Total Page : 336
Publisher : Picador
Publication Date : 1996 11 08
>> Fine storytelling in an emotional black hole
A childhood spent in an ugly Texas oil town blighted by an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother sure does give Mary Karr a good story to tell And she tells her story with a sure hand and a finely honed black humor This is the reason to read Mary Karr s book
Eventually though the narrative began to feel hollow to me Mary Karr is telling her story from a great distance not so much of time but of therapy and creative writing coursework She talks of her physical reactions to the craziness around her for example watching her mentally ill mother burn her toys and belongings in a bonfire or recoiling from the demands of nursing her father but her emotional self is remote or even absent
I felt this lack only because I recently read two misery lit memoirs whose emotional tone seemed more honest to me The Glass Castle and Hungry Hill In each of these books the child s hurt is more keenly felt Mary Karr seems intent on pushing away the hurt in favor of the story And yes it s a great story
>> a tattered tale
The writing and story were great but i d say the seller oversetimated the book s condition a bit Still it arrived quickly and all s well that reads well
>> Liar s Club Pulls No Punches
Mary Karr s book Liar s Club should be required reading for all memoirists
Karr lays bare her horrendous childhood and sexual abuse with a painfully truthful yet poignant and laugh out loud funny story of her love hate relationship with an extraordinary and extraordinarily frustrated mother a candidate for a good shrink if there ever was one Fortunately she has a father who is her rock at least when he s not drinking
As is the case in many such situations Karr and her older sister learn to cope by relying on each other for support I can see why it has endured and is recommended by so many therapists
From Karr s recounting of her early panic to her final absolution I loved this book
Mary Lynn Archibald author of the memoir Accidental Cowgirl Six Cows No Horse and No Clue
