The excerpts from Gail Caldwell's memoir, "Let's Take the Long Way Home," focus on her intense friendship with fellow writer Caroline Knapp, particularly their shared experiences with alcoholism recovery and their love for rowing and dogs. The narrative details their parallel lives, including their private struggles with addiction—Caldwell stopped drinking in 1984, years before Knapp wrote her memoir, "Drinking: A Love Story"—and their mutual support in daily life. The text describes lighthearted moments, such as their first attempts at rowing and their code language for time-wasting ("tatting"), contrasted with profound challenges like Caldwell's recovery from polio and, ultimately, the devastating experience of Caroline's illness and death from lung cancer. Throughout the memoir, Caldwell highlights how her relationship with her Samoyed dog, Clementine, provided her with emotional anchor and strength, especially after Knapp's passing.

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