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shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
Superbly written. Poignant but mostly laugh-out-loud funny. Great read.
gbliss's review against another edition
3.0
Laughed out loud at the WFB medical updates ("Urine-wise...") and a few other passages, but it is hard to get away from the sense that this book is payback, albeit potentially well-deserved payback, particularly to dear old "mum." As for pup, and for most that is why we are reading the book, there are some insights and new details learned, but more than anything the book reminded me of WFB's incredible love of life, and the way he lived it so fully...wonderfully captured in Overdrive, and Atlantic High. The closing scene of Atlantic High when WFB returned to the boat alone while the others celebrated the end of their oceanic crossing remains one of the most eloquent expressions of pure contentment, love and joy I have ever read.
pitosalas's review against another edition
4.0
Sadly it's happened more than once that someone I know of at a distance (like TV) turns out to be have a much more interesting story than I realized, but I don't hear about it until after they are no longer around. This is a fine memoir and a very fast read !
lisanussd's review against another edition
4.0
I have been listening to memoirs recently on audio CD's, and I especially enjoy memoirs that are read by the authors. I listened to this book a little to close to the "End of your Life Book Club" because it was another memoir written by a son in the Northeast who came from a privileged home. AT times, the family's lifestyle was off putting and I felt slightly disassociated from the experience. However, Buckley is VERY witty and even his description of picking out a casket can bring out a chuckle. And, as other reviewers, noted, the vocabulary was divine. Of course, I couldn't look up the words with not visual cues. I also enjoyed Buckley's reminisces of his teenage years. At the end of the book, Buckley wrote, "At times our obsession with longevity, can be a little unhealthy..." That quote summed up his perspective on life, we live, we celebrate, we die. I haven't read his other books, but I plan to because I did enjoy his writing style.
mamalemma's review against another edition
5.0
The Buckleys live in a whole different world than most of the rest of us. Theirs is a world of fame, privilege, power, intellect, and -- oh, heavens, how I envy them -- a world of big words! (When I speak like they do in my world, I am mocked, albeit gently.) I'd like to say listening to this book was delightful, but it seems wrong to characterize a memoir about the death of two beloved, complex parents as "delightful." In the beginning of the memoir, Christo (the author's family nickname) writes that his parents were extraordinary people -- "bigger than life," and admits to a degree of bias. However, after learning just snippets of their lives, I am inclined to agree. Everything these two did and said was something that normal mortals simply could not get away with in our lives. They were brilliant, charming, funny, and yet could also be totally irresponsible, irksome, and sometimes downright rude. Ostensibly, this is a story of one man's experience in becoming an orphan, and coming to terms with complex filial relationships, but in reality, it is just a tease of a biography of two fascinating humans, about whom I'm dying (no pun intended!) to know more. It is an excellent listen for a commute. The author reads his own words (which, when done well, is always my preference for memoirs) and has a mellifluous voice with just a hint of pretension, which I believe adds dramatically to the setting.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
"To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde. Christopher Buckley lost both of his parents in the span of 12 months and became an orphan at the age of 55. In this memoir, Christopher tells the story of taking his mother off life support and tending to his father during the last year of his life while musing on stories of their past as a family. Some of the stories in the book were priceless--such as turning down the offer from the White House to have Vice President Dick Chaney speak at William F. Buckley's memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. I'm sure that many of the revelations about his parents will, no doubt, get Christopher Buckley banned from many a dinner party, but his portrait of his parents is, at the root, warm and loving. The reader will be moved to both tears and laughter. A priceless combination.
raingirlpdx's review against another edition
3.0
"To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde
Not much of a WBF fan but this quick read about being the only son of Pat and William F Buckley is an engaging slice of some interesting lives.
Not much of a WBF fan but this quick read about being the only son of Pat and William F Buckley is an engaging slice of some interesting lives.
annabella82's review
5.0
I'm not one to read memoirs or biographies, but since I enjoy reading Christopher Buckley novels, I thought I'd give this one a try. Celebrating the lives of his parents, following the year in which they both passed away, we get an interesting look at their complex relationship. It was entertaining...from hospitals, memorial services, and funeral homes.
Written with Buckley's typical style, I found this book quite hard to put down.
Written with Buckley's typical style, I found this book quite hard to put down.
kfrench1008's review against another edition
4.0
Never thought I'd read such a funny book about death and dying.