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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This book is short in pages, but not in the feels department. There were some parts that made me laugh out loud and some that made me tear up. She's brutally honest and I loved that. Some of the letters I hope to read again, even if they were hard to read. It made me think back on interactions I've had with others that may have seemed so small at the time, but have had more of an impact than you expected. This may be a good book club choice and I might be buying a copy for myself.
I'm a fan of Mary-Louise Parker and when I saw that she had a memoir available on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. Thank you to Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy of Parker's memoir, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- Parker's Dear Mr. You is not a conventional memoir. This is not an insiders look at Parker's Hollywood life, in fact, very little of it is mentioned. You could read this entire memoir and have no idea that she is a famous actress, that's how little of it is mentioned. But really, what makes this memoir unconventional, is her device of writing letters to the men in her life to frame the chapters. The men are not even necessarily people she knew well, but those who in some way, maybe without even realizing, have made an impact on her life.
LIKE- Wow. I was blown away, dazzled, and deeply affected by Parker's beautiful memoir. This is truly powerful writing that will run you through a gamut of emotions. Don't say that I didn't warn you!
There is so much to love in Dear Mr. You, but a few moments really shone above the others. One is where Parker mentions the birth of her son and waking up in the hospital to see her brother holding her newborn and singing to him. Parker's boyfriend left her when she was seven months pregnant ( no, she doesn't name drop or belabor the fact), but it sets up the point that she felt overwhelmed seeing her brother step-up when she needed him the most. She lists this as one of the top moments that she would love to relive.
Another emotional memory is recalled, when she writes to the uncle of her adopted daughter, a man whom she met once and had to speak through a translator, a moment where she used those precious minutes to try to figure out what this man hoped most for his niece, whom he was sending off with a stranger, an unmarried foreign woman. This moment is remembered with such gratitude and compassion. It made me think about and feel grateful for good things in my own life.
The most affecting letter, is the one that Parker writes to an unnamed oyster picker, writing in gratitude for the comfort that the oysters brought to her dying father. Have the kleenex nearby for this one.
DISLIKE- Not a single word.
RECOMMEND- Must read. Put Dear Mr. You on the top of your TBR pile. As much as I'm a fan of Parker's acting, I'm a much bigger fan of her writing. This memoir is a marvel.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- Parker's Dear Mr. You is not a conventional memoir. This is not an insiders look at Parker's Hollywood life, in fact, very little of it is mentioned. You could read this entire memoir and have no idea that she is a famous actress, that's how little of it is mentioned. But really, what makes this memoir unconventional, is her device of writing letters to the men in her life to frame the chapters. The men are not even necessarily people she knew well, but those who in some way, maybe without even realizing, have made an impact on her life.
LIKE- Wow. I was blown away, dazzled, and deeply affected by Parker's beautiful memoir. This is truly powerful writing that will run you through a gamut of emotions. Don't say that I didn't warn you!
There is so much to love in Dear Mr. You, but a few moments really shone above the others. One is where Parker mentions the birth of her son and waking up in the hospital to see her brother holding her newborn and singing to him. Parker's boyfriend left her when she was seven months pregnant ( no, she doesn't name drop or belabor the fact), but it sets up the point that she felt overwhelmed seeing her brother step-up when she needed him the most. She lists this as one of the top moments that she would love to relive.
Another emotional memory is recalled, when she writes to the uncle of her adopted daughter, a man whom she met once and had to speak through a translator, a moment where she used those precious minutes to try to figure out what this man hoped most for his niece, whom he was sending off with a stranger, an unmarried foreign woman. This moment is remembered with such gratitude and compassion. It made me think about and feel grateful for good things in my own life.
The most affecting letter, is the one that Parker writes to an unnamed oyster picker, writing in gratitude for the comfort that the oysters brought to her dying father. Have the kleenex nearby for this one.
DISLIKE- Not a single word.
RECOMMEND- Must read. Put Dear Mr. You on the top of your TBR pile. As much as I'm a fan of Parker's acting, I'm a much bigger fan of her writing. This memoir is a marvel.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
Very intriguing format, makes the book more of a conversation than a plain, old memoir. It forces focus out into things that seem ordinary - like the first night after her son is born, or seeing a firefighter, or having trouble in a college class - but have a new slant to them. The book ends with an amazing piece, Dear Oyster Picker. MLP has a way with words. I did also appreciate that she isn't interested in a gossipy, tell-all story (unlike the dude who interviewed her at the Englert where he tried to see if she's spill some dirt and she shut him down).
There is something so powerful about a woman who feels confident in writing about all the little and big ways men shaped her life, and that's what I walked away from this book thinking about Mary-Louise Parker, powerful. Parker's passages about her father were beautiful and made me cry. Her attitudes are strong and hilarious. She is interesting in how she goes through life seemingly dazed and completely aware of everything at the same time.
Why can't I rate this ten THOUSAND stars?! I had no idea Mary-Louise Parker was such an extraordinary author, poet, narrator, mother, woman etc etc the list goes on and on. She had me weeping at the start of chapter two with "Dear Daddy" all the way to "To the Future Man Who Loves My Daughter."
This was not a sad memoir or a humorous book of short stories, this was pure truth. This was "blue." :) I think what I love most about Dear Mr. You is that it wasn't all man-bashing. It didn't read like a bitter Taylor Swift song. This was a love story to the men in her life, some good some bad. Even the HEARTBREAKING "Dear Cerberus" and "Dear Taxi Driver" were classy and beautiful and had zero hint of malice or even regret.
Finally, the most stunning letters to her family and about her family. "Dear Daddy" (this one is obviously my favorite), "Dear Father Bob," and "Dear Orderly" -- To hear her (I listened to the audiobook) talk about her children, her father, her brothers and sister, her mother, her priest and her friends was awe-inspiring. I will recommend this book to every woman AND man I know. STUNNING.
This was not a sad memoir or a humorous book of short stories, this was pure truth. This was "blue." :) I think what I love most about Dear Mr. You is that it wasn't all man-bashing. It didn't read like a bitter Taylor Swift song. This was a love story to the men in her life, some good some bad. Even the HEARTBREAKING "Dear Cerberus" and "Dear Taxi Driver" were classy and beautiful and had zero hint of malice or even regret.
Finally, the most stunning letters to her family and about her family. "Dear Daddy" (this one is obviously my favorite), "Dear Father Bob," and "Dear Orderly" -- To hear her (I listened to the audiobook) talk about her children, her father, her brothers and sister, her mother, her priest and her friends was awe-inspiring. I will recommend this book to every woman AND man I know. STUNNING.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Review posted here https://55booksin52weeks.wordpress.com/2016/04/22/review-dear-mr-you/
I went to this book's event at the library and actually listened to her read in person, which made me read everything so clearly in her voice. No secret she is one of my favorites, but even if she wasn't there could be no denying that she is such a beautiful and moving writer.
Parker's writing is intoxicating, but this format didn't work overly well for me. It was much of a mixed bag. Is it weird that I wish she would put some of that amazing writing into fiction? I think I could get behind some short stories from her.
Who knew MLP was a lovely poet? This not a book of poetry, but her writing is so beautiful you will think it is. The book is a collection of essays written as letters to the men who have shaped Parker's life. I don't think I would have picked this up if a trusted book friend hadn't recommended it. But I'm glad I did, it's a good read.