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haygurlhay's review against another edition
4.0
i've come to deeply love the lyricism of Michael Ondaatje's work, and it solidified with Running in the Family. a mix of travelog, memoir, poetry and essay-esque analysis of the histories we both have/inherit and have to fill in the blanks for, especially when your history is tied to a landscape that is home but not quite home.
kcohen5's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I am not a fan of this book. I think after reflecting and analyzing I could really like the message but the book itself lost me at so many points. I Amy typically a fan of this type of storytelling but this book did not draw me in. I did however enjoy when the grandmother was focused on.
kimbobo's review against another edition
2.0
I read the opening line -- What began it all was the bright bone of a dream I could hardly hold onto. -- and I thought that I was going to adore this book, but most of it has slid past me without making any impression whatsoever. Not poorly told, but just not for me.
wendoxford's review against another edition
2.0
Completely split about this book. I loved the poetry, not just the poems but some of the sections of writing conjuring up a whole other world in sparingly selected language. I also loved the non linear structure and endless changes of style memoir/reportage/gossip/fiction/poetry/surreal travel guide.
However at the centre of this crafted prose is a drunken controlling man, the author's father. The core of the book, for me, read like an ode to a lush without any attempt at emotional connection. For such a wealth of family memory it is extraordinarily lifeless.
However at the centre of this crafted prose is a drunken controlling man, the author's father. The core of the book, for me, read like an ode to a lush without any attempt at emotional connection. For such a wealth of family memory it is extraordinarily lifeless.