Over the summer I read "The Liar's Club," a memoir written by Mary Karr, and I found it to be quite intriguing and was surprised I enjoyed reading a non-fiction book so much. I was confused as to why it was called "The Liar's Club" because it seemed as if the book was just about how she grew up with a mother that went a little crazy. After awhile I realized why it was called that because her father would meet with his guy friends every once in awhile and Karr would often go with just to sit and listen. She rarely spoke at the meetings and never talked about them outside of the actual event. Karr wrote in such a random way that it made more sense than if she were to have written in chronological order. Not only did she jump from memory to memory, she connected every memory with another. I really enjoyed this writing style because it was refreshing and was very easy to comprehend.
Why was she writing a memoir? From the description I would have thought it was because she was raised in such a terrible way that she had to let the world know it is possible to make it out on top, but that was not what it ended up being. Karr grew up in Texas and was considered wealth off compared to the other people in her town. Her father worked very hard; yet, always had time for his two daughters, whom he treated like princesses. Their mother was always home and also spoiled them; however, she had her ups and downs with drinking and acting what they called "Nervous." Karr was a very stubborn child, but free-spirited and very dedicated. She had a tough skin and wouldn't let many people in. Overall, this was a very good book and made me realize that I should be thankful for the life I have because some people don't have it as great, no matter what it may look like from the outside.
I hope you had a great summer Lydia! I think that its great that your book turned out to be so good. I also read a memoir and it wasn't bad, it was just a little slow to read sometimes. I wonder if my book would have been easier to read if the author didn't write it in chronological order, but rather wrote it in a random order like your author did. I like how you tried to figure out why she was writing a memoir. That is a good question to think about and it made me wonder how people do decide that they want to write a memoir. I think a lot of the time they want to teach people something by giving their story. Maybe one of us will end up writing a memoir some day, who knows!
ReplyDeleteI have not read many memoirs, but this one doesn't seem to let down. What we sometimes don't realize is how well we might have it and it is important to not take that for granted. I think that it is also our job to benefit the lives of those that need an extra push or help. You said that Karr was a stubborn child; were you able to make connections to the way she acted growing up? We all had a little stubbornness growing up which is humorous to us now but troubling to our parents. Sounds like you had fun reading the book!
ReplyDeleteHey Lydia! It sounds like the author wrote your book in a very different yet interesting way. Sometimes I think it is nice to read books like that because it gives you a little bit of change from what you are used to. the author in my book wrote the whole book as little separate stories for each character and then was able to intertwine them towards the end of the book. Much like your book it was a different style of writing but it kept me reading. I hope you enjoyed reading your book. Enjoy what's left of summer!
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia, I'm glad you enjoyed your book so much! I too found myself surprised that a non-fiction book could be so enjoyable, and written so story-like. The memoir I read was about the progression of a woman's cancer, so I enjoyed it being written in chronological order because it showed her health progress over time. That being said, I would like to read a book like yours, that doesn't focus on the affects of an illness or other problem that is tracked and cured overtime, and can instead jump from memory to memory. I like how you were able to take away deeper meanings from your book, realize the true reason the author wrote the book, and contrast it to your own life. Great blog, Lydia!
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