Heaven's Coast: A Memoir

Heaven's Coast: A Memoir
by Mark Doty

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Book Summary Information

Author: Mark Doty
Edition: Paperback
Published: 1997-03-12
ISBN: 0060928050
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Harper Perennial

Book Reviews of Heaven's Coast: A Memoir

Book Review: Overcoming Loss
Summary: 5 Stars

Heaven's Coast is a book about loss. Mark Doty approaches this topic through the loss of his beloved partner through AIDS, but, to me, this was not a book about AIDS. As some other reviews note, this topic has been covered by others probably more effectively.

First and foremost, Mark Doty is a poet. He views his life through images and metaphors. It is not surprising that he approaches personal loss in this same way? The power of the metaphor is that it is universal. It allows others to enter into the writer's thoughts without actually experience them. In this, Doty is masterful, and he uses this skill with Great power in Heaven's Coast. In doing so, he is able to describe loss - a feeling that is both deeply personal and yet universal. It may not be loss to AIDS - it may be loss of a relationship to addiction, loss of self-control to depression, loss of possessions to natural disasters. But it is all loss. Doty's writings help allow one's humanity to remain pinnacle during the time of loss. It may be submerged, but it is never loss. Looking for that essence of person-ality is what Doty emphasizes, and it is a message that transcends situation and becomes universal. Kudos to Doty for emphasizing this truth through his life story and captivating prose.

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Summary of Heaven's Coast: A Memoir

The year is 1989 and Mark Doty's life has reached a state of enviable equilibrium. His reputation as a poet of formidable talent is growing, he enjoys his work as a college professor and, perhaps most importantly, he is deeply in love with his partner of many years, Wally Roberts. The harmonious existence these two men share is shattered, however, when they learn that Wally has tested positive for the HIV virus.

From diagnosis to the initial signs of deterioration to the heartbreaking hour when Wally is released from his body's ruined vessel, Heaven's Coastis an intimate chronicle of love, its hardships, and its innumerable gifts. We witness Doty's passage through the deepest phase of grief -- letting his lover go while keeping him firmly alive in memory and heart -- and, eventually beyond, to the slow reawakening of the possibilities of pleasure. Part memoir, part journal, part elegy for a life of rare communication and beauty, Heaven's Coast evinces the same stunning honesty, resplendent descriptive power and rapt attention to the physical landscape that has won Doty's poetry such attention and acclaim.

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