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Land of Enchantment
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
24 posts | 10 read | 36 to read
Set against the stark and surreal landscape of New Mexico, "Land of Enchantment" is a coming-of-age memoir about young love, obsession, and loss, and how a person can imprint a place in your mind forever. When Leigh Stein received a call from an unknown number in July 2011, she let it go to voice mail, assuming it would be her ex-boyfriend Jason. Instead, the call was from his brother: Jason had been killed in a motorcycle accident. He was twenty-three years old. She had seen him alive just a few weeks earlier. Leigh first met Jason at an audition for a tragic play. He was nineteen and troubled and intensely magnetic, a dead ringer for James Dean. Leigh was twenty-two and living at home with her parents, trying to figure out what to do with her young adult life. Within months, they had fallen in love and moved to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, a place neither of them had ever been. But what was supposed to be a romantic adventure quickly turned sinister, as Jason s behavior went from playful and spontaneous to controlling and erratic, eventually escalating to violence. Now New Mexico was marked by isolation and the anxiety of how to leave a man she both loved and feared. Even once Leigh moved on to New York, throwing herself into her work, Jason and their time together haunted her."Land of Enchantment" lyrically explores the heartbreaking complexity of why the person hurting you the most can be impossible to leave.. With searing honesty and cutting humor, Leigh wrestles with what made her fall in love with someone so destructive and how to grieve a man who wasn t always good to her."
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review
MEGR
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

Wonderful read. In just two short days this book really got under my skin. I recommend it to any woman, mother, daughter, or friend.

9 likes1 stack add
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MEGR
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Back to biographies.... 👓 i picked it because I love the cover 💖❤️

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Reviewsbylola
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

My first full book read for #24in48. This is a brief but searing memoir about a toxic relationship and how it can be so difficult to break away from something/someone that is poisonous to you. Leigh is an introspective young woman that finds herself swept away by bad boy Jason. He dies suddenly a few years later and Leigh is left reeling, trying to make sense of the first man she loved.

emilyhaldi Sounds depressing 😨 7y
Cinfhen Sounds really sad 😔 7y
L_auren Stacked!! Sounds like my kinda book 7y
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraBB Sounds good. Do you recommend it? 7y
Reviewsbylola Yes, I really enjoyed it and think it‘s very relatable even for someone who hasn‘t experienced an abusive relationship. @barbarabb 7y
BarbaraBB Thanks! I‘ll stack! 7y
Mdargusch Hmmmm 🤔 7y
99 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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Reviewsbylola
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Getting some #24in48 reading in with my two companions. ❤️ They sure seem comfortable. 😂

Cinfhen Sweet❣️❣️❣️❣️ 7y
MicheleinPhilly Gertrude seems to be settling in nicely. ☺️ 7y
LauraBeth Sweet pic 💕 7y
See All 14 Comments
RealLifeReading Aww lovely! 7y
Simona Especially the one on right side looks veeery comfortable ❤️ 7y
emilyhaldi 💕 7y
emilyhaldi Where‘s the hot chocolate monster?? 😆👹 7y
Reviewsbylola She is sitting at my kitchen table right now melting her ice in her “hot” chocolate. 🙄🙄 @emilyhaldi 7y
emilyhaldi Omg she really is?! I hope it‘s not as painful as yesterday‘s hot chocolate! 😫 7y
BookMaven407 😍such a sweet picture! 7y
Mdargusch ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
Megabooks Sweet!! 7y
minkyb Priceless! 7y
125 likes14 comments
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8little_paws
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

I thought this was very good. It's about how, as a young woman in her early 20s, the author had difficulties with her mental illness and self esteem and became wrapped up in an abusive relationship with a guy she idolized. Who says young people can't write an insightful memoir? I really enjoyed it on audio, didn't want to turn it off.

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8little_paws
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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I don't know what's wrong with my brain today but I've had no patience for sitting and reading. So I've put a good dent in this compelling memoir about a young woman's early 20s as she deals with mental health struggles and an awful boyfriend. She's a good writer and proves the old saying wrong, that young people can't write memoirs.

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AmandaV
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
Mehso-so

I started off feeling like I could really empathize with Leigh having been in a relationship similar to hers and Jason's. As the book goes on, I started to get a little annoyed at Leigh letting herself be a doormat and obsessing about Jason for years after their breakup.This was compounded by her struggle with depression. In the end Leigh does get control of her depression and self esteem issues and grows into a woman comfortable in her own skin.

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AmandaV
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Without any photos of us..... It was as if we never existed. Liz wrote back "the no pics thing is sad, but I think it speaks to your closeness to him. That's the way it goes with the people who are the closest or most comfy together. You never have pictures together because you see each other all the time. It's like somebody having pictures of Niagara Falls but none of their hometown. Niagara is a one time attraction. Home is home."

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AmandaV
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Just started this audiobook, heard a lot of good reviews on it. Bonus: it's narrated by Jorjena Marie who is becoming one of my favorite narrators! #audiobooks #hoopla

3 likes1 stack add
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lisan.abq
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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"For a long time I only saw two possible endings to our story: either Jason had to die or we had to get married." I'm not liking this book, but I do relate to the above paragraph, especially the first line.

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catieohjoy
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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#augustfaves

Yaa Gyasi is an extraordinary writer, and Homegoing one of the most ambitious AND successful novels I've ever read, spanning a couple centuries and 9 generations. 100% worth the hype!

Land of Enchantment is a beautifully written (and flawlessly structured) memoir dealing with mental illness, relationship violence, and loss. Memoirs aren't often page-turners for me, but this one had me gripped from the beginning.

#somethingforsept

catieohjoy Plus, just look at those gorgeous covers! 😍📚 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Thanks for heads up on this - memoirs are fast becoming my favorite genre. 8y
Notafraidofwords I can't wait to read Land of Enchantment ! 8y
46 likes3 comments
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catieohjoy
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Additional stats: out of the 12 books I read this month (in whole or in part), 100% were written by women and 33% by POC. Fiction: 10. Nonfiction: 2 (both memoirs). 👓📚❤️

45 likes3 comments
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SarahEvonne
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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"...home alone, I was obsessed with my memorizing torch songs, laments for the unrequited love of a brute..."

MrBook I like that #pairing! 😎👍🏻👌🏻 8y
3 likes1 comment
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catieohjoy
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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I can't think of any books I've read/loved that are about music or musicians, so here are two wonderful books and the album I listened to while reading them. I like to listen to music while reading, but I can only stay focused if I know the music well, so I choose one album and listen to it on repeat. This is my favorite new record this year, so it was a pleasure to listen to it dozens of times, plus it's thematically appropriate for both books!

35 likes1 comment
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catieohjoy
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

A beautiful piece of writing. This memoir centers on Leigh Stein's troubled relationship with Jason, the boyfriend with whom she moves to New Mexico in her early twenties, along with the years after their breakup/his eventual death. One of the best explorations of early-to-mid-aughts teenage-girlhood (LiveJournal was really, really important) and mental illness that I've ever read. The best memoir I've read this year, by far. Read this book. 5/5⭐️

39 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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catieohjoy
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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"We didn't realize the name for what we all wanted so badly was power; the closest we could get was attention, standing outside in the middle of the night unsupervised, lifting our shirts up to flash our small breasts to streetlights, screaming the words we weren't allowed to say in daylight."
I'm on page 13 and already 100% in love with this memoir.

26 likes3 stack adds
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Lupita.Reads
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

"There is an endless supply of these books. You could never read all of them in your lifetime."

Land of Enchantment by Leigh Stein is a fascinating memoir about the struggles of mental illness and the importance of putting a name to domestic violence when it happens to you.

BookishMarginalia I'm rather mesmerized by the cover 😊 8y
LA_Mead Very pretty cover! 8y
ErinBecker Wow! Gorgeous cover 8y
kbuggle Dreamy cover indeed 😍 8y
78 likes10 stack adds4 comments
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Lupita.Reads
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
Pickpick

"There is an endless supply of these books. You could never read all of them in your lifetime."

Land of Enchantment by Leigh Stein is a fascinating memoir about the struggles of mental illness and the importance of putting a name to domestic violence when it happens to you.

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Lupita.Reads
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Spending the week in Savannah, Georgia and I am not mad one bit about how this hotel's lobby is full of books! Anyone have any great recommendations for hotels that love book lovers?! #Kimpton #TheBrice #Booklovers #Paradise

GinaAnderson Kimptons are great little hotels! 8y
LeahBergen Wow!! ❤️ 8y
Melkyl That looks like my kind of hotel 😊 8y
See All 18 Comments
MrsV I will definitely need to remember this hotel, if/when I go to Savannah. 8y
Anneblythe Lovely shelf! 💕💕💕 8y
MrBook Love this! 8y
Darthdad So cool 8y
HurstCommaMark The Brice is amazing! 8y
[DELETED] 3558467437 I wish there was a drooling emoji. 💜 it! 8y
angrylilasian Oooooo!! 8y
mcctrish That is a lot of white and black spines 8y
Rabbitandraven Not a hotel recommendation, but if the Gryffon Tea Room isn't on your Savannah list yet: it's a gorgeous former-pharmacy-turned-library-themed cafe that is a lot of fun. 8y
Rabbitandraven Make that Gryphon Tea Room 8y
Lupita.Reads @GinaAnderson totally agree! Anywhere I go I try and stay at a Kimpton! 8y
Lupita.Reads @Rabbitandraven this book lover thanks you!!! Adding it to my list and can't wait to go! I'll make sure to take plenty of pictures. 8y
Lupita.Reads @Coleen that one has been on my list for a long time! I am thinking definitely this year for my birthday. Thanks so much! 8y
114 likes2 stack adds18 comments
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catieohjoy
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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A little mid-week #bookhaul! I'd completely forgotten that I preordered Land of Enchantment after reading Stein's wonderful NYT Book Review essay, "Millennial Days" (a defense of young, especially young female, memoirists—I'll leave the link in the comments below!). Very excited to read her memoir!

kspenmoll Thanks for link to essay! 8y
catieohjoy @kspenmoll You're welcome! I hope you enjoy(ed) it. 😃 8y
34 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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RebeccaH
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Up next.

BookishClaire I'm Facebook friends with the author so will probably buy it but I'm a bit scared of the content... 8y
25 likes1 comment
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Demanda
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

Y'all this book is so tough to get through. The writing is beautiful, but the toxic relationship it describes... Let's just say it hit a little too close to home.

Reviewsbylola Wow, this sounds like a tough read. What an amazing cover. 8y
Demanda @Reviewsbylola the cover is beautiful! I'm kinda sad my advanced copy is an e-book. I would have loved to put this on my shelf. 8y
rhymeswithjoey Is this about New Mexico? 8y
Demanda @rhymeswithjoey a good chunk of the book is set in New Mexico, but it isn't necessarily what it's about. The state takes on this almost dreamy quality because it is where she spent the majority of her time lost in an unhealthy and addictive relationship. 8y
rhymeswithjoey @Demanda awesome. I'm from there and love books set there 8y
19 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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alholstrom
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Just look at this cover. The inside is pretty beautiful, too.

7 likes4 stack adds
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stephopitz
Land of Enchantment | Leigh Stein
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Pickpick

A death of a too-young ex, launches Leigh‘s heartfelt memoir about first loves, idealism, disappointment, and toxic relationships.

5 likes1 stack add