M Train

M Train is a memoir by musician and writer Patti Smith that traces her life from 1975 through 2015. The narrative moves between past and present as Smith documents her daily rituals, travels, and creative pursuits. The book centers on Smith's life following her musical breakthrough, including her years away from performing while living in Detroit with her husband and children. Smith writes about her morning writing practice, her fascination with detective shows, and her pilgrimages to the graves of artists and writers she admires. Through photographs and memories, Smith explores profound loss and grief, including the deaths of her husband Fred "Sonic" Smith, her brother Todd, and her friend Robert Mapplethorpe. She details her return to New York City and her purchase of a small house in Rockaway Beach. The memoir examines the nature of creativity, solitude, and the ways memory shapes identity through a non-linear structure that mirrors the movement of thought and dreams.

Readers describe M Train as a meditative, wandering memoir that follows Smith's travels, coffee shop rituals, and reflections on loss. The nonlinear structure mirrors her stream of consciousness. Readers appreciated: - Raw honesty about grief and aging - Atmospheric descriptions of places and moments - Photography woven throughout the text - Observations about creativity and art - Details about her daily routines and solitude Common criticisms: - Meandering pace feels unfocused - References can be obscure without context - Less engaging than Just Kids (her previous memoir) - Some found the tone melancholy and self-indulgent Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (25,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (1,000+ ratings) Representative review: "Like sitting with a friend who's sharing stories over coffee - sometimes profound, sometimes mundane, but always authentic." - Goodreads reviewer Most critical review: "Beautiful writing that ultimately goes nowhere. I kept waiting for a point that never came." - Amazon reviewer

Just Kids by Patti Smith Smith's earlier memoir chronicles her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe and their emergence as artists in 1970s New York.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion A memoir of grief follows Didion through the year after her husband's death as she processes loss through memory and ritual.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed A meditation on solitude and healing unfolds through Strayed's solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.

H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald Following her father's death, Macdonald processes her grief by training a goshawk while weaving together nature writing with personal reflection.

Blue Nights by Joan Didion Didion examines memory, mortality, and motherhood through the lens of her daughter's death and her own aging.

🔸 Smith wrote much of "M Train" at the same Greenwich Village café (Café 'Ino) nearly every morning until it closed in 2013, always sitting at the same brown table near the window. 🔸 The title "M Train" refers not to any specific railway line but to the mind train - Smith's metaphor for her meandering thoughts and memories throughout the book. 🔸 The memoir features Smith's own Polaroid photographs, which she took throughout her travels, adding a visual dimension to her written observations. 🔸 During the writing of this book, Hurricane Sandy destroyed Smith's Rockaway Beach home, which becomes a poignant subplot about loss and renewal in the narrative. 🔸 The book pays tribute to several literary figures Smith admires, including Sylvia Plath, Jean Genet, and Roberto Bolaño, reflecting her deep connection to literature that predates her music career.