The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography

I loved this book and have read it twice. Great for women who find themselves on their own in middle age.

I agree with other reviewers that this is a series of introspective essays. She tells us that in the subtitle "A Working Autobiography". That was what I needed. I wanted to hear another person's journey at reinventing herself outside of society's expectations. I found her discussions of femininity great - not anything I had read before. Her discussions of being a writer helpful to me as an artist. I couldn't relate to everything as they are different experiences than mine but it gave me some insight into my mom. And her writing is smooth, satisfying. It has a beautiful texture. This was my first Levy book; it will not be my last.

Beautifully written and paced. So much to relate to. Deborah’s thoughts, observations and likenings are so interesting and very much her own.

A woman voice, beautiful! Refreshing to find light, yet deep, personal and very human stories like this one! Thank you!

the first sections of this book captured me. i love essays/memoirs written in this style. but that said....maybe what went wrong with the rest of the book is that i wanted it expand, i wanted it to elaborate on this dynamic of men so often informing a woman that she "talks too much". as the book progressed, i felt it lightly touched down on a variety of good topics but nothing was explored. a five star book is one that i keep. a four star book is possibly keep-able but for sure one that i will lend to my sister to read (as i do with five star books). a three star book is not likely to get passed to my sister but rather donated to the public library. it's likely the fault of this reader that a more solid engagement failed between writer and reader. perhaps i'll try another of her books in time, but for now, i am moving on. my favorite writer in this style: patti smith. i've kept all her books.

Powerful little book, sort of about getting over the collapse of a twenty year marriage and the death of a mother in the same year, and getting on with life. An interesting mix of memories and complicated, sharply observed present day encounters.

A raw and real beautifully written report of a woman's journey through life's loves and losses. A book filled with life wisdom. I am very much looking forward to reading more of Levy's works.

This book is so fabulous, I bought it twice because I wanted to share it with a friend but also wanted to keep my own copy. Everyone needs to read this book, but especially women who are writers. Thank you Deborah Levy for speaking for us!

Great fun quick read, very witty and brutally honest, but it left me with a “ah…that’s it?” taste as I finished. The author would probably answer “such is life” to this comment…

Have started reading the book, and I am amazed by the writing.

Once I started to read it, I couldn't put this book down. It speaks to (and validates) so many of my experiences.

Das Buch sieht gut aus und ist im tadellosen Zustand. Es kam verspätet an, der Verkäufer hat sich sehr zuvorkommend um die Angelegenheit gekümmert, meine Anfrage innerhalb von 1 Stunde beantwortet. Ich würde immer wieder bei diesem Anbieter bestellen

Fantastic second part of Levy’s trilogy - her writing is sublime.