Wander & Wonder

Kelly Bishop

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A reminder that life rarely goes according to plan (and that’s okay)

The Third Gilmore Girl was more heartfelt than I expected. I expected it to be a fun, nostalgic read, but I was surprised at its thoughtful reflection on how unpredictable life can be. Kelly Bishop is honest about the fact that not every opportunity she had was her dream opportunity, yet each step still taught her something about who she was and what she wanted.

The most moving moment for me was when she describes her mother as her “biggest fan, fiercest protector, and wisest most patient teacher” (p. 150) who taught her to always love herself, because if she was special enough to be loved by her, she must be worth loving. It perfectly captures how I feel about my mom (though I would add best friend to the list).

What I did not enjoy as much were the parts that felt like a list of every project she worked on and the names of every person she met along the way. Those sections were a bit dry and broke the flow of the narrative. At the same time, I can understand the intention behind them, because the book also acts as her personal hommage to the people who supported her throughout her career.

The final chapters of the memoir were full of quotes that really stayed with me. Some of my favorite ones include:

“I am so lucky to be me because I get to hang around with myself.” p.223

“Don’t cry because you think your best days are gone. Smile because you had them in the first place.” p. 235

“I do not think about the many times I fell nearly as often as I think about the many times I got back up.” p. 238

Even if life does not unfold the way you imagined, you can still build something meaningful from every experience. It is a reminder that you do not need to have everything figured out to be moving in the right direction. We can all be the fourth Gilmore girl, following life where it leads, bringing heart with us every step of the way.