You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Shorter Dry by Augusten Burroughs: What has two thumbs and loves to drink? This guy.
I've heard this is a less than truthful, exaggerated tales type of memoir. I honestly don't care. It's a book and I'm gonna read it because it sounded interesting to me.
Was Dry interesting? Very. Would I read it again? Not likely.
So why would I say an interesting book is not worth a reread? I find myself feeling more unlike towards the book as I try to gather my thoughts to write a review up. Augusten (which isn't his real name) is a very self-centered man and it comes off that way in the book. The book is about his troubles with alcohol. Although I was annoyed at the fact that no where in there did he talk about having a real issue with coke, which he did regularly. The Benadryl was only mentioned once...taking Benadryl 10 times in one day is insane to me. The book dragged in some areas (the German beer rep, the rehab portion, Foster, the relapse, etc.). The book left open some areas, like Rick, who was being completely horrid to Augusten's recovery. He got promoted...and that's it? It was hard to appreciate the journey of alcoholism: identifying the problem, recovering, relapsing, recovering, etc. It was hard to read some of the flashbacks - which ended up having no real purpose to the story - and therefore seemed like bragging. The person that I liked the most in the book was Pighead. I felt that portion of the memoir was done well and done very honestly.
Was Dry interesting? Very. Would I read it again? Not likely.
So why would I say an interesting book is not worth a reread? I find myself feeling more unlike towards the book as I try to gather my thoughts to write a review up. Augusten (which isn't his real name) is a very self-centered man and it comes off that way in the book. The book is about his troubles with alcohol. Although I was annoyed at the fact that no where in there did he talk about having a real issue with coke, which he did regularly. The Benadryl was only mentioned once...taking Benadryl 10 times in one day is insane to me. The book dragged in some areas (the German beer rep, the rehab portion, Foster, the relapse, etc.). The book left open some areas, like Rick, who was being completely horrid to Augusten's recovery. He got promoted...and that's it? It was hard to appreciate the journey of alcoholism: identifying the problem, recovering, relapsing, recovering, etc. It was hard to read some of the flashbacks - which ended up having no real purpose to the story - and therefore seemed like bragging. The person that I liked the most in the book was Pighead. I felt that portion of the memoir was done well and done very honestly.
Augusten makes rehab sound like a fun vacay full of drama, booze, drugs and sexual exploits!
I haven't read anything by Burroughs in a long time and forgot how much I love him. It's not a light book, but there are funny moments among the very honest look at his rehab and sobriety.
A moving memoir of drunkenness and the struggle for sobriety. Unfortunately for Burroughs, there really isn't much to say about this subject that hasn't been said before many times, and often quite a bit better. Despite the rawness of his prose, the feeling that he is keeping his reading audience at arm's length still pervades the book. This is not surprising, considering the childhood he survived, but without this intimacy this account falls somewhat short of being truly engaging.
Despite all this, it is a fine read and a courageous exposition of his struggles with not just drink, but with love and intimacy and purpose. I would recommend this to anyone who has been through this particular wringer or knows anyone who has, especially gay men. Just don't go in expecting too much.
Despite all this, it is a fine read and a courageous exposition of his struggles with not just drink, but with love and intimacy and purpose. I would recommend this to anyone who has been through this particular wringer or knows anyone who has, especially gay men. Just don't go in expecting too much.
This book details Augusten Burroughs' struggle with sobriety - interesting. Good follow up read to Running with Scissors, still my favorit of his books.
funny
reflective
medium-paced