Notes to John - BookWyrm

Notes to John is a 2025 posthumous book by Joan Didion. A largely unedited copy of her journal, it consists of 46 diary entries written by Didion after she began seeing a psychiatrist in 1999. The book was released on April 22, 2025 by Knopf. It marks Didion's first posthumous release, as well as the first release of entirely new Didion material (as opposed to reprinted material) since 2011.

1 edition

andbenn reviewed Notes to John by Joan Didion

An introspective to her family, thinking and writing

4 stars

This is a pretty amazing book if you are a Didion fan. As her notes from her therapist sessions, there is a lot of flashbacks to her past and family life. A significant portion around her daughter, and smaller bit on her husband.

There are occasional footnotes to identify the other people mentioned, some of which are pretty famous or well-known.

It's clear from these one-sided notes from her sessions that she was a bothered soul. Exquisite prose and writing though. Obviously she had a lot of practice.

The book would be a good read for anyone interested in her life as a result of her work. For others, it may just seem like a one sided therapist log. I enjoyed it.

This is a pretty amazing book if you are a Didion fan. As her notes from her therapist sessions, there is a lot of flashbacks to her past and family life. A significant portion around her daughter, and smaller bit on her husband.

There are occasional footnotes to identify the other people mentioned, some of which are pretty famous or well-known.

It's clear from these one-sided notes from her sessions that she was a bothered soul. Exquisite prose and writing though. Obviously she had a lot of practice.

The book would be a good read for anyone interested in her life as a result of her work. For others, it may just seem like a one sided therapist log. I enjoyed it.