soon.

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*Product available on Desertcart Nicaragua*
*Store origin: NI*
*Last updated: 2026-03-06*