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rodney1946's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
perplexing but lively, alternately irritating and ingenious. She is certainly knowledgable.
aaronatpanepublishingco's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
This is a must read— a MUST read— for the writer. It's technical yet digestible. It's reflective yet forward thinking. It's about Karr's journey yet it's about yours too.
It's killer and if you're anything like me, you were running to your notepad to take notes. I thought it was one of the more creative things I've read in a long time, and it was a non-fic about the art of memoir.
It's killer and if you're anything like me, you were running to your notepad to take notes. I thought it was one of the more creative things I've read in a long time, and it was a non-fic about the art of memoir.
bhnmt61's review against another edition
5.0
Although this isn't a very long book, it isn't the kind of book you can sit and read through in a day. At least, I can't. It took me a couple of weeks to finish it, because there is so much to think about and absorb. Some of the chapters are a bit dry, and if you're not actually writing a memoir, some of it is a bit too technical. But I do write about my life in my blog, and Karr has great advice and insights about how to talk about yourself-- how to be honest without being mean, how to search for the true way to tell a story, how to find the nuggets of stories worth telling. I think it would be worth reading for anyone who is interested in puzzling out the truth of their experience, regardless of whether or not you plan to write a memoir about it. Also, there are lots of great recommendations of good memoirs to read.
claireescott's review against another edition
5.0
This is my new favorite book about writing; I found myself paying attention to the world differently by the end of it. Will be thinking of this whenever I revise: "The point is to have more curiosity about possible forms the work can take than sense of self-protection for your ego."
katlizlove's review against another edition
5.0
While I do not typically like instructions books, Mary Karr does a wonderful job of interspersing this book with excerpts, recommendations, and quirky personality.
agavemonster's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
5.0
This is the first full book I've read by Mary Karr, and her voice enchanted me—The Liars' Club and Lit just went to the top of my list. The chapter on Nabokov is some of the best literary criticism of his work I've ever read.