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graywild's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.0
Just ok for me. The 1st half of the book deals with her life in a cult. However she was very young during this time and had no idea she was in a cult. The weird parts of her life were just normal occurrences. At some point her mom and boyfriend leave the cult and she goes to live with them (the cult says it was because her mom left the cult). At this point the book becomes about how she survives being abused sexually. The 1st half comes off as being written by a child. The 2nd part is difficult to read and is a little disjointed. Overall not a great read for me.
librarymouse's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Prior to reading Guinevere Turner's account of her childhood, I'd never heard of the Lyman family. Reading Turner's story though both retrospective reflection and direct quotes from journal entries from when the events she describes took place made her storytelling so immersive and the horrors she endured all the more gut wrenching.
The story starting with the failure of an ascension predicted by the leader of the cult Turner was born into was such an eye catching hook to being readers in, and while it primed me for some of what to expect for some of he other Lyman family beliefs, other aspects of Turner's story were totally unexpected.
Guinevere Turner has a mastery of language and how to keep a reader invested that is tangible even in the diary excerpts.
The story starting with the failure of an ascension predicted by the leader of the cult Turner was born into was such an eye catching hook to being readers in, and while it primed me for some of what to expect for some of he other Lyman family beliefs, other aspects of Turner's story were totally unexpected.
Guinevere Turner has a mastery of language and how to keep a reader invested that is tangible even in the diary excerpts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Rape, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Abortion
Minor: Death, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
bpelle0207's review against another edition
2.0
I think this book might mean the most to those who personally knew the author, this lifestyle, or this particular group. It read like what it essentially was, a journal, and possible due to her young age felt so immature to me, so disengaged and although it should have felt more intimate I found myself not caring for any character at all. (And by character I mean real life person which makes me sad to say)
katy82's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape
thrillereader's review against another edition
A very interesting cult coming of age story! I really enjoyed the letters and diary entries that were included over the years.
misha_ali's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting deviation from the norm in terms of commune-style cult life. I feel like Guinevere went out of her way to not present things in a negative light because of the ties to her "family" and that adds an interesting dimension to the book that sets it apart from other accounts of children who grew up in similar situations and eventually joined the rest of the world.
My biggest gripe with this book was that, while interesting, it does get a bit repetitive given that it's three hundred or so pages and only covers Guinevere's life from early childhood to age 18. There's a lot of detail that can get repetitive, especially when dealing with the chores of her early life, relationships with the other members of the "Family" and later, with the dynamics in her family living in an abusive situation.
I would have enjoyed more from adult Guin reflecting on how things have changed in her life or how she managed to make her way in the world after the events in the book, but we stop a bit abruptly at the cusp of freedom for her and never revisit her relationship with her mother, sisters, brother, FP, grandmother, or even the Family she left behind at various locations that she presumably never interacts with again.
Also, I'll be honest: I was disappointed not to see Lloyd mentioned in the acknowledgements when he was a literal lifeline for a young person who needed a safe place to live. Very odd to not hear anything about that relationship either beyond age 18.
My biggest gripe with this book was that, while interesting, it does get a bit repetitive given that it's three hundred or so pages and only covers Guinevere's life from early childhood to age 18. There's a lot of detail that can get repetitive, especially when dealing with the chores of her early life, relationships with the other members of the "Family" and later, with the dynamics in her family living in an abusive situation.
I would have enjoyed more from adult Guin reflecting on how things have changed in her life or how she managed to make her way in the world after the events in the book, but we stop a bit abruptly at the cusp of freedom for her and never revisit her relationship with her mother, sisters, brother, FP, grandmother, or even the Family she left behind at various locations that she presumably never interacts with again.
Also, I'll be honest: I was disappointed not to see Lloyd mentioned in the acknowledgements when he was a literal lifeline for a young person who needed a safe place to live. Very odd to not hear anything about that relationship either beyond age 18.