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brittneyreadsbooks 's review for:
Out of the Fire and into the Pan: Sequel to the Blood on my Hands
by Shannon O'Leary
Another autobiography, another note that this review is solely based on my experience & feelings while reading this book, not the ‘story’ itself.
I was really looking forward to this one. Those of you who have read my review of The Blood on My Hands might remember that one of the things I wanted most from that book was to know more about the author as an adult, as a survivor. Out of the Fire and Into the Pan promises to give the reader exactly that.
Oh, how I was disappointed.
O’Leary takes her reader on a journey of self-discovery. She shares with us how she has navigated her trauma, and how her mother and brother are navigating theirs. Initially unexplained fears and anxieties in her adult life are linked back to the actions of her father, serving as harsh reminders that some scars will never heal.
Unfortunately, she does this in a way that just did not work for me. The writing in the first book didn’t gel with me, the writing in this one actually angered me. Disconnected, choppy, repetitive and inconsistent; by the end I was skimming the last 50 or so pages, completely out of patience with it all.
O’Leary wrote that she had kept diaries, memories and other items relating to her father. This book reads as though she is flitting from diary entry to memory and back, all the while trying to elaborate and create a cohesive outline. It just doesn’t work and is too hard to keep up with.
I cannot imagine the strength and bravery needed to not only survive this childhood, but to become strong enough to also find your place in the world. My deepest respects go to the author for these acts of bravery, and I have no doubt the process of putting pen to paper was a cathartic and necessary one. I only wish that more thought was put into the proofreading/editing side of things.
I was really looking forward to this one. Those of you who have read my review of The Blood on My Hands might remember that one of the things I wanted most from that book was to know more about the author as an adult, as a survivor. Out of the Fire and Into the Pan promises to give the reader exactly that.
Oh, how I was disappointed.
O’Leary takes her reader on a journey of self-discovery. She shares with us how she has navigated her trauma, and how her mother and brother are navigating theirs. Initially unexplained fears and anxieties in her adult life are linked back to the actions of her father, serving as harsh reminders that some scars will never heal.
Unfortunately, she does this in a way that just did not work for me. The writing in the first book didn’t gel with me, the writing in this one actually angered me. Disconnected, choppy, repetitive and inconsistent; by the end I was skimming the last 50 or so pages, completely out of patience with it all.
O’Leary wrote that she had kept diaries, memories and other items relating to her father. This book reads as though she is flitting from diary entry to memory and back, all the while trying to elaborate and create a cohesive outline. It just doesn’t work and is too hard to keep up with.
I cannot imagine the strength and bravery needed to not only survive this childhood, but to become strong enough to also find your place in the world. My deepest respects go to the author for these acts of bravery, and I have no doubt the process of putting pen to paper was a cathartic and necessary one. I only wish that more thought was put into the proofreading/editing side of things.